FTSE is likely to dip May 15, 2011 THE FTSE 100 index finished down around 50 points on the week last week; not a significant drop but the momentum is to the down-side as the blue chip UK index failed to hold a rally above 6,000 earlier in the session, and slumped on renewed global economic growth doubts and continued pressure on commodity [...]
WALL STREET WEEK AHEAD May 15, 2011 THE big money is calling a halt to the surge in stock prices. Declines in oil and metals prices are being seen by an increasing number of fund managers and strategists as a signal to get out of riskier areas of the equity market. And that means avoiding things like Chinese IPOs and sticking to [...]
What to do if a hedge fund comes looking for your debt May 15, 2011 WITH bank loans tricky for small businesses to get their hands on, staying in the black is becoming more difficult. While this is terribly stressful for entrepreneurs, hedge fund managers are rubbing their hands together with glee. And if the stereotype is anything to go by those nasty chaps are determined to cut themselves a [...]
THE CITY MUST NOT FORGET ITS CREATIVE EDGE May 15, 2011 IT is no fluke that Britain’s young, creative businesses are concentrated in London. Two out of three international advertising agencies have their European headquarters in the capital. It is the home of one of the largest film centres in the world, some of the largest and most important fashion schools, design schools, stage schools and [...]
Hedging your spread betting portfolio to limit downsides May 15, 2011 ONE of the biggest draws of spread betting is the sheer range of markets that are offered. If it moves, you can put a spread bet on it. But faced with this huge range of markets, there is always the temptation to simply find one sector and stick with it. But prudent investors should approach [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD in association with GFT May 15, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● On Monday, Phoenix will release its first quarter trading update. The FTSE 250 insurance group specialises in the management and acquisition of closed life and pension funds. ● On Tuesday, Vodafone releases its final results. Analysts expect profits to be down on 2010 figures. ● There are plenty of AGMs throughout the [...]
THE TIPSTER May 15, 2011 UK TELECOMS giant Vodafone is due to announce its full year figures tomorrow. With the tie-up of AT&T and T-Mobile in America it will be interesting how Vodafone’s tie-up with Verizon Wireless fares and how it assesses the implications going forward. WorldSpreads offers a 169.8p-170p spread on Vodafone. The lacklustre appetite for IPOs and the [...]
FTSE rattled again by falling commodities and China stats May 12, 2011 THE FTSE 100 was rattled yesterday as global growth concerns triggered a fall in commodity-linked stocks and boosted appetite for defensive assets. Miners and oil stocks retreated as commodities continued their worst rout since 2008, after China surprised analysts by lifting bank reserve requirements by 50 basis points yesterday, a day after data showed China’s [...]
US investors turn to defensive stocks May 12, 2011 DEFENSIVE shares led a rebound in US stocks yesterday as investors weighed mixed economic signals and commodities volatility. The Dow industrials fell nearly 100 points in the morning but recovered later after a lacklustre auction of 30-year US bonds and reports suggesting negotiations to raise the US debt ceiling had intensified. Financial shares fell after [...]
FTSE 100 sinks below 6,000 as banks and miners tumble May 11, 2011 COMMODITY and banking stocks dragged the FTSE 100 back below the 6,000 level yesterday, with these sectors pressured by Greece’s debt problems and uncertainty over global economic growth. London’s blue chip index closed down 42.89 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 5,976.00, having hit a one-week closing high on Tuesday. Atif Latif, director of trading [...]