NEW YORK REPORT September 8, 2009 US stocks advanced yesterday on an uptick in corporate deal activity while the weak dollar led to gains in commodities, lifting shares of oil and mining companies. Although Kraft’s stock fell nearly 6 per cent, other food companies rose, including Hershey, which added 1.3 per cent to $39.14. The dollar fell to its lowest this [...]
Forward forex markets are bearish for the dollar’s status September 8, 2009 A QUICK glance at the usually lively currency markets would suggest that not a whole lot is going on in foreign exchange. Major currency pairs are stuck in tight trading ranges – the euro-dollar, for example, has been stuck in the $1.33-$1.44 trading range since June. It would be tempting to say that traders ought [...]
Swissie will not replace yen for carry traders September 8, 2009 COMPARED to the sharp and unexpected moves that they have previously seen, spot currency markets have been exceptionally dull of late and many major currency pairs remain range-bound with little sign of any breakout move. Unable to rely on big daily moves in currency pairs for their profits, forex traders have returned to the popular [...]
CURRENCIES ARE NOW AT CRITICAL CROSSROADS September 8, 2009 BORIS SCHLOSSBERGDIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT AS THE trading world returns from the holidays, capital markets find themselves at a critical juncture. The key question facing participants in the currency and equity markets is whether the economic recovery will continue into the year-end. Traders want to know if this is a sucker rally or just [...]
How to profit by turning the FTSE changes on their heads September 7, 2009 TOMORROW evening after the market close the FTSE 100 will undergo its quarterly reshuffle, which sees the UK’s leading blue-chip index updated to reflect fully the changing market capitalisation and liquidity of Britain’s listed companies. While the process is deliberately as transparent as possible and well publicised in advance in order to minimise any dramatic [...]
Take a view on future interest rate rises with short sterling contracts September 7, 2009 WHILE THE Bank of England’s monetary policy decision on Thursday is almost certainly a done deal – everybody expects a hold – and is not expected to shock the market, there is no doubt that everybody in the City will be watching the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) accompanying statement for indications of a more upbeat [...]
EXPECT MORE RISES IN THE GOLD PRICE September 7, 2009 MARTIN SLANEYHEAD OF DERIVATIVES, GFT DESPITE stock markets being jittery after a surging summer, investors and speculators didn’t have far to look before finding an alternative home for their trading buck. Gold is glittering once more, coming close to the $1,000 per ounce price tag, and trading levels on the spot gold CFD are soaring [...]
Kraft’s Cadbury bid sparks a flurry of FTSEmerger hopes September 7, 2009 THE leading share index notched back up towards the 5,000-points mark yesterday, after a proposed bid for Cadbury by Kraft raised hopes of a more general pick-up in merger activity and lifted banks and commodity shares. The FTSE 100 rose 1.7 per cent to a close of 4,933.18, up 81.48 points, as it came close [...]
European stocks near 11-month high September 7, 2009 EUROPEAN shares closed higher yesterday, led by UKchocolate giant Cadbury which soared 38 per cent following a £10.2bn bid approach from US company Kraft Foods. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares rose 1.4 per cent to 975.90 points, just 0.3 per cent away from an 11-month closing high. The European benchmark index has [...]
Market to eye consumer purse while MPC mulls rates September 6, 2009 THIS week will be all about consumers’ purse-strings and just how tightly they are pulled. Results from across the retail and leisure sectors will go some way to answering that question, while the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee’s decision on interest rates and quantitative easing will tell us what the experts think about any [...]