Rate hike puts the Aussie on track for strong gains in 2010 April 6, 2010 THE fact that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) hiked interest rates by 25 basis points to 4.25 per cent yesterday will not have come as much of a surprise to currency traders – a move either this month or next was widely anticipated and given that the May meeting falls just days before the [...]
The Tipster Dollar strength fails against the Japanese yen April 6, 2010 FRIDAY’S bumper US non farm payrolls pushed US dollar-yen to fresh highs for the year but the dollar failed to sustain this strength in post-Easter trade. A raft of economic data is coming out of Japan later this week, including machine orders for February and if the economic backdrop is looking strong then this could [...]
FOREX FLASH April 6, 2010 COLOMBIA TO STEP UP DOLLAR PURCHASES The Colombian peso may have gained 26 per cent over the past year, but the rally could be stopped in its tracks if the central bank goes ahead and steps up US dollar purchases to help the Latin American country’s exporters. Bank of America analyst Alberto Boquin said yesterday [...]
Big names have to be managed in any business April 6, 2010 MEDIA coverage of the forthcoming general election announced yesterday is bound to focus as much on the personalities of the party leaders as their policies. Is Gordon Brown too dour and introspective to lead the country? Does David Cameron have the gravitas? In business too, CEOs’ characters are more important and more publicised than ever. [...]
To understand the future of law, look back April 6, 2010 LAW firms are currently experiencing change like never before. In the last two years, many firms have seen their revenues and profits decline for the first time in over a decade. They’ve had to let go many talented lawyers, both at partner level and below. Clients who used to accept above-inflation fee increases each year [...]
US markets flourish as positive news floods in April 5, 2010 Shares of natural resources companies led the gains on expectations that an improving economy would drive up demand. US front-month crude oil futures topped $86 a barrel and gave a big lift to energy shares, with Exxon Mobil Corp up almost 1 per cent and Chevron Corp up 1.3 per cent. The S&P energy index [...]
CITY INDEX April 5, 2010 Q.Dear Josh, last week’s final reading of UK GDP was stronger than first thought. What could this mean for future GDP? A.Last week, the final reading of UK GDP was revised higher to 0.4 per cent and this means that the UK pulled out of its worst post-war recession with greater strength than first thought, [...]
Look to small oil explorers for big profits April 5, 2010 AFTER a 20-year ban, President Obama has given the go-ahead to oil drilling off the Virginian Coast. It would appear that the US hasn’t lost its appetite for hydrocarbons. The green energy revolution hasn’t lost steam, but governments have started to realise that it will take many years before green technology can fulfil the world’s [...]
Five tips for traders in the second quarter April 5, 2010 THE first quarter of 2010 was a rocky one. We had confirmation that the British economy exited recession in the last three months of 2009 but political polls increasingly pointed towards a hung parliament come the general election. The Eurozone suffered dreadfully from the Greek fiscal crisis and fears grew that its woes could spread [...]
REGULATORS HAVE TO STEP UP AND ACT April 5, 2010 OVER the past few weeks, the financial press has been full of stories of financial wrongdoing, both alleged and proven. The FSA investigations which have featured so prominently have been running for some time. Often the more egregious cases come to light following a disruption in the underlying markets. Enron imploded at the end of [...]
