UNCERTAINTY STILL REIGNS IN MARKETS May 20, 2009 THERE is considerable confusion in the markets over the fundamental question of whether the global economy has bottomed out. This has resulted in wide swings in sentiment. At the time of writing, the S&P 500 had gained 5.8 per cent in the month to date, largely a result of relief over news coming out of [...]
Fear index hits new lows as jitters ease May 20, 2009 MARKET optimists and bulls breathed a sigh of relief this week when the CBOE’s Volatility Index – the so-called “fear gauge” – reached its lowest levels since Lehman Brothers collapsed last September. While a recovery is far from assured, the calmer Volatility Index suggests that more settled times may be ahead for the equity markets [...]
A DISCIPLINED TRADER IS AN EFFECTIVE ONE May 20, 2009 TRADING foreign exchange (FX) can either be daunting or exhilarating. Which kind of experience you have largely depends on your approach. A disciplined attitude is likely to be more effective than a casual one for the simple reason that uncertainty and anxiety tend to disappear when a trader has set himself clear conditions regarding decision [...]
The schoolboy bookie who turned into a spread betting evangelist May 20, 2009 JONATHAN Hufford has always had an appetite for betting, from running his school bookmaker to trading yen derivatives in the 1990s. But his biggest gamble took place 10 years ago this month when he left his job in the City to open up spread betting provider Spreadex He entered the then fledgling spread betting industry [...]
Money does grow on trees when you invest in forestry May 20, 2009 DESPITE its move into the mainstream over the past decade, green investing still evokes a faint whiff of something slightly fringe and unprofitable. But this is changing, albeit at a slower pace than those in the sector would like. Forget hippies ranting about global warming and rainforest destruction, these days green professionals are sharp-suited City [...]
Financials prove that what goes up must come down May 20, 2009 THE FTSE 100 closed 0.3 per cent lower yesterday, with shaky financial stocks offsetting strength in heavyweight oils and miners. The index ended the session down 13.84 points at 4,468.41, up 0.8 per cent on the year, having gained nearly 30 per cent since a six-year low hit on 9 March. “We are still in [...]
Fed’s pessimism is a blow to US shares May 20, 2009 US stocks fell yesterday, led by financials in a late-stage sell-off, after the Federal Reserve gave a more pessimistic view on the economy, tempering hopes for a quick recovery. The Fed cut its 2009 forecast for gross domestic product and raised its outlook for unemployment, tempering the recent optimism that the economy might be turning [...]
Improve your forex trading with currency correlations May 19, 2009 WHEN quantitative easing was introduced earlier this year, there was no doubt that it would shake up the markets. But a race to zero interest rates and the adoption of QE by many of the G10 countries has meant that foreign exchange traders have had to adjust their strategies to this new market environment. Continued [...]
WILL THRIFT SLOW DOWN RECOVERY? May 19, 2009 SINCE March, global equity markets and risk currencies like the euro, pound and Australian dollar have rallied on the assumption that global demand will begin to recover by the second half of 2009. Markets have seen evidence of recovery among producers as various purchasing managers’ surveys from industrialised nations have beaten expectations. Demand has undeniably [...]
Firms need to tread carefully as redundancy claims increase May 19, 2009 EARLIER this week, single mother Alison Weekes said that she is to sue Lloyds TSB for £70,000 for sex and race discrimination and victimisation, after she was sacked by the bank. She alleges that her boss said that she was “not committed” to the job, and was unable to “put in the hours” because she [...]
