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 [...]
The Tipster | Builder to cement profits October 15, 2012 HOUSE builder Bellway reports today, and traders expect to see profits up as it capitalises on a turnaround in UK housing. The company has focused heavily on homes with renewable energy sources, which has proven to be lucrative. Shares are towards the top of its 52-week range and have risen 40 per cent in the [...]
Copper in need of a health check October 15, 2012 COPPER was yesterday given a short boost. Economic data coming out of China indicated that its inflation rate fell to 1.9 per cent in September, from 2 per cent the month before. However, this news was not enough to dispel worries of a Chinese hard landing, and the metal closed flat at $8,132.4 (£5,060.84) a [...]
Analyst picks for 15 October 2012 October 15, 2012 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Long New Zealand dollar-dollar Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few days Last week I explained that I took a new long New Zealand dollar-dollar position at $0.8175. Alongside new stimulus measures expected from China, as the new leadership comes [...]
UK finances in spotlight with inflation data October 14, 2012 BRITAIN’S finances will be brought sharply into focus this week with details of the annual inflation rate, minutes of the October Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and public finances data. On the corporate front, housebuilder Bellway is expected to extend the sector’s positive run tomorrow, with preliminary results. Today’s news includes a trading update from Fresnillo, [...]
Markets react with caution as US corporates hit by global downturn October 14, 2012 CENTRAL bank-fuelled gains took markets within reach of five-year highs in September, but US stock market participants are shifting their focus back to corporate outlooks, and the picture is not pretty. Early earnings reports have underlined those concerns, which may be exacerbated when dozens of major companies – including Dow components General Electric, Microsoft and [...]