Burberry and WH Smith in the spotlight October 7, 2012 A RAFT of economic information due out tomorrow will shed light on whether the UK is gradually pulling out of its double-dip recession. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) will release its sales data for September, following a gloomy August where the Olympics failed to boost spending and like-for-like retail figures fell 0.4 per cent compared [...]
Wall Street may be heading for a pullback as earnings season starts October 7, 2012 WALL Street may be bracing for a pullback as US earnings season begins this week – if the clouds of profit warnings from bellwethers ranging from FedEx to Hewlett-Packard lead to a downpour of lower profits, or even losses. Thanks to aggressive stimulus plans from central banks around the world, the Standard & Poor’s 500 [...]
Turtles can turn into gazelles in a good incubator October 7, 2012 IT IS one of the saddest scenes in nature. On a deserted beach, mother turtle struggles up the sand, and laboriously digs a hole to lay her eggs. Sometime later, hundreds of tiny baby turtles scramble out and start heading down the beach towards the water. The birds, in a frenzy, scoop up such an [...]
British SMEs should export their way to prosperity October 7, 2012 FOR entrepreneurs limited by our shores, now is time to leave Britain on the nearest plane, train or automobile. Not to emigrate to a more business friendly environment (at least, not just yet) – but to embrace what made this country great: international trade. Research commissioned by Barclays reveals some good news for companies weighing [...]
Cautious investors can miss out on stellar equity rallies October 7, 2012 RETAIL investors have become cautious in their asset allocations, and consequently may have missed out on gains in equities. The uncertain investment climate – driven by the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis and concerns about global growth – has pushed investors to seek the safety of fixed-income. FLIGHT TO SAFETY In uncertain times, investors flock to [...]
Investment debate: Fixed-income versus equity funds October 7, 2012 FIXED-INCOME FUNDS IAN SPREADBURY HIGH quality bonds offer a reliable income and low volatility of returns – two important attributes for investors. But they are also priced expensively in this uncertain economic environment. I do not believe gilts are in a bubble. We are still in the grip of a global economic crisis. Weak growth [...]
FTSE treads waters as lack of action from ECB leaves investors nervous October 4, 2012 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 share index stalled near the top of its recent range yesterday, supported by prospects of global central bank stimulus but struggling to break fresh ground ahead of a potentially gloomy earnings season. The European Central Bank reaffirmed its commitment to the euro and its plan to buy bonds to bring down their [...]
S&P in reach of five-year high as jobs data looms October 4, 2012 THE S&P 500 extended gains to a fourth day yesterday, putting it on the cusp of a new five-year high if today’s jobs report shows encouraging signs for the labor market. The rally was broad, with all 10 S&P 500 sectors up and financials in the lead. The S&P’s financial index gained 1.5 per cent. [...]
Popularity of defensive stocks sees FTSE rise but Spanish fears remain October 3, 2012 BRITAIN’S benchmark share index rose yesterday, driven by gains in “defensive” stocks seen as the most resilient to an economic downturn, although traders said concerns over Spain’s debt crisis could limit gains. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up 0.3 per cent, or 16.36 points higher, at 5,825.81 points. Increases in heavyweight “defensive” stocks such [...]
HP weighs on Wall St despite strong data October 3, 2012 WALL Street ended modestly higher yesterday on stronger-than-expected US labor and service-sector data, but the Dow industrials were hobbled by a slide in Hewlett-Packard. Shares of Hewlett-Packard dropped sharply after the company warned yesterday of a darker outlook for 2013 earnings, reflecting slow progress on CEO Meg Whitman’s turnaround plan while technology spending sputters and [...]
