DOLLAR FEARS MAY KEEP OIL ON THE BOIL April 25, 2011 FINANCIAL markets initially reeled following last week’s announcement from Standard & Poor’s (S&P). The ratings agency downgraded its outlook for US sovereign debt to “negative” from “stable”, implying a 33 per cent chance that the US would lose its AAA credit rating within the next two years. The agency is concerned by the fiscal challenges [...]
Go long on cocoa after Gbagbo – just don’t hold too long April 25, 2011 ACCOUNTING for over 40 per cent of the world’s production, Ivory Coast’s recent political crisis sent the price of cocoa soaring. However, it fell as quickly as it rose, and with the political situation resolved, traders now need to decide whether it has fallen too far or not far enough. Despite President Alassane Ouattara’s victory [...]
THE TIPSTER April 25, 2011 SHARES in Apple hit an all time high of $364 back in February, but its first quarter results have smashed forecasts. Profits were up 90 per cent to $5.99bn from $3.07bn in the same period last year. Some investors thought Steve Jobs’s illness had encouraged a slowdown in growth, and they were wrong. His recent [...]
A string of strong earnings reports sends FTSE jumping April 20, 2011 COMMODITY stocks helped power the FTSE 100 index sharply higher yesterday, while earnings from Reckitt Benckiser and Home Retail, following US tech bellwether Intel, boosted risk appetite. The FTSE 100 closed up 125.39 points, or 2.1 per cent, at 6,022.26 following a 0.5 per cent gain on Tuesday. This wiped out Monday’s 2.1 per cent [...]
Results surprises push US shares up April 20, 2011 BIG earnings surprises gave a positive turn to investor sentiment yesterday, propelling US stocks to their best day in a month and lifting the Dow to its highest in almost three years. Investors had been set up for a series of disappointments but got an unexpected treat from blue chips Intel and United Technologies, sparking [...]
Investors find growth in fund returns on the African plains April 20, 2011 FOLLOWING the unrest that has dogged the Middle East and north Africa (MENA) regions for a large part of this year, investors may be asking themselves why they should be looking at these politically unstable regions rather than simply putting their money into the ever growing number of Bric funds on offer. But with African [...]
Waste your cash on holiday gifts – not on currency April 20, 2011 BRITS waste £245m of precious holiday money every year when they buy their currency outside of the UK, MoneyCorp research shows. And that doesn’t even count the cash wasted by those buying it in the UK at uncompetitive prices. While most of us know we’ll be ripped off if we wait until we get to [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS April 20, 2011 BURGLARS TO CASH IN ON WEDDING While the UK celebrates the royal wedding, AXA, the home insurers, predict a potentially huge surge in burglaries and accidental damage insurance claims. AXA’s research predicts that over four in ten of us will be away from our homes for the royal wedding while a further 21 per cent [...]
Now is the time to transfer old Isas April 20, 2011 MILLIONS of consumers know all about the benefits of sheltering savings under the umbrella of a tax-free Individual Savings Account (Isa), and for good reason. However, many people are losing hand over fist on previous years’ cash Isas and paying unnecessary charges on shares Isas. Transferring both is easy; although there are a few things [...]
FTSE shares rebound but debt worries still dog bank stocks April 19, 2011 STRENGTH in oversold commodity issues fuelled a modest rally by Britain’s top share index yesterday, while sovereign debt worries continued to dog banking stocks. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 26.79 points, or 0.5 per cent at 5,896.87, having dropped 2 per cent on Monday to hit its lowest level since March [...]