Downgrade of Italy adds to Eurozone woes September 20, 2011 THE downgrade of Italy’s sovereign debt rating by Standard and Poor’s (S&P) ratings agency was another sounding of the death knell for the Eurozone in its current incarnation. When it announced the revision yesterday from A+ to A, S&P noted Italy’s “weakening economic prospects” and the difficulty of the “fragile governing coalition” being able to [...]
MARKET TOO COMPLACENT ON THE EURO September 20, 2011 YESTERDAY, while London was sleeping and Tokyo traders were just starting their day, Standard and Poor’s downgraded Italy, sending euro-dollar into free fall, as the unit plunged more than 100 points in a matter of minutes. Yet when London traders arrived at their desks, the pair proceeded to stage a comeback recovering all of its [...]
THE TIPSTER September 20, 2011 THE dollar’s strength in recent weeks has seen it really surge against its neighbour the Mexican peso, having appreciated some 14 per cent since mid-July. A break above the peso13.000 level is quite significant for the dollar bulls, meaning a test of peso14.000 cannot be ruled out. Capital Spreads quotes peso13.1270-peso13.1470 for dollar-Mexican peso. We [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS September 20, 2011 FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short Aussie-Kiwi, short Aussie-yen, short loonie-yen Expertise: Fundamental analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week There is a lot of interest this week in the Fed rate decision and constant turmoil surrounding Greece’s slow motion implosion, so I’ll avoid this risk. Instead, [...]
FTSE slumps as Greek default fears spark a flight from risk September 19, 2011 BRITAIN’S leading shares erased much of last week’s gain after concern Greece will baulk at the austerity cuts needed to secure fresh bailout cash, and instead nosedive into a disorderly default, prompted a flight from risk. Banks were among the worst-hit sectors yesterday as international lenders ratcheted up the pressure on Athens, saying it must [...]
Mooted deal gives late lift to stocks September 19, 2011 US stocks fell yesterday but staged a late comeback after fears of a looming Greek debt default diminished on news of a possible deal to advance new bailout funds to Greece. Stocks spent most of the session sharply lower after European leaders disappointed investors by failing to come up with any new solutions to the [...]
The entwined fortunes of Greece and EU banks September 19, 2011 AS European banking shares continue to take a knock, it is clear that the fortunes of many of Europe’s major banks are inextricably linked with the fortunes of the Eurozone. Should a Eurozone country default on its debt obligations, it is likely that it will take a number of banks down with it – namely [...]
RALLIES TURN TO DECLINES AHEAD OF FED September 19, 2011 GLOBAL equity markets rallied sharply last week. The initial catalyst came from rumours that China stood ready to purchase Italian debt. Then stocks shrugged off worries about the credit-worthiness of the largest French banks, after German Chancellor Merkel and French President Sarkozy insisted that Greece will remain a member of the Eurozone. Greek Prime Minister [...]
Gold traders need to tread with caution September 19, 2011 EUROPE’S central banks are back on the yellow metal, after two decades of shunning the barbarous relic. They are late to the table – traders have been making money going long on gold for years. There are still profits to be made, but in volatile markets timing is everything. Leveraged traders will have to act [...]
THE TIPSTER September 19, 2011 ON the daily chart, Xstrata looks to be forming a bear flag which could be a signal for the next move lower. However, the bulls have done well to keep the stock supported around the £10 level as recently any dip below here has led to a bout of buying pushing it higher. Capital Spreads [...]