MARTIN ON THE MARKETS June 7, 2009 THE markets will have to digest a constant barrage of rumours and supposition over the future of Gordon Brown as well as the incumbent government this week, with any continued uncertainty likely to weigh on the UK markets. UK industrial and manufacturing production numbers will be watched for signs of improvement on Wednesday after the [...]
Optimists start to look towards cyclical equities June 7, 2009 SPREAD betting on individual equities or sectors is a tricky task, especially at the moment when the timing of an economic recovery is still not entirely certain. Overall sentiment is picking up but companies are still downbeat about their future prospects – so how can spread betters try to make sense of the equity markets [...]
Large cap index flat as lack of direction stalls progress June 4, 2009 Gains in energy stocks, pharmaceuticals and banks outweighed losses in miners yesterday, leaving the FTSE 100 0.1 per cent, or 3.52 points, higher at 4,386.94. “The market’s evenly balanced. It’s discounting good news so although it may go higher over the next few weeks, it is slightly overvalued,” said Graham Secker, equity strategist at Morgan [...]
Dow rallies as oil keeps on climbing June 4, 2009 US MARKETS booked gains yesterday as the financial sector rebounded and energy and materials stocks became the subject of renewed buying activity. Oil prices were a major contributor, with crude futures closing up $2.69 at $68.81 per barrel – a seven-month closing high helped by Goldman Sach’s decision to boost its target price for the [...]
Getting ahead in a recession: five tips to sharpen up your job-hunt June 3, 2009 JOB hunting is a painful process at the best of times, and even more so during a recession. We spoke to Michael Moran, chief executive of career development company Fairplace, for tips on how to get to the next step on the career ladder. 1. UNDERSTAND THE SKILLS YOU HAVEIn order to sell yourself to [...]
Management MAs are the fast-track to business success June 3, 2009 ONE of the growing trends in professional education is the rise of masters courses in management. Such courses have been taught at business schools around the world for the past couple of decades, and at the moment they are becoming more popular, with two of London’s biggest institutions newly getting on board. Last September, the [...]
Oil stocks push FTSE 100 lower for second day in row June 3, 2009 THE large cap index lost 2.1 per cent yesterday, dented by weakness in commodity stocks, banks and index heavyweight Vodafone, which traded ex-dividend. At the close, the FTSE 100 was down 93.60 points at 4,383.42, albeit above the session low of 4,359.33. Oil producers were the standout losers, retreating after recent gains in line with [...]
US hit by fears that worst is not over June 3, 2009 US stocks tumbled yesterday, halting a four-day winning streak, as falling oil prices hit energy shares, while less upbeat economic reports rekindled worries about recovery prospects. Oil prices slipped more than 3 per cent after a surprise build-up in inventories. Shares of energy companies, including Chevron off 1.6 per cent, were top drags, along with [...]
Fears over Barclays sell-off drag the FTSE 100 down June 2, 2009 THE FTSE 100 ended down 0.7 per cent yesterday, hurt by banks after a major shareholder sold its holding in Barclays, although improving US pending home sales lent some support. The index closed 29.17 points lower at 4,477.02, giving up some of the previous session’s 2 per cent rise. Barclays topped the FTSE 100 losers’ [...]
Housing data gives US markets a boost June 2, 2009 US stocks rose for the fourth straight day yesterday as an upbeat report on sales of previously owned US homes bolstered hopes for an economic recovery. But a sell-off in financials on worries about the dilutive impact of recent stock offerings limited a broad advance. An index of pending sales of previously owned US homes [...]