Rate rises and risk appetite to boost the krona September 14, 2010 A WESTERN central bank able to raise interest rates without sparking concerns of excess monetary tightening is still something of a rarity. But the Swedish Riksbank has been able to do just that. Earlier this month, it raised rates to 0.75 per cent and signalled that it intended to increase them to 1.75 per cent [...]
THE TIPSTER September 14, 2010 The greenback’s woes continue with the trade-weighted dollar index hitting a new five-week low. Dollar investors continue to be nervous about the ability of the world’s largest economy to avoid a double-dip recession given the latest slew of poor economic data. This suggests that further weakness in the greenback could well be ahead. Capital Spreads [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS September 14, 2010 FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Stay short cable from $1.55; long euro-dollar above $1.2925 Expertise: Combining fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: 1 day-1 week We have seen lots of volatility this past week; but a clear direction on underlying trends is still eluding us. Short-term setups are what I’m looking [...]
HP poaching row shows limits of employment law September 14, 2010 THE business world continues to monitor with interest what appears to be a growing rift between technology giants Oracle and Hewlett Packard (HP), competitors who have until recently enjoyed a relationship of cooperation and collaboration. The apparent animosity arises out of Oracle’s decision to appoint to its board former HP CEO, Mark Hurd, only a [...]
Tweeting about the boss can get you the sack September 14, 2010 WHEN England cricketer Kevin Pietersen vented his anger on Twitter at not being selected in the England cricket squad to face Pakistan recently, he became the latest person to fall foul of his employer via social networking. After issuing an apology saying that the message was sent by mistake, he was handed an undisclosed fine [...]
UK shares surge as global deal boosts banks and China data cheers investors September 13, 2010 THE UK’s top share index ended higher yesterday after banks rose sharply in response to a new deal over global banking rules while mining shares gained on the back of bullish China industrial data. The FTSE 100 closed up 63.89 points, or 1.2 per cent, at 5,565.53 points, a fresh four-month closing high. “It has [...]
US stocks rally to their highest level since August September 13, 2010 US stocks advanced to their highest levels in five weeks yesterday, taking the S&P 500 index near the top of its summer range on upbeat Chinese factory data and new global banking rules. The rally sent the S&P 500 above its 200-day moving average for the first time since early August, which was seen as [...]
It pays to be picky, even with defensive trades September 13, 2010 WITH markets forecast to slow in the next six months, traders are eyeing traditional defensive stocks as an alternative to other low-risk assets. Government bond yields are now at historic lows, prompting many investors to turn to higher-dividend-yielding utilities shares – but it pays to be fussy, even in a supposedly “safe” asset class. At [...]
S&P RALLY TO OVERSHADOW US JOBS DATA September 13, 2010 CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT LAST week saw very low trading volumes thanks to US Labor Day, Eid and Rosh Hashanah. But trading desks are back to full strength and market participants are anxious to get back to work to make full use of the trading time that’s left in 2010. We kicked off in fine [...]
FTSE traders torn between two directions September 13, 2010 THE FTSE 100 closed 63 points up at 5,565.5 points yesterday, rallying to a four-month high. Good banking and mining figures drove it upwards and a clear momentum emerged. While the upturn is indisputable, the jury is out on how long it will last. The index is out on a limb and opinion is split [...]