Four of the best: Investment opportunities from around the globe August 16, 2016 Markets have been turbulent this year and much talk has focused on potential risks. A smattering of uncertainties to consider include the ramifications of the Brexit vote and whether the UK will enter recession. Nor does anyone know how extraordinary monetary policy in Europe will pan out, or the ultimate impact there’ll be from the trillions [...]
Moody’s takes Noble’s rating two notches deeper into junk territory August 15, 2016 Moody’s took commodities trader Noble two notches deeper into junk territory with a negative outlook amid concerns over its liquidity yesterday. It comes after the firm swung to a loss in its second quarter results released last week. Noble has been hit by tumbling commodity prices over the last two years, questions over its accounting [...]
Oil prices hit one-month high as Opec flirts with freeze August 15, 2016 Crude hit a one-month high today, on rising hopes that some of the world's biggest oil producers will help markets which have been drowning in oversupply for the last two years. Brent crude, the global benchmark, swelled 1.66 per cent to $47.75 per barrel on London's ICE Futures Exchange this afternoon, having hit 47.87 earlier in the day. Its US [...]
JP Morgan thinks the Brexit bounce is here to stay August 15, 2016 A leading investment bank expects UK shares to outperform over the rest of the year, as it sees no reason to fear the Brexit bounce is coming to an end. In a particularly bullish note, JP Morgan said today the FTSE 100 is one of the best buys around for investors as the UK is still "cheap" [...]
Sorry, holidaymakers: Sterling hits three-year low against euro August 15, 2016 Sterling has plummeted to a three-year low against the euro today ahead of a big week of post-referendum data. The pound slipped a further 0.5 per cent in the first hours of the week, standing at €1.1517 at lunchtime – its lowest level since August 2013. The €1.15 mark is thought to be a crucial psychological barrier [...]
FTSE 350 directors sell £10m of shares on Brexit bounce August 15, 2016 The bosses of the UK's largest listed firms may be losing confidence in the post-Brexit stock market rally, according to fresh data on insider dealing. Directors at FTSE 350 firms sold £10.5m worth of shares in their own companies in the final days of July and first weeks of August, according to financial data firm Olivetree – [...]
Anglo American under pressure to hive off its South African operations August 14, 2016 Anglo American is being pressured by its largest investor to spin off its South African operations, a move which could lead to the eventual break-up of the mining giant. South Africa’s pension fund, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), reportedly wants Anglo to package and sell its platinum mines there to a state-backed vehicle. Read more: Unions warn tens [...]
BHP Billiton due to report largest loss since its inception August 14, 2016 Struggling mining giant BHP Billiton is expected to reveal a historical near $7bn (£5.4bn) loss in its full-year results next week. Analysts have predicted that the Samarco dam disaster and a tough business environment led to the largest loss in BHP's history, which goes back to the 1850s. Read more: BHP Billiton downgraded by Moody’s "This represents BHP Billiton's largest corporate [...]
At the close: Sterling loses shine and FTSE 100 goes nowhere August 12, 2016 Markets begun the weekend with a whimper today despite some notable summer data dumps as the FTSE 100 stayed stuck and the pound dropped down. Traders roundly dismissed some worse than expected official construction data which showed the industry entered recession in the second quarter of the year as a little out of date for their [...]
Junior gold miner Hummingbird Resources taps up fund manager Fidelity August 12, 2016 Aim-listed gold miner Hummingbird Resources has tapped fund manager Fidelity for $4m (£30.86m) as part of its latest funding round. Hummingbird said today that it's placed 11.1m new shares at 26p each. Investor interest has been stirred by a near 30 per cent jump in bullion prices this year. This comes after a £45.8m fundraising earlier this year, which bought [...]