US markets flourish as positive news floods in April 5, 2010 Shares of natural resources companies led the gains on expectations that an improving economy would drive up demand. US front-month crude oil futures topped $86 a barrel and gave a big lift to energy shares, with Exxon Mobil Corp up almost 1 per cent and Chevron Corp up 1.3 per cent. The S&P energy index [...]
CITY INDEX April 5, 2010 Q.Dear Josh, last week’s final reading of UK GDP was stronger than first thought. What could this mean for future GDP? A.Last week, the final reading of UK GDP was revised higher to 0.4 per cent and this means that the UK pulled out of its worst post-war recession with greater strength than first thought, [...]
Look to small oil explorers for big profits April 5, 2010 AFTER a 20-year ban, President Obama has given the go-ahead to oil drilling off the Virginian Coast. It would appear that the US hasn’t lost its appetite for hydrocarbons. The green energy revolution hasn’t lost steam, but governments have started to realise that it will take many years before green technology can fulfil the world’s [...]
Five tips for traders in the second quarter April 5, 2010 THE first quarter of 2010 was a rocky one. We had confirmation that the British economy exited recession in the last three months of 2009 but political polls increasingly pointed towards a hung parliament come the general election. The Eurozone suffered dreadfully from the Greek fiscal crisis and fears grew that its woes could spread [...]
REGULATORS HAVE TO STEP UP AND ACT April 5, 2010 OVER the past few weeks, the financial press has been full of stories of financial wrongdoing, both alleged and proven. The FSA investigations which have featured so prominently have been running for some time. Often the more egregious cases come to light following a disruption in the underlying markets. Enron imploded at the end of [...]
CFD ANALYST PICKS April 5, 2010 TECHNICAL STRATEGIST JOEL KRUGER My pick: Buy the FTSE 100 at 5,700 Expertise: Technical analysis Average time frame of trades: 5-10 days With the market now consolidating above 5,500 – which also coincides with the 61.8 per cent Fibonacci retracement off of the 2007-2009 extreme high-lows, we can not rule out the potential for additional [...]
THE TIPSTER April 5, 2010 AIRLINE British Airways has been beset by strikes over the past week or so but it releases traffic figures tomorrow. Investors will be eager to hear how the strikes have affected passenger numbers. The share price has remained resilient in the face of the strikes with many employees helping to keep the airline flying, but [...]
A team can still thrive without its star April 5, 2010 WHEN Wayne Rooney hit the turf last week during Manchester United’s game against Bayern Munich, English hearts sank. Not only is the striker arguably the strongest member of the national team, but he is also a talismanic figure. The same can happen in business, and the morale of a team can be seriously affected by [...]
CAREERS CLINIC April 5, 2010 I’m looking to change jobs, but am nervous about the interview process. What tips can you give me? John, 26, analyst. THE most important thing is the preparation that you put in – that’s the difference between a good interview and a merely competent one. If you think about it, a job interview is a [...]
Miners and banks boost FTSE 100 March 31, 2010 STRONGER miners and banking stocks outweighed falls from defensive stocks to leave Britain’s top share index slightly higher by the close yesterday while BSkyB gained after an expected pay-TV review from Ofcom. The FTSE 100 index ended 7.32 points, or 0.1 per cent, higher at 5,679.64 having closed 0.7 per cent lower on Tuesday and [...]