Central Bank elixir isn’t certain – but expect volatility August 27, 2012 THIS weekend’s economic symposium at Jackson Hole has the power to monumentally shake world markets, which is what voracious traders – subdued by the summer’s low trading volumes – will want to see. With both Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), due to speak [...]
The glistening appeal of precious metals returns August 27, 2012 SENIOR MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT UP UNTIL last week, gold and silver – like a Parisian in August – appeared to have shut up shop for the summer. In contrast, equity markets had pushed higher in a low volume melt-up that brought the Dow and S&P 500 up to levels last seen in December 2007. Even [...]
Analyst picks for 28 August 2012 August 27, 2012 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Short Aussie-dollar Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few days Despite the rally that came after minutes of the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting were released, the Aussie-dollar has broken down to fresh lows for the month of August. Given this [...]
FTSE buoyed by hopes of global stimulus August 23, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index inched higher yesterday, steadying after sharp falls in the previous session, underpinned by a recovery among heavyweight miners on expectations of fresh global stimulus measures from central banks. Mining stocks tracked firmer copper prices, which were up over 1 per cent at a one-month high as the demand picture for metals [...]
US stocks drop on weak data August 23, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday as expectations for quick stimulus action from the Federal Reserve faded and Chinese and Eurozone data pointed to a stalling global economy. Each of the 10 major S&P sectors finished in negative territory, with the economically sensitive materials sector the worst performer, down 1.7 per cent. Minutes published from the latest [...]
Miners and Eurozone politicians take the shine off the FTSE 100 August 22, 2012 MINERS left Britain’s top share index nursing sharp losses yesterday after BHP Billiton’s results offered a bleak outlook for the sector, while other cyclical stocks were weaker as Greek and European officials met on the Eurozone debt crisis. London’s blue chip index was down 83.32 points, or 1.4 per cent, at 5,774.20. Cyclical stocks such [...]
Lacklustre data and fears over Greece hurt US August 22, 2012 THE S&P 500 erased earlier losses to close flat yesterday after minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting indicated the central bank might be ready for another round of stimulus. Minutes from the 31 July to 1 August meeting suggested the Fed is likely to deliver another round of monetary stimulus “fairly soon” unless the [...]
Think twice before taking your MBA in Asia August 22, 2012 EMERGING markets in Asia are churning out MBA graduates in record numbers, and they’re as qualified as they are numerous. TopMBA.com, which measures how companies perceive business schools, saw employer demand for graduates from Indian schools increase by 24 per cent in 2011. It isn’t an isolated trend – emerging market professionals are taking MBAs [...]
Eurozone chatter helps lift the FTSE 100 in very light volumes August 21, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index advanced yesterday in light trade, led up by miners and banking stocks, as investors speculated as to how Eurozone policy makers would tackle the region’s debt crisis. The FTSE 100 ended up 33.15 points, or 0.6 per cent, at 5,857.52, having shed 0.5 per cent on Monday, in volume at around [...]
S&P 500 index hits a four year intraday high August 21, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday after the S&P 500 hit its highest level in four years as the benchmark index faced technical resistance and traders cashed in recent gains. The S&P 500 index hit 1,426.68, its highest intraday rise since May 2008. Volume has been light, as expected in August, and only three of the past [...]
