IMF growth gloom and poor data in manufacturing send FTSE lower October 9, 2012 UK shares fell for a second session yesterday, dented by a wary view of Europe’s debt troubles and concerns that gloomy global economic data bodes ill for the upcoming corporate earnings season. Data showed manufacturing output shrank more than expected in August and exports fell steeply, pointing to deterioration both in the domestic and the [...]
Jitters on Wall Street ahead of earnings season October 9, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday, led by losses in technology after brokerage downgrades of Intel and other major companies as worries increased about third-quarter US earnings. Shares of Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor maker, lost 2.7 per cent after negative reports by at least two brokerages. Robert W Baird & Co cut its price target on [...]
The unravelling of China’s exceptionalism October 9, 2012 MARKETS across the world were given a boost yesterday when the Chinese central bank pumped tonnes of liquidity into the country’s banking system for the second time in a fortnight. The People’s Bank of China injected 265bn yuan (£26bn) into the money market via reverse purchase agreements, adding to the 2.418 trillion yuan offered since [...]
Why the Dow industrial and transportation divergence may be ominous October 9, 2012 Dow Theory is becoming hard to ignore. Created by Wall Street Journal founder Charles Dow, it suggests that divergences between the Dow Jones Transportation Average (DJTA) and the Dow Jones Industrials Average (DJIA) indicate future trends in the economy. Deep divergences between the two could mean that the DJTA would prevail, and the DJIA (as [...]
Fresh wave of volatility may strike the euro October 9, 2012 C ONCERNS about Europe’s economic slowdown have put a halt to the euro’s surge upwards. Since summer lows, the single currency has risen against the dollar, recently testing the $1.30 level. But it has failed to convincingly stay above this level. In its biannual world economic outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its forecast [...]
South Africa’s woes hit the rand to lows October 9, 2012 FEARS that miners’ strikes are having an impact on the broader South African economy have dragged the rand down to three-year lows against the US dollar. With industrial action threatening to creep into other sectors, the outlook is bleak for the economy and is reflected in its currency. The rand is seen as a gauge [...]
FTSE falls as banks and miners hit by concerns over earnings outlook October 8, 2012 BRITISH blue chip shares dipped yesterday with growth-linked banks and miners hit by concerns about earnings and the global outlook, although analysts said the market’s uptrend would resume soon. UK banks fell 1.2 per cent, while mining stocks were down 0.4 per cent after the World Bank cut its growth forecasts for China and as [...]
US stocks fall in Columbus Day light trade October 8, 2012 US stocks slipped in light trading yesterday, pulling back from recent five-year highs ahead of an earnings season expected to be weak. Trading volume was the lowest so far this year in a full session as the US government and the bond market were closed for the Columbus Day holiday. About 4.1bn shares changed hands [...]
Pessimism will engulf US corporate earnings October 8, 2012 EARNINGS season is underway. This week, investors will learn about the health of some of the biggest US companies. There is an air of pessimism. According to analyst surveys, earnings last quarter are expected to drop 2.4 per cent, and we may see more losses reported than profits for the first time in four years. But [...]
America’s fiscal cliff may bring a new level of pain October 8, 2012 THE term “fiscal cliff” may have only been coined as a phrase by Ben Bernanke as recently as eight months ago, but it’s likely to be used more frequently as we head into the year-end. If US legislators fail to act, a combination of sharp tax hikes and public spending cuts could have the potential [...]