Scandinavian successes are tempting to traders November 30, 2010 FOR weeks now traders have described the choice of safe haven currencies as an “ugly contest.” The dollar, yen and euro all have their flaws, so traders have begun to stray. As unlikely as it seems, some have begun to suggest that Sweden could be the answer. Despite the recent slight dollar rebound (see chart) [...]
IMPROVING US PROSPECTS MAY AID EURO November 30, 2010 AT THE start of this week’s trading the FX market was gripped by fears of sovereign debt default contagion as traders continued to worry about the prospect of another financial bailout of the Iberian peninsula. Despite an €85bn rescue of Ireland, investor confidence remained shattered as euro-dollar slid towards the 1.3000 level on fears that [...]
Crisis limits Eastern European FX’s upside November 30, 2010 FOR more than a decade, eastern European countries enviously looked west, chasing the desirable single currency membership that would signal that they had shaken off their Soviet-era shackles and were at a critical stage in their economic and political development. After more than 10 years of trying to achieve acceptance to the exclusive club that [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS November 30, 2010 FOREX STRATEGIST JOEL KRUGER My pick: Long euro-Aussie dollar at AU$1.3700 Expertise: Technical analysis Average time frame of trades: 1 month-12 months We are already long sterling-kiwi from the previous week (long at NZ$2.0500), and we have just established a fresh long on this correlated cross which trades near multi-year lows. The monthly relative strength [...]
THE TIPSTER November 30, 2010 THE bullish tone of the Australian dollar against the greenback during September and October has waned and the dizzy heights of $1.0160-70 at the start of this month now seem a long way away. The Aussie dollar is likely to be influenced by risk sentiment and month-end flows, both of which should be negative over [...]
Getting the green by going green: time to invest in alternative energy November 30, 2010 AT THE last climate change summit, in Copenhagen in 2009, most world leaders felt duty bound to attend, including Barack Obama, who flew in for the last day. This year the summit is a lot closer for Obama, in Cancún, Mexico, but the President does not feel like making the trip. Neither, for that matter, [...]
FUND MANAGEMENT NEWS November 30, 2010 NEW SCHRODERS PROPERTY FUND Schroders has announced the launch of a new property fund. The Schroder global property income maximiser fund will aim to provide a regular income stream through exposure to global property securities. Subject to FSA approval, it will be opened to investors in February 2011. The fund is broadly similar to Schroder’s [...]
Downturn fuels a boom in the direct instruction of barristers November 30, 2010 I LIKE the culture of barristers’ chambers. The idea of walking into an aircraft hangar reception area at some City firm with modern art on the wall is maybe flaunting wealth too much these days.” This was the view of one in-house lawyer interviewed for a new study into “direct access” – clients instructing barristers [...]
Football clubs have to look to long-term November 30, 2010 INSOLVENCY is becoming more common for football clubs. So how can clubs avoid administration in the hard times ahead? What can administrators do to prevent it? The unique – and controversial – element of a football club insolvency is the requirement that certain football related creditors be paid in full as a condition of the [...]
FTSE tumbles on weaker commodity prices and nerves over Ireland’s rescue November 29, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index ended sharply lower yesterday, seeing two months of gains wiped out, as heavyweight commodity issues dropped back with weaker metal prices and financial firms dropped on worries over the Eurozone. The FTSE 100 index dropped 117.75 points, or 2.1 per cent, to close at 5,550.95, the day’s low, having reversed from [...]