FTSE dips as banks come under pressure February 8, 2011 The FTSE 100 dipped this morning despite strong results from Xstrata and BG Group. The index has gained in four out of the last five trading sessions – regularly surpassing the 6,000 barrier, but banking stocks were among the poorest performers today. Commodities dipped as the price of copper came down after a record high [...]
Don’t worry, even the economists are confused February 7, 2011 THE curious task of economics,” Friedrich Hayek once said, “is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.” This certainly rings true when you consider Friday’s US 10-year Treasury yields rally. The release of January’s US non-farm payroll data jerked the market into action. But why it [...]
CORRECTION TO GOLD MAY NOW BE OVER February 7, 2011 The major US, UK and European stock indices have had a good start to the year with most seeing decent gains. Civil unrest across North Africa and fears that demonstrations may spread to other countries have been waved aside by investors. Even Friday’s dismal headline non-farm payroll number was passed off as a weather-related aberration, [...]
Alchemy for the digital age: turning charts into profits February 7, 2011 TO ACADEMIC economists, technical analysis is a pseudoscience, rather like water divining, or alchemy. The academics contend that traders are in fact not using technical analysis at all, at least not exclusively, or else are not actually profitable. One particular study described technical traders as “noise traders”, as opposed to “news traders”, concluding that technical [...]
THE TIPSTER February 7, 2011 LAST week’s poor results from GSK have put pharmaceuticals firmly back in the minds of investors. Early in the year Smith & Nephew was the focus of some strongly denied, but fierce M&A rumours, which saw the share price spike through the key 700p mark to a high of 739p. The 700p mark looks set [...]
US lift for FTSE as geopolitical concerns abate February 6, 2011 THE FTSE 100 is looking set to open back up above the psychologically important 6,000 level this morning, taking its lead from a belated rally in US stocks after the close of European bourses on Friday. GFT is quoting the FTSE 100 index to open up 23 points from Friday’s close, at a level of [...]
Winning the icy chukkas – the bank that hosts a snow-polo tournament February 6, 2011 THE game of polo is one of the oldest sports in the world. Originating in ancient Persia, it is thought to have begun as a way of training elite cavalry troops. It was brought back to Europe in the 19th century through the Calcutta Polo Club, established by two British officers in India who formalised [...]
Forget gold, here’s the copper rush February 6, 2011 CRACK open your piggy bank and empty your penny jar. Do it now and do it fast. Forget about the gold rush; it is all about the copper rush now. The price of the metal is going through the roof, hitting $10,000 a tonne. This sort of price action means the two pence piece in [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD February 6, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● FTSE 100 gold miner Rangold Resources releases its fourth quarter results today. ● Natural gas group BG Group releases its fourth quarter results tomorrow. ● Steel manufacturer Arcelor-Mittal also releases its full year results tomorrow. ● French food company Danone releases its full year results tomorrow ● Airline Air France-KLM releases its [...]
THE TIPSTER February 6, 2011 WITH uncertainty continuing over the situation in Egypt, bearish investors are coveting the safe haven assets once again. After retreating from the $1,400 level at the start of the year, gold is now creeping higher but with no signs of further contagion in the geopolitical sphere, the risk aversion stance could arguably be seen as [...]