FTSEputs in highest close in almost a year on bank gains September 14, 2009 THE UK benchmark share index closed up 0.2 per cent yesterday as buoyant banks and defensive stocks countered weak miners and oils, keeping the index above 5,000 amid optimism over the pace of the rally seen since March. The FTSE 100 closed up 7.38 points at 5,018.85, its highest closing level since late September 2008. [...]
Witching week to make a wary start September 13, 2009 With poetic timing, the FTSE finally did it. Almost a year to the day of the anniversary of the Lehman Brothers collapse, the London blue-chip index closed above the 5,000 point barrier on Friday after a tour de force week in which the market stormed up 160 points. The week ahead however is likely to [...]
GOLD’S HIGHS OFFER SELLING POTENTIAL September 13, 2009 JANE FOLEYRESEARCH DIRECTOR, FOREX.COMTHE market returned from its summer holidays last week with a hearty appetite for risk, undermining the US dollar so much that euro-dollar rallied into a new trading range and, unsurprisingly, boosting the price of oil and metals. What was surprising, however, was the surge in gold, which broke the $1,000/oz level [...]
A busy week on the high street as retailers report September 13, 2009 It’s time to hit the high street this week, with a whole host of retailers updating the market. In keeping with that theme, the Office of National Statistics will tomorrow release the Retail Prices Index data for August, which is expected to show that prices fell 1.5 per cent year-on-year, compared to a decline of [...]
Expect ups and downs in Asia for at least the rest of 2009 September 13, 2009 MARKET analysts in the US and Europe are persistently pointing out just how fast equities have rallied in the advanced economies over the past six months. But if you thought that the Western world has staged a miraculous stock market rally, you should look at the meteoric performance of Asian stocks. Asian indices were not [...]
Take a punt on the market outlook for bricks and mortar September 13, 2009 A YEAR ago, many housing market observers were predicting doom. Prices would keep falling well into 2010, they said. The market could take years to pick up. But how wrong they were. Just as we have seen in the stock market, things have turned round much more quickly than almost anybody thought. Mortgage lender Halifax [...]
THE TIPSTER NEW FINDS POWERING OIL AND GAS September 13, 2009 ACTIVITY in oil and gas companies has been going strong over the past few weeks, making a number of small and mid-caps ripe for a buy. Last week’s announcement that Desire Petroleum has managed to secure a rig for drilling in the Falklands Islands, where up to 3bn barrels of oil and gas may be [...]
Energy and bank stocks push FTSE 100 back below 5,000 September 10, 2009 THE FTSE 100 drifted lower yesterday, unable to stay above the 5,000 level as energy and bank stocks weighed heavily. It closed down by 16.62 points, or 0.3 per cent to 4,987.68, having closed above 5,000 for the first time since late September 2008 on Wednesday. “We’re taking a bit of a pause from what [...]
Wall Street boosted by a bright outlook September 10, 2009 US stocks gained for a fifth straight session yesterday, their longest string of gains since November, as a bright outlook from consumer product company Procter & Gamble and a successful Treasury bond auction boosted investors’ confidence. Strong demand for the sale of 30-year Treasury bonds lifted confidence in US assets, including stocks. The S&P 500 [...]
MBAs give you a flexibility that employers love September 9, 2009 IF there are people who doubt the value of an MBA, the Home Office isn’t one of them. A few years ago it introduced a points-based system for those wishing to immigrate to the UK. The receipt of a Nobel prize, Oscar or an Olympic medal gets you 25 points. If you have an MBA, [...]