US rises on health and food stocks July 6, 2009 THE Dow industrials rose and the S&P 500 rebounded in late trading yesterday as investors’ concerns about the strength of an economic recovery triggered a move into defensive stocks. But the technology-heavy Nasdaq slipped as investors rotated out of the tech sector, which is viewed as more reliant on the economic cycle. A series of [...]
Use currency indices to help diversify your forex trading July 6, 2009 CURRENCY markets have proved particularly popular among contracts for difference (CFDs) traders over recent months, due to the extent of opportunities in the forex markets as risk appetite waxes and wanes. But one of the problems with CFD positions on currency pairs is that in order to be bullish on one currency, by definition you [...]
VOLATILITY ON THE WAY FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS July 6, 2009 MARTIN SLANEYHEAD OF DERIVATIVES, GFTAS WE head into the third quarter and market volatility continues to fade, it’s tempting to think we have a tranquil summer ahead, and that the current range-bound trading patterns are to be entrenched for the holiday season. Some of us may even be scouring the Ashes schedule and hoping the [...]
Banking sector trading update will show pick of the crop July 5, 2009 WITH news that bankers at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are on track for bumper full-year bonuses, celebrated with the obligatory champagne and expensive dinners, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the financial crisis had never happened. But while they might be in line for those bonuses, investors and traders will be scrutinising banks’ earnings [...]
INFLATION FEARS STILL ON THE CARDS July 5, 2009 JANE FOLEYRESEARCH DIRECTOR, FOREX.COMLAST week brought confirmation that prices actually fell in the Eurozone in June. The consumer prices index (CPI) fell 0.1 per cent year-on-year, in sharp contrast to the European Central Bank’s (ECB) mandate which directs it to keep inflation at, or a little below, 2.0 per cent year-on-year. The complete absence of [...]
THE TIPSTER ECONOMIC DRIVERS EYED THIS WEEK July 5, 2009 NEXT week all traders will be watching the Bank of England’s monetary policy decision, announced at midday on Thursday. While the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is expected to keep interest rates on hold, there are concerns that further quantitative easing may be suggested. Given that its Eurozone counterpart – the European Central Bank (ECB) – [...]
THE LONDON REPORT July 5, 2009 OUSEBUILDERS will come under scrutiny this week, with giants Persimmon and Barratt Developments set to update markets. Traders will be hoping for further signs that there is an an uptick in mortgage availability, as banks repair their balance sheets and are able to resume lending to homebuyers, feeding through to the battered sector. Barratt, set [...]
MARTIN ON THE MARKETS July 5, 2009 AFTER Friday’s non-session, as the US Independence Day holiday suppressed volumes, get ready for a pivotal week set to be dominated by one thing: US earnings. Stock markets have rallied of late on the back of hopes that we’ll see a bounce in profits, and this week investors will start to see those hopes look [...]
London markets sag in the heat but Diageo refreshes July 2, 2009 THE FTSE 100 closed 2.5 per cent lower yesterday, with market sentiment hit by data showing US employers cut more jobs than expected in June and unemployment in Europe hit a 10-year high. The index ended down 106.44 points at 4,234.27 after closing 2.2 per cent higher on Wednesday, the first day of the new [...]
Jobless figures hit hopes of recovery July 2, 2009 US stocks tumbled yesterday, driving the S&P 500 down to its third-straight weekly loss, as a steeper-than-expected slide in June non-farm payrolls revived caution about economic recovery prospects. News that US employers shed nearly half a million jobs last month and the unemployment rate jumped to 9.5 per cent, the highest in nearly 26 years, [...]
