Take a punt on the weather with grains and orange juice August 17, 2009 THE summer months might be a quiet time for most traders, but not all. For those who make their money watching the prices of assets such as wheat, corn and orange juice, this is when the market is at its peak. In many cases, the outlook for the harvest is becoming clearer, and industry analysts [...]
OUTLOOK FOR STERLING IS UNCERTAIN August 17, 2009 MARK OUTTENSENIOR DEALER, GFT THIS summer has promised many great comebacks. Tom Watson only narrowly failed to secure a sixth Open title at the age of 59, Lance Armstrong’s attempt at an implausible eighth Tour de France victory disappeared in the mountains and Michael Schumacher’s eagerly anticipated return to Formula One was thwarted. So what [...]
TRADING TIP HURRICANE HEDGES August 17, 2009 One of the biggest hazards to farmers in the United States is hurricanes. Because the early autumn is historically the the season for the worst ones., they and can be devastating for both farmers – and for those holding trading positions in the crops. The lack of adequate insurance against such extreme weather events led [...]
Fears over pace of economic recovery see FTSE stumble August 17, 2009 THE FTSE 100 fell 1.5 per cent by the close yesterday with mining, oil and banking stocks leading the losers, as global markets retracted amid concerns over the pace of global recovery. The index closed 68.96 points lower at 4,645.01, extending losses from Friday when it shed 0.9 per cent and marking its biggest one [...]
Poor Japanese data hits US stocks August 17, 2009 US stocks suffered their worst loss in seven weeks yesterday as weak data from Japan and a disappointing outlook from retailer Lowe’s dampened hopes about the economy’s growth. Japan’s gross domestic product showed its economy pulled out of recession in the second quarter, but at a slower pace than expected, prompting a sell-off in major [...]
Bears forecast another slump in the market August 16, 2009 FOR the past two months, the bulls have been back in force, pushing the markets higher than anybody had thought possible. But last week, some of the City’s biggest bears struck back, predicting a second slump in global equities between now and the end of the year. While many analysts have thought that the most [...]
THE TIPSTER RESOURCE STOCKS ARE IN FAVOUR August 16, 2009 RESOURCE stocks are still in favour this week thanks to improved optimism about the economic recovery and Chinese expansion. Among the larger-caps, India-focused metals group Vedanta Resources made an improved bid for bankrupt US copper miner Asarco last week, which saw the firm’s share price jump 5 per cent in two days, to hit a [...]
IT’S A ROCKY ROAD AHEAD FOR RECOVERY August 16, 2009 JANE FOLEYRESEARCH DIRECTOR,FOREX.COM FOLLOWING a pullback in early July, the S&P 500 has forged ahead this summer, lifted both by a round of earnings reports in which over 70 per cent of US companies beat estimates and some better news on the global economy. The rally in stocks has coincided with a rally in other [...]
Rio Tinto to dominate week amid thin corporate calender August 16, 2009 Many heavyweight companies have reported and there are signs of things tailing off as we head towards August bank holiday. However, that is not to say that the corporate calendar will not give the market plenty to digest. Car dealers Pendragon and Lookers will give some insight into the effectiveness of the government’s car scrappage [...]
Economy remains in focus as inflation signs look benign August 16, 2009 LAST week the markets were updated on the views of central bankers from both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, the Bank of England published their quarterly Inflation Report and from the US we heard comments by the Federal Open Market Committee, accompanying their regular rate-setting meeting. Both presented a benign outlook for inflation. [...]