Cyclical stocks drop after Fed warns over QE February 22, 2013 LONDON REPORT BRITAIN’S blue chip shares posted their biggest one-day loss since July yesterday on concerns the Federal Reserve could end its stimulus programme sooner than expected, removing a driver of the recent equity rally on both sides of the pond. The FTSE 100 closed down 103.83 points, or 1.6 per cent, at 6,291.54, dropping [...]
Growth fears push Wall St down again February 22, 2013 NEW YORK REPORT US stocks fell for a second straight day yesterday and the S&P 500 posted its worst two-day loss since November after reports cast doubt over the health of the US and Eurozone economies. But a late-day rally helped stocks erase some of their losses with most of the pullback concentrated in the [...]
FTSE surges to highest level in over five years February 21, 2013 THE FTSE 100 benchmark equity index edged up yesterday to touch fresh five-year highs but its failure to close above a key technical level led some traders to expect a minor, near-term sell-off. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up 0.3 per cent, or 16.30 points higher, at 6,395.37 points – its highest level since [...]
Wall St drops as Fed minutes spark concern February 21, 2013 US stocks fell the most in three months and a key gauge of market volatility spiked yesterday after minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s most recent meeting suggested the central bank may slow or stop buying bonds sooner than expected. The minutes from the Fed’s January meeting showed many officials voiced concern last month over [...]
Analyst picks for 19 February 2013 February 18, 2013 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Short Aussie-dollar and sterling-dollar Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few days As European currencies have come under intense pressure recently, and the yen resumed its slide after a tepid response from the G20 nations last weekend, the dollar continues [...]
Uncertainty threatens China growth February 18, 2013 CHINA is back at work after a week-long vacation for the Lunar New Year. Around the holiday, many Chinese, eager to learn more about the year ahead, visit a feng shui master to see if the new year will bring good fortune. Veteran Beijing-based soothsayer Chen Shuaifu, who regularly advises Chinese companies, predicted the Year [...]
THE TIPSTER: KINGFISHING FOR A FIX February 18, 2013 THE challenging consumer backdrop doesn’t augur well for Kingfisher, and this will show when the retailer issues its trading update on Thursday. Shares have traded within a range between 270p and 290p for the last year. But some in-house refurbishments, like improving cost structures and gross margins, may be just the fix it needs. ETX [...]
Traders can profit from the flurry of mega-deals February 18, 2013 WILL 2013 be the year the bulge bracket banks have been waiting for? Since 2008, headline-grabbing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals have been few and far between. But the flurry of activity at the start of February, the most since 2005, suggests things may be about to change. Last week, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway teamed [...]
RHETORIC RARELY SHIFTS CURRENCIES February 18, 2013 DURING the first Obama administration, Treasury secretary Tim Geithner took as many opportunities as possible to bleat about China refusing to devalue its currency – the yuan or the renminbi – against the dollar. The US and other countries were nursing gargantuan trade deficits with China. Clearly, the Chinese economic star was then in the [...]
Why some businesses will fail to see the writing on the wall February 17, 2013 IMAGINE you invent the pen in a world of only pencils. You are so excited – you are going to change people’s lives! Pens are easier to write with, easier to read, and don’t need sharpening. You dream of success. Mixed in with your excitement is a dose of paranoia. Of course, anyone could steal [...]
