Earnings relief helps send US stocks higher October 16, 2012 US stocks rose yesterday, giving the S&P 500 its best two-day advance in a month as strong earnings from Johnson & Johnson, Goldman Sachs and other bellwether companies raised hopes for the rest of the reporting season. Johnson & Johnson increased its full-year profit outlook. Its stock rose 1.4 per cent to $69.55, helping the [...]
Accountants can boost UK exports October 16, 2012 Smaller firms need advice before they can expand abroad LEGACY was one of the reasons London won the rights to host the unquestionably successful Olympic and Paralympic games. We all get a warm glow when one of our medallists pops up on Question of Sport or we read statistics showing that thousands are trying new [...]
Japanese giants hungry for acquisitions October 16, 2012 WHEN Japanese mobile operator Softbank smashed records on Monday with a $20.1bn (£12.5bn) deal for 70 per cent of Sprint, it was the largest-ever foreign acquisition by a Japanese company. The acquisition has created a company of 92m mobile users and propels Softbank Group into third place – behind China Mobile and Verizon Wireless – [...]
Spain’s embattled stock index might be about to take a turn for the better October 16, 2012 SINCE last week, Spain’s Ibex 35 has shown a Golden Cross, a pattern whereby the 50-day moving average crosses above the 200-day moving average. When short-term moving averages rise above longer-term moving averages, this Golden Cross pattern usually anticipates higher prices. Conversely, when moving averages cross below longer-term ones the pattern is known as Death [...]
Euro summits tend to follow clear patterns October 16, 2012 GOING into tomorrow’s European summit, there seems to be an air of optimism – even excitement. With positive chatter, you might dare to hope that this summit will be the one where Europe’s politicians finally deliver. This week, confidence has come from economic data showing Eurozone inflation to be stable at 2.6 per cent, as [...]
How to profit from interest rate variances October 16, 2012 WITH many central banks debasing the value of their currency through monetary easing, investors and traders have been struggling to achieve meaningful yields. The euro, dollar and sterling all offer yields near zero (the yen has been in this position for nearly two decades). Factoring in the effects of inflation, investors and traders are effectively [...]
UK shares lifted by banking gains on hopes for Spanish bailout soon October 15, 2012 UK shares rose yesterday, buoyed by gains for heavyweight banks as the sector tracked continental peers on expectations Spain was moving closer to asking for a bailout. A 12.29 point, or 0.2 per cent, move higher to 5,805.61 points was not enough to take the FTSE 100 out of its recent tight trading range, however, [...]
Wall St rises as Citigroup sales beat forecasts October 15, 2012 US stocks climbed yesterday, rebounding from last week’s losses after Citigroup’s earnings and retail sales sharply exceeded expectations. Citigroup shares shot up 5.5 per cent to $36.66 and gave the biggest lift to the S&P 500 after the third-largest US bank reported quarterly adjusted earnings that surged from the year-ago quarter and beat expectations. The [...]
Coca-Cola bottler has lost its fizz for Greece October 15, 2012 AS GREECE’S politicians prepare for their latest cap-in-hand trip to Brussels on Thursday, some of its largest companies are heading for the exit. Coca-Cola Hellenic, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola which owns 23 per cent of it, is leaving Greece. It is opting for a Swiss domicile and a listing in London where it will join [...]
What it takes to move the FTSE out of its thin range October 15, 2012 FOR the last five weeks, we’ve seen the FTSE trade in a tight range of a couple of hundred points. It would seem that the days of 100 plus point gains and losses are over. So what would it take to drive a breakout from the 5,700-5,900 range? DIRECTION FROM ACROSS THE POND Third quarter [...]