US equities fall on interest-rate fears June 10, 2009 US stocks fell last night on worries that rising interest rates could put a damper on consumer and business spending, but stocks pared losses late in the session on a bond-market rebound. The market had extended losses after a 10-year Treasury note auction sparked a sell-off in bonds, pushing yields briefly above 4 per cent [...]
Defensives beat a retreat as investors hedge their bets June 9, 2009 THE FTSE 100 ended flat yesterday, with commodity stocks tracking gains in raw material prices as the dollar eased but cigarette makers and pharmaceutical companies fell. The index closed down by 0.43 points at 4,404.79 in a choppy session, after losing 1.2 per cent on Monday. The weaker dollar boosted metal prices, which in turn [...]
Fears of Baltic contagion are threatening krona’s health June 9, 2009 FOLLOWING Eastern Europe’s liberalisation in the early Nineties, the three Baltic states led the way in shifting towards an open market economy. They experienced stronger growth rates, lower unemployment and were more successful in bringing down inflation to manageable levels compared to the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries. All three managed to peg their [...]
HOW POUND IS BUFFETED BY POLITICS June 9, 2009 BORIS SCHLOSSBERGDIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT THE currency market often reacts with more force to political news than it does to economic data. Currencies represent nations as well as economies so traders would do well to remember the golden rule of FX trading: in head to head combat, politics almost always trumps economics. Political instability [...]
Multinationals facing legal piracy challenge June 9, 2009 THE military dictatorship holds down oil-producing areas such as Ogoni by military decrees and the threat or actual use of physical violence so that Shell can wage its ecological war without hindrance.” So read Ken Saro-Wiwa’s closing statement at his trial before he and eight other leaders of the Ogoni people were hanged by the [...]
Texas lifts Nasdaq but Dow stays flat June 9, 2009 THE Nasdaq rose yesterday after an improved outlook from Texas Instruments lifted technology stocks, but gains on other indexes were limited as plans by big banks to repay government bailout funds raised concerns whether the move would help the economy recover. Shares of Texas Instruments jumped 6.4 per cent to $21.03 after it raised its [...]
LEHMAN CASH PROVES HARD TO RECLAIM June 9, 2009 JAMES COILEYPARTNER, COILEY NINE months have passed since the collapse of Lehman Bothers. Yet many investors in its Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) platforms are still waiting for their money. Disputes relating to these trades are now hitting the courts in earnest in both London and New York. The transactions are variations of “repackaging” structures. At [...]
MARKETS HIT BY BROWN CONJECTURE June 8, 2009 MARTIN SLANEYHEAD OF DERIVATIVES, GFT IS the recession over? The debate over whether the current stock market rally continues to rage. The good news on the economic front just keeps on coming and investors are lapping it up. The FTSE 100 is up nearly 30 per cent from its March lows on the perceived belief [...]
FTSE 100 remains steady despite the political rout and a bit of profit taking June 8, 2009 THE FTSE 100 shed 1 per cent, or 33.34 points, to close at 4,405.22 yesterday, weighed down by weak energy and mining stocks, while banks fell as recent bullish sentiment soured. “Caution is creeping back into financial markets after what was largely a positive week for equities,” said David Evans, market analyst at BetOnMarkets.com. “There [...]
Global recovery sparks interest in commodities June 8, 2009 AS THE prospects of a global recovery have returned, so have rising commodity prices. And while it is oil that is dominating the headlines, the surge is happening across the board. According to the S&P/Goldman Sachs Commodity Index, raw material prices rose 20 per cent in May and the Baltic Dry Index – a measure [...]