Wall St rises as investors dismiss Middle East fears March 23, 2011 US stocks advanced yesterday as materials shares rose, but rising commodities prices due to turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa could keep rallies modest. The market’s favoured indicator of anxiety, the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index or VIX, shows investor worry over unsettled world situations has been tempered for the moment. But [...]
Becoming Chancellor of your own affairs March 23, 2011 A TENSE George Osborne stammered out an austere budget yesterday. While he might have offered a handful of business friendly measures, he didn’t have much to say for high earners. With inflation soaring and real income flat, everyone is feeling the squeeze. Now then might be the time to appoint yourself your own Chancellor and [...]
Look east for high ISA returns with a fund invested in Asia March 23, 2011 Despite interest rates that are no match for inflation, savers still fail to make full use of their ISA allowance. However, if they are saving for the long-term, and are prepared to deal with volatility in the short-term, they might be better off using their ISA allowance to invest in an Asian exposed fund instead. [...]
Facing the University Challenge: saving for your child’s education March 23, 2011 GEORGE Osborne made it clear yesterday that the Treasury’s pockets are empty. As such, parents hoping for tax breaks and contributions to their savings for their child’s education will likely be doing so in vain. At the same time, school fees are on the increase and the cap on university tuition fees rose last year [...]
FUNDS IN THE BUDGET March 23, 2011 BAD NEWS FOR OIL PRODUCERS Those who have exposure to North Sea oil and gas producers in their investment portfolios will be hit by one of the many new taxes introduced in yesterday’s budget. Dubbed the “fair fuel stabiliser”, it increased the taxes being levied on these companies from 20 per cent to 32 per [...]
FTSE 100 breaks its winning streak as risk appetite wanes March 22, 2011 BRITAIN’S top share index fell yesterday, snapping a three-session rally, as further airstrikes against Libya and disruption caused by the earthquake in Japan dented investors’ appetite for risk. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was 23.38 points lower, or down 0.4 per cent, at 5,762.71, having rallied 2.9 per cent over the three previous [...]
Wall Street slides amid light trading March 22, 2011 WALL Street snapped a three-day winning streak yesterday, even as investors adjusted to the insecurity created by events in Japan, the Middle East and North Africa. The Dow Jones industrial average shed 17.90 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 12,018.63. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 4.61 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 1,293.77. [...]
Speculators may be the only party to gain from yen sales March 22, 2011 SINCE the events that struck Japan last week, the G7 grouping of countries, of which Japan is a part, has come to its aid by selling reserves of the yen. But was outside help unavoidable in order to push down the yen? The G7 has made a sizeable bet that it was. Estimates are that [...]
RESILIENCE OF THE EURO MAY NOT CONTINUE March 22, 2011 DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT IF THERE was ever a contest for the most resilient currency in the FX market, the euro would be the unquestionable winner at this time. Over the past several weeks, global markets have experienced a series of extreme geopolitical shocks – each one strong enough to make even the most [...]
THE TIPSTER March 22, 2011 WITH market attention fixed on the 24/25 March EU summit and an easing of market conditions in Japan, there is a strong chance of volatile price action on euro-yen. Finland’s unwillingness to double its loan guarantees was a mild surprise and could derail the ongoing up-trends in several euro pairs. The yen’s strength has been [...]
