No Valentine’s Day love for Euro sovereign debt February 14, 2012 THE move made by Moody’s this week to downgrade a number of Eurozone sovereigns, as well as putting the UK and France on the naughty step, caused more of a political fall-out than any real effect on the markets. Politicians squabbled like teenagers as to whose economic policies were the object of Moody’s affections, but [...]
CABLE RALLIES DESPITE JUMP IN QE NUMBER February 14, 2012 THE Bank of England (BoE) voted on 9 February to maintain its reserve rate at 0.5 per cent and to increase the size of its asset purchase program by £50bn to a total of £325bn. This increase reflects concern that slower 2011 growth and a 0.2 per cent fourth quarter contraction of GDP raises the [...]
One sponsor is helping everybody else onto the Olympic springboard February 14, 2012 COUNTDOWN TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES 163 DAYS TO GO CBS Outdoor’s UK head explains why it is the official outdoor advertising services provider for 2012 Q. WHAT WAS YOUR BRAND’S PRIMARY REASON FOR BEING INVOLVED WITH THE GAMES? A. CBS Outdoor felt very heavily involved in the pitch for London 2012. We worked [...]
FTSE breaks through 5,900 mark on Greek bailout deal February 13, 2012 BRITAIN’S leading shares index closed higher yesterday, led by commodity and financial stocks, after Greece moved a step closer to securing an international bailout and avoiding a messy default. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 53.31 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,905.70, in volume just 70 per cent of the 90-day [...]
US stocks rise and Apple hits its peak February 13, 2012 US stocks rose yesterday, with the S&P 500 near seven-month highs, after Greece’s parliament approved reforms needed to qualify for a bailout and avoid an unruly default. Apple shares closed above $500 for the first time after a gain of 1.9 per cent, leading the Nasdaq Composite to close at a more than 11-year high. [...]
THE HUNT FOR YIELD HAS LED INVESTORS TO APPLE February 13, 2012 FX 360 ONE of the absolute truths of the current investment climate is that investors are desperate for yield. With both the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank emulating the Bank of Japan by keeping rates at near zero per cent for the foreseeable future, savers have become starved for return. For example, in [...]
Charting your way to trading profits February 13, 2012 REVERSAL DOUBLE TOP DOUBLE top and double bottom chart patterns are straightforward to spot and can be seen across a range of different time frames, both in long and short-term charts. “Double tops are important to look out for, as are double bottoms,” says Ian O’Sullivan, head of sales for SpreadCo. “They confirm a resistance [...]
THE TIPSTER ROCKY ROAD PAVED WITH CHOCOLATE HEAVEN February 13, 2012 CHOCOLATIER Thorntons will be hoping it can keep investors sweet, when it releases its latest update this week. Its Christmas update provided little cheer, and it is somewhat hard to believe that the market for slightly upmarket chocolates has improved in any way during the post-Christmas season – even if some Britons might have turned [...]
Analyst picks for 14 February 2012 February 13, 2012 STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short S&P 500, long euro-Swissie, long dollar-yen Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week The prevailing risk appetite run that has guided the markets since the beginning of the year has been impressive, but also looks to be a [...]
Greece’s latest austerity promise isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on February 13, 2012 LONG-TERM investors could be forgiven for putting their hands over their ears at the mere mention of the Eurozone – at the very least it will better assure their continued sanity. But traders are cut from a different cloth and see opportunities in volatility. Despite the relief following the latest agreement for the Greek government [...]