Wall St slumps on Fed speech September 8, 2011 US stocks closed sharply lower yesterday after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke gave no indications of new stimulus measures to boost the flagging economy in a keenly awaited speech. Investors have been looking to Bernanke, who gave his outlook on the US economy yesterday, and other policymakers to address a host of concerns from slowing [...]
Investors looking for bargains among battered stocks power the FTSE rally September 7, 2011 Britain’s top share index notched up solid gains yesterday, led by banks and commodities, as investors sought out bargains among battered stocks, but analysts, eckoned the rally was unsustainable. The FTSE 100 ended 161.75 points, or 3.1 per cent, higher at 5,318.59, building on Tuesday’s 1.1 per cent advance. It had shed nearly six per [...]
Wall St rises as EU debt worries ease September 7, 2011 Wall Street bounced more than two per cent on Wednesday, reversing three days of losses after Germany’s top court smoothed the way for Berlin’s participation in bailouts that could ease Europe’s debt crisis. But investor caution that there remains a long road to recovery was underscored by light trading and continued high volatility as shown [...]
The vagaries of lending money to governments September 7, 2011 CONCERNS about the prospects for global growth haunt the managers of the nation’s wealth. Bonds have broadly provided better returns than equities, but investors should be mindful of the sting in the tail that could come with hyperinflation. A FLIGHT TO SAFETY The West is currently a tale of two bond markets. Phil Tyson of [...]
INVESTING IN THESE TIMES OF INFLATION September 7, 2011 INFLATION can seriously erode the value of your wealth, so investing wisely is imperative. While the current outlook sees interest rates on hold for longer, inflation continues to surprise on the upside. UK GDP grew a measly 0.2 per cent over the last quarter and data released yesterday showed industrial production contracted in July after [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS September 7, 2011 NEW MOBILE APP FOR INVESTORS Hargreaves Lansdown has released a new smartphone app, allowing investors to view their Isa, Sipp and other investments on both iPhone and Android systems. Ofcom figures show that 27 per cent of UK adults now own a smartphone.“The age of connected computing is with us,” says Richard Hunter, head of [...]
Institutions won’t cut off Swissie September 7, 2011 ON Tuesday, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) made an announcement that it would put in place a floor on the Euro-Swiss franc exchange rate, with the SNB indicating that it was prepared to buy foreign currencies in “unlimited quantities”. So how does this move affect institutional investors and currency hedging policy? There were reports following [...]
A rally in commodities gives a rare fillip to the FTSE 100 September 6, 2011 A RALLY by hard-pressed commodity issues hauled Britain’s top share index higher yesterday as investors fished choppy waters for bargains after sharp falls in the past two sessions. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 54.26 points, or 1.1 per cent, at 5,156.84, having hit a peak of 5,190.2 in the morning and [...]
Wall Street falls on Europe fears September 6, 2011 WALL Street fell for a third day yesterday on fears Europe still has failed to tackle its debt crisis, prompting worries the market is headed to new lows for the year. Investors channeled cash into less risky assets as doubts resurfaced over the political will of Italy and Greece to push through tough budget measures [...]
Swiss move signals end of the phoney war September 6, 2011 YESTERDAY morning, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) took the bold move to put in place currency controls in the form of a minimum exchange rate between the euro and the Swiss franc at SFr1.20. The SNB said that it will protect the franc “with the utmost determination.” The SNB has also indicated that it is [...]