US investor Bill Ackman unwinds hedges and bets on stock market March 25, 2020 US hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said today that he has cashed in $2.6bn in credit market hedges and reinvested the money in the stock market after turning “increasingly positive” on equity markets. Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management took out the hedges – credit protection on investment grade and high yield credit indices – at [...]
Cash-poor UK firms lobby for looser rules on stock offerings March 25, 2020 Advisers to cash-strapped British firms are lobbying regulators to loosen rules governing new stock offerings, in the hope it could make it easier for struggling companies to raise funds. An industry body representing investment banks is asking the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to increase the maximum allowed discount for equity sales on the London Stock [...]
What’s happening to the AUD/GBP exchange rate? March 25, 2020 | City Talk A quick look at the performance of the Australian dollar in the FX market during the global pandemic The Australian dollar has been under pressure all year; as a commodity-based currency, it was among the first to struggle due to the impact of the coronavirus. Now, as the countries implement various forms of lock-down and [...]
FTSE 100 rises on $2 trillion US coronavirus stimulus March 25, 2020 The FTSE 100 has risen in afternoon trading on a volatile day for global stock markets following the signing of a $2 trillion (£1.7 trillion) US coronavirus stimulus package. London’s blue-chip index was two per cent higher at 5,557 by 4pm after swinging in and out of negative territory earlier in the session. European stocks [...]
US stocks choppy as Wall Street weighs huge coronavirus stimulus March 25, 2020 US stocks have had a mixed start to trading a day after the biggest rally in a decade as investors mull over a $2 trillion stimulus package agreed by Congress yesterday. Wall Street’s Dow Jones was 1.3 per cent higher an hour into trading, while the S&P 500 was up 0.1 per cent. The Nasdaq [...]
Storage space issues could force oil prices down to $10 March 25, 2020 Oil prices could hit $10 per barrel as storage facilities across the world run out of space amid a coronavirus-inspired price war, it is reported. Worldwide oil storage has reached three quarters of capacity, it was reported today, after Saudi Arabia flooded the market with cheap oil to hurt its rival, Russia. Canada, a key [...]
London Stock Exchange to allow dividend delay over coronavirus disruption March 25, 2020 The London Stock Exchange is to allow companies listed on its market to delay the payment of dividends by up to 30 days as markets grapple with the impact of coronavirus. “As a result of market conditions and issuers implementing their contingency plans, the Exchange has received enquiries from issuers and their advisers regarding deferral [...]
Oil prices stage brief rise thanks to Fed coronavirus action March 24, 2020 Oil prices rallied today after a torrid day yesterday. Brent crude was up to almost $28 a barrel and WTI crude futures is at $23, a four per cent rise on yesterday. This has been attributed to pledge from the Federal Banking Reserve to dramatically increase support for US business, although the US Senate could [...]
US stocks jump as Congress nears coronavirus stimulus deal March 24, 2020 US stocks have jumped after the Federal Reserve made its biggest move yet to calm the markets and boost the economy and as investors hope Congress will produce a stimulus package worth around $2 trillion (£1.7 trillion). Wall Street’s S&P 500 index was 6.3 per cent higher, the Dow Jones industrial average had rocketed 9.5 [...]
Coronavirus: FTSE 100 rises as Fed buys bonds and UK enters lockdown March 24, 2020 The FTSE 100 rebounded sharply today after the government imposed a UK coronavirus lockdown and the US Federal Reserve announced an unlimited bond-buying spree yesterday. Britain’s blue-chip stock index jumped 4.3 per cent higher in morning trading to climb back above 5,000 points to 5,206. The FTSE 100’s rise made up for the 3.7 per [...]