All eyes on Ben Bernanke’s testimony to Congress February 21, 2010 A QUICK look at last week’s performance data for European equities and bonds would suggest at first glance that the economic outlook for Europe had improved. The DAX and FTSE tacked on gains while German and UK bond yields moved higher. However, looks can be deceiving: we received a barrage of weak UK economic data [...]
ECONOMIC DIARY February 21, 2010 AFTER a week packed with economic data releases, the next five days promise to be a bit quieter. Last Thursday, the US Federal Reserve hiked the rate it charged banks to hold reserves in a surprise move that signalled a return towards more normal monetary policy. On Wednesday Fed chairman Ben Bernanke will be giving [...]
Fed move to lift US stocks and dollar February 21, 2010 ALTHOUGH the Federal Reserve was keen to downplay its surprise move last Thursday, the markets initially reacted strongly to its announcement that it would hike the rate it charges banks for emergency loans. But while the currency market saw the biggest moves – the dollar strengthened to a nine-month high of $1.5345 against the pound [...]
SPREAD BET GURU February 21, 2010 Q.Dear Josh, does Barclays’ stellar results for 2009 mean that RBS and Lloyds will follow suit this week? A.My first thoughts are to be careful as this is not a straightforward trading strategy. While there is always some form of a correlation between companies that are in the same sector, stocks can become very volatile [...]
State-owned banks lag their peers February 21, 2010 BANKS were the star performers in the FTSE 100 last week, after Barclays reported its best ever profit of £11.6bn in 2009, an increase of 92 per cent in just 12 months. This week the focus shifts to RBS and Lloyds Banking Group, who will announce earnings on Thursday and Friday respectively. After the turmoil [...]
THE TIPSTER TIME TO GO DEFENSIVE IN YOUR PORTFOLIO February 21, 2010 VOLATILITY has been rising since the start of this year and all of these extreme moves can make investors dizzy. Now is a good time to switch to a more defensive stance on equities and invest in the likes of supermarkets and energy providers. These companies tend to perform strongly when risk aversion returns to [...]
London hits one-month high led by miners and oil stocks February 18, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index hit a one-month closing high yesterday, extending its advance into a fourth consecutive session, led by commodity stocks on firmer metals and oil prices, and with banks also in demand. The FTSE 100 index closed up 48.45 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,325.09, its highest close since Jan. 21, after [...]
Wall St boosted by strong output data February 18, 2010 US stocks rose for a third straight day yesterday as investors viewed company results and manufacturing data as evidence the economic rebound will continue. Investors accentuated the positive news, focusing on improved mid-Atlantic manufacturing data and setting aside a lackluster outlook from Wal-Mart and a surprising increase in weekly jobless claims. “News on the economy [...]
Marathon effort for green pioneer February 18, 2010 TO DO this job, you must be an optimist first and foremost, says Steve Mahon, founder of Low Carbon Accelerator, the venture capital firm that specialises in green technology investment. Set up in October 2006, it was the first green technology fund to list on Aim. Attracting institutional investors was a lengthy battle: “The investment [...]
Q&A PUBLIC SECTOR BIDS February 18, 2010 Q. What should I consider if I want to bid for work on a public sector project? A.The first thing to think about is whether a public sector contract is right for the size of your company, says Matthew Perkins, deputy regional manager for south-west London at Business Link, the government business resource body. Bidding [...]