Markets And Investments

  • Blue gold: the clear and liquid investment
    Thursday, 2nd September 2010
    Water stocks will benefit from climate change and scarcity
    Jessica Mead
    WARS have been fought over land, oil and diamonds but nothing is more fundamental to human existence than water. Now a combination of exponential population growth and climate change is rendering the blue gold an ever scarcer commodity. We are consuming water like never before – the US Environmental Protection Agency says that global water consumption rose six-fold between 1900 and 1995 – more than double the rate of population growth. By 2030, the World Bank estimates that almost half of the world’s population will be living in areas of high water stress. Consequently, global water... [Read more]

  • An income strategy has its benefits in uncertain times
    Thursday, 2nd September 2010
    European dividend yields are at a 25-year high relative to bonds
    Kathleen Brooks
    THERE seems to be no end to the uncertainty surrounding the outlook for the global economy. Bonds tend to be the first port-of-call in uncertain times. However with prices at multi-year highs... [Read more]
  • LISTED PRODUCT NEWS
    Thursday, 2nd September 2010
    DONATA HUGGINS
    MEDIA FARING WELL IN ETF LANDSCAPE Investors are ditching food and beverage sector ETFs, instead favouring media stocks, according to the latest ETF landscape survey from BlackRock. It shows that net... [Read more]
  • THE TIPSTER
    Thursday, 2nd September 2010
    NEW PRODUCTS KEY TO PRICE OF APPLE STOCK
    Kathleen Brooks
    TECH stocks struggled towards the end of last month. China’s weaker growth, including the announcement that it will be drastically reducing its output of rare earth metals, suggests that the future... [Read more]

  • FTSE nears two-month high on US stats and merger chat
    Thursday, 2nd September 2010
    THE LONDON REPORT
    MERGER talk among the travel, telecoms and mining sectors helped Britain’s top shares to their biggest daily gain in almost two months yesterday, as strong manufacturing data from the US and China... [Read more]
  • Wall St surges as confidence picks up
    Thursday, 2nd September 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    WALL Street posted its best day in eight weeks yesterday as investor mood brightened after better-than-expected factory data from the United States and China. Investors jumped on stocks across the... [Read more]
  • FTSE gains ground as mining shares are lifted by US data
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    THE LONDON REPORT
    BRITAIN’S top shares closed up yesterday as miners gained on firmer US economic data which eased investor anxiety on the global economic recovery, while ARM Holdings jumped on renewed takeover talk.... [Read more]
  • Wall St choppy as tech shares decline
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    US stocks ended little changed in choppy trading yesterday, closing out an August the bulls would like to forget. Positive data surprises sustained a rally for most of the session, but declines in... [Read more]
  • Indian elephant offers the investor steady success
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    Expensive valuations shouldn’t deter the investor from looking towards Mumbai
    Jessica Mead
    ANALYSTS comparing the prospects for the world’s two most populous countries often evoke an Asian version of Aesop’s famous fable of the tortoise and the hare – the elephant and the tiger. The... [Read more]
  • The drawbacks of defined contribution pensions
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    A survey shows the industry has not addressed challenges facing members
    Kathleen Brooks
    IT HAS been a rocky couple of years for pension funds. Some high profile defined benefit plans, such as those of BT and British Airways, have suffered badly since the on-set of the financial crisis.... [Read more]
  • FUND MANAGEMENT NEWS
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    KATHLEEN BROOKS
    NORTHERN TRUST OPENS DOOR TO CHINA Asset manager Northern Trust announced that it has been granted permission to open a branch office in Beijing. The new office plans to support institutional clients... [Read more]
  • Buck gets cold-shoulder
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    The dollar is losing its shine in a crisis, says Kathleen Brooks
    KATHLEEN BROOKS
    THE dollar is at a cross roads. At the peak of the financial crisis it was firmly in the set of “safe haven” currencies and was bought in favour of the euro, the pound and most emerging market... [Read more]
  • JAPAN ISSUES CAN’T STOP YEN STRENGTH
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    BORIS SCHLOSSBERG
    Boris Schlossberg
    DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT ONE of the inviolable rules of speculative markets such as foreign exchange is that traders will push prices beyond all rhyme and reason as long as momentum remains... [Read more]
  • Cross-border bids will affect the FX markets
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    The Loonie will benefit from an expected surge in natural resources M&A
    Jessica Mead
    DRAGONS and tigers are known for their voracious appetites. China and India, it appears, are no exception – these Asian powerhouses’ demand for raw materials has proved unrelenting despite the... [Read more]
  • FOREX ANALYST PICKS
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    Daily FX
    FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short sterling-dollar from $1.5500 and short sterling-Aussie below A$1.7175 Expertise: Combining fundamental and technical analysis Market conditions are... [Read more]
  • THE TIPSTER
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    JAPAN FAILS TO STEM YEN STRENGTH
    je
    MUTTERINGS of further intervention by the Bank of Japan are being put to the test by the market, which is betting on the central bank being unable to stem the tide of yen appreciation. There was a... [Read more]
  • Currency intervention is back on the cards for the Bank of Japan
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    But the chances of it weakening the yen are slim
    Kathleen Brooks
    THE world of foreign exchange tends to get very tricky when central bankers start getting worried about the strength or weakness of their currency. This is the position in which the Bank of Japan (... [Read more]
  • ECONOMIC WEEK HEAD
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    IT IS a busy week for the markets crammed with the usual start-of-the month economic data releases. The most eagerly awaited of these will be from the US. Manufacturing data out on Wednesday and... [Read more]
  • FTSE to dip after bank holiday break
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    MARTIN ON THE MARKETS
    MARTIN SLANEY
    Martin Slaney
    WITH the UK stock market closed yesterday for the bank holiday, a fairly weak start is forecast for the open this morning, following a negative cue from US shares yesterday. GFT is quoting the FTSE... [Read more]
  • Worries over pace of the recovery see shares fall
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    US stocks fell in the year’s lightest volume yesterday as worries about the pace of economic recovery overshadowed data showing a rise in consumer spending and income. The uncertainty weighed more on... [Read more]
  • Use technicals to chart your course through jumpy markets
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    In a blizzard of economic data, patterns can help you find your way
    JESSICA MEAD
    WHEN nervous markets are jumping upon every single piece of economic data as an excuse to swing one way or the other, it can be extremely difficult for contracts for difference (CFDs) traders to... [Read more]
  • WE HAVE NOT YET REACHED THE BOTTOM
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    DAVID MORRISON
    David Morrison
    CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT WE’RE getting closer to the end of the summer and there is a growing fear that the rest of the year will see serious ructions in the financial markets. US economic data... [Read more]
  • BP remains under pressure months after plugging Gulf of Mexico leak
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    The oil giant isn’t out of the woods yet and its share price remains vulnerable
    Kathleen Brooks
    THINGS can’t get much worse for Carl-Henric Svanberg, chairman of BP. After receiving a drubbing for his handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, he is also nursing a £2m paper loss on shares he... [Read more]
  • CITY INDEX
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    TECHNICAL ANALYSIS GURU
    SANDY JADEJA
    CHIEF TECHNICAL ANALYST SANDY.JADEJA@CITYINDEX.CO.UK Q.Dear Josh, what’s the market sentiment for the prospect of a double- dip recession after Friday’s GDP data? A.First both UK and US GDP readings... [Read more]
  • FTSE begins to recoup losses as miners and banks advance
    Friday, 27th August 2010
    THE LONDON REPORT
    BRITAIN’S top share index rose yesterday, boosted by a rebound in commodity stocks and helped by better-than-expected economic data from the US. The FTSE 100 closed up 46.44 points, or 0.9 per cent,... [Read more]
  • Economic worries stall Wall St gains
    Friday, 27th August 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    US stocks sagged yesterday and the Dow closed below 10,000 a day ahead of an expected downward revision in US second-quarter economic growth and a major speech by Federal Reserve chairman Ben... [Read more]
  • A more subtle way to show your wealth
    Friday, 27th August 2010
    Post-crisis, investors are ditching the boys’ toys for high-brow art
    Jessica Mead
    THERE was a time, not so very long ago, that bling was in. Fast cars, sleek super yachts, and private planes were fundamental to living the jet-set lifestyle which was the City dream for much of the... [Read more]
  • PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS
    Friday, 27th August 2010
    KATHLEEN BROOKS
    RECESSION FLAT SHARE ANYONE? According to a new survey by easyroommate.co.uk there has been a surge in the number of people looking for flat shares in the wake of the recession. It found that flat... [Read more]
  • Be prepared for the turbulent autumn ahead
    Thursday, 26th August 2010
    Listed products can offer a low-risk way to trade the FTSE
    Jessica Mead
    INVESTORS fed up with volatile, range-bound markets that apparently have little sense of clear direction will be cheering the end of the summer and the dust being swept off the City trading floors.... [Read more]
  • Getting a grip on listed products
    Thursday, 26th August 2010
    Investing is getting more complex
    Kathleen Brooks
    TOO much choice can be a problem for investors these days. Online consumer champion Which? singled out structured products as being some of the most confusing instruments on offer and was... [Read more]
  • LISTED PRODUCT NEWS
    Thursday, 26th August 2010
    ETP TURNOVER 10PC OF EQUITY ACTIVITY The latest figures from BlackRock’s exchange-traded fund (ETF) division show that exchange-traded product turnover was 10.45 per cent of equivalent equity market... [Read more]
  • THE TIPSTER
    Thursday, 26th August 2010
    RISK AVERSION BOOSTS BONDS, HITS MINERS
    Jessica Mead
    DESPITE the yawning deficit in Britain’s public finances, 10-year gilts have been finding favour thanks to the ongoing theme of risk aversion. The flight from equities has seen yields dropping... [Read more]
  • FTSE hits seven-week closing low as fears over recovery’s strength intensify
    Thursday, 26th August 2010
    THE LONDON REPORT
    BRITAIN’S top share index fell to a seven-week closing low yesterday on growing unease that the global economy may slip back into another recession following further weak economic data from the... [Read more]
  • Wall St stages comeback as bargain hunters move in
    Thursday, 26th August 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    US stocks staged a comeback yesterday, breaking a four-day losing streak by major indexes, as key technical support triggered bargain hunting that offset weak economic data. The S&P 500 index... [Read more]
  • Banks and miners suffer after MPC’s Weale warns of fresh dip
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    THE LONDON REPORT
    BRITAIN’S top share index closed lower yesterday after weak US existing home sales data cast further doubt on the economic recovery story, with UK banks, miners and energy stocks bearing the brunt of... [Read more]
  • Weak housing data drag equities down
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    US stocks slumped, with the Dow and S&P 500 on track for a fourth day of declines as an unexpectedly large drop in home sales ratcheted up concerns about the economic recovery. Sales of US... [Read more]
  • The pound’s rally stalls
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    Indicators point to further weakness
    Kathleen Brooks
    FOREX traders diligently looking at the cable chart in recent weeks might be rather gloomy about the outlook for the pound. Yesterday it broke below a key level against the dollar, which suggests... [Read more]
  • AUSSIE RALLY CHALLENGES FX WISDOM
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    BORIS SCHLOSSBERG
    DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT ONE of the ironclad rules of FX trading is that political turmoil triggers instant selloffs in the country’s currency as speculators run first and ask questions... [Read more]
  • Thai growth shrugs off the political turmoil
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    The economy proved to be resilient and this should boost the baht
    Kathleen Brooks
    THERE aren’t many economies that can experience three months of political protest without it denting growth, but that is exactly what HAS happened to Thailand. The protests, which lasted from March... [Read more]
  • THE TIPSTER
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    THE YEN IS STILL ON A GOOD ROLL
    Kathleen Brooks
    WITH the yen hitting a nine-year high against the euro, people have wondered if it can go any further. But coupled with poor economic data continuing to come out of Europe, the trend is likely to... [Read more]
  • FOREX ANALYST PICKS
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    Daily FX
    FOREX STRATEGIST DAVID RODRIGUEZ My pick: Stay short euro-dollar below $1.2750 Expertise: Algorithmic trading Average time frame of trades: Two-10 weeks I remain short the euro-US Dollar pair from $... [Read more]
  • Why the unconventional approach to global income can pay dividends
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    Aberdeen’s Bruce Stout tells Jessica Mead that investors need to look further afield for success
    FOR a manager of a billion-pound global fund that is more than a century old, Bruce Stout, fund manager for Murray International Investment Trust and a senior portfolio manager on the global equities... [Read more]
  • FUND MANAGEMENT NEWS
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    KATHLEEN BROOKS
    PICTET LAUNCHES ENVIRONMENT FUND Swiss private bank Pictet is capitalising on the latest move towards more socially responsible investing with the launch of its Pictet-Environmental Megatrend... [Read more]
  • Popular Euro brands are a gateway to the emerging world
    Tuesday, 24th August 2010
    And stock prices are looking good value
    Kathleen Brooks
    THE consumer staples sector is usually considered fairly robust. The types of goods it produces – alcohol, food and household products –?tend to be immune to fluctuations in earnings and during... [Read more]
  • EQUITIES NOT YET PRICING IN DEFLATION
    Tuesday, 24th August 2010
    DAVID MORRISON
    David Morrison
    CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT WHILE July was a good month for most stock indices, August has been pretty grim so far. An early rally faded as the S&P encountered significant resistance around 1,130... [Read more]
  • TRADING NEWS
    Tuesday, 24th August 2010
    JESSICA MEAD
    FXCM ENHANCES NO DEALING DESK EXECUTION This summer, FXCM has enhanced its no dealing desk execution service by adding a price improvement service. If a better price becomes available before a limit... [Read more]
  • THE TIPSTER
    Tuesday, 24th August 2010
    AUSSIE HIT BY POLITICAL TURMOIL
    Jessica Mead
    POLITICAL turmoil and the prospect of a hung parliament pushed the Australian dollar to its lowest level in more than a month against the greenback yesterday. Independent MPs have now become the... [Read more]
  • M&A activity saves FTSE from fourth day of losses but volumes remain thin
    Tuesday, 24th August 2010
    THE LONDON REPORT
    BRITAIN’S leading share index ended a three-session losing run yesterday, helped by a spate of corporate takeover activity, though trading was thin. HSBC said it was in talks to buy up to 70 per... [Read more]
  • US investors rush for safe havens as tech shares fall
    Tuesday, 24th August 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    US stocks slipped in one of the lightest volume sessions of the year as investors took refuge in defensive shares after the latest corporate M&A failed to soothe concerns the recovery is stalling... [Read more]
  • Savvy traders should bet on a golden autumn
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    The precious metal will continue to climb over the next few months
    Jessica Mead
    THE old City adage of selling in May and not returning until St Leger’s Day in early September typically refers to the equity markets, which suffer from low volumes and choppy trading during the... [Read more]
  • More steam left in the bond rally
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    Yields have fallen to record lows, but there is little reason for them to rise
    Kathleen Brooks
    IT’S A case of how low they can go for bond yields. After another week marked by disappointing jobs and manufacturing data in the US, investors ploughed into the relative safety of government debt,... [Read more]
  • THE TIPSTER
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    SUGAR RUSH IS A RECIPE FOR VERY SWEET SUCCESS
    Kathleen Brooks
    WITH increasing demand for commodities and as emerging market consumers develop a sweeter tooth, the appetite for sugar continues to rise. ETX Capital is quoting the October sugar contract at $19.95... [Read more]
  • TECHNICAL ANALYSIS GURU
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    CITYINDEX
    SANDY JADEJA
    CHIEF TECHNICAL ANALYST sandy.jadeja@cityindex.co.uk Q. Dear Sandy, how could I have traded the decline in last week’s FTSE 100? A. In the previous article we discussed the use of pivots. If you... [Read more]
  • Stocks set to stage a mild bounce
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    MARTIN ON THE MARKETS
    MARTIN SLANEY
    Martin Slaney
    THE FTSE 100 index closed at its lowest level since July 20 on Friday, but the early call from GFT is for bargain hunters to step in and lift the index back above the 5,200 level this morning.... [Read more]
  • AUSTRALIAN MARKETS
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    THE Australian dollar fell one per cent and bonds eased in early trade this morning after an inconclusive election appeared to have delivered investors’ worst fears -- a minority government with... [Read more]
  • FTSE falls to lowest level in a month on US jobless figures
    Friday, 20th August 2010
    THE LONDON REPORT
    BRITAIN’S top share index fell to its lowest close in a month yesterday, as weak US labour and other data cast further doubt on the strength of the global recovery and as oil stocks fell on lower... [Read more]
  • Wall St slips on fear growth has stalled
    Friday, 20th August 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    US stocks plummeted to their lowest close in nearly a month yesterday as the latest batch of data amplified concerns the economy is stuck in neutral. The selloff was broad, with five stocks falling... [Read more]
  • The female art of planning
    Friday, 20th August 2010
    Women need to think about the impact on their finances of living longer and taking time out to raise children
    Jessica Mead
    BOOKSHOP shelves are overflowing with self-help guides, aimed almost exclusively at women. And sitting alongside the dating and diet manuals are copies of Savvy Investing for Women, Money Matters for... [Read more]
  • A global approach to managing your wealth
    Friday, 20th August 2010
    Offshore banks help you protect and grow your money wherever you are living in the world
    GOOD wealth management requires a holistic approach to your finances that coordinates everything from private banking to investments and even planning for retirement, ill-health and your children’s... [Read more]
  • PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS
    Friday, 20th August 2010
    KATHLEEN BROOKS
    LOYALTY DOESN’T ALWAYS PAY Shopping around for a cheaper quote for your car insurance really does pay off, according to research from Which?, the independent product-testing and consumer campaigning... [Read more]
  • FTSE falls as economic woes hit banks and commoditiesTHE LONDON REPORT
    Thursday, 19th August 2010
    THE LONDON REPORT
    Banks and commodity stocks pushed Britain’s top shares lower yesterday, with worries over the global economic recovery knocking sentiment and weak volumes exacerbating stock moves as the FTSE 100... [Read more]
  • Consumer stocks lift relieved Wall St
    Thursday, 19th August 2010
    THE NEW YORK REPORT
    WALL Street rose yesterday, led by gains in consumer stocks after a sales forecast from discounter Target temporarily quelled concerns about consumer demand. Shares of Target rose 2.5 per cent to $51... [Read more]
  • Don’t be taken for a fool by a gold guarantee
    Thursday, 19th August 2010
    Read the fine print for physically backed products
    Juliet Samuel
    INVESTORS with money in physical gold exchange-traded products (ETP) might have had a scare this week as gold-backed ETPs came under heavy fire in a paper by Hinde Capital, a hedge fund. The hedge... [Read more]
  • Cut your exposure to cyclical stocks
    Thursday, 19th August 2010
    Rebalance towards defensive equities in the face of a weaker euro
    Jessica Mead
    IT IS a rare thing that Americans look at Europe with envy. But in recent weeks, more than a few policymakers stateside have been turning a rather violent shade of green. Over the course of the... [Read more]