S&P is set to finish higher for the year December 22, 2011 US stocks rose yesterday, putting the S&P 500 on the cusp of finishing out the year higher as another decline in jobless claims pointed to further improvement in the labour market. The S&P rose for a third day in seasonally light volume that has contributed to sharp swings recently. With the benchmark index near break-even [...]
Year-end portfolio reshuffles help to boost the FTSE 100 December 22, 2011 BANKS buoyed the FTSE 100 yesterday as Goldman Sachs analysts said the take-up by lenders of ECB loans should be seen as an “important positive” and market bulls attempted to push the index through important technical levels. London’s blue chips closed up 67.23 points, or 1.3 per cent, at 5,456.97, although the index failed to [...]
Markets hold up yet tech sector hit by slide December 21, 2011 TECHNOLOGY shares slumped yesterday and pushed the Nasdaq down one per cent after Oracle reported results that cast doubts on the sector’s health, even as broader markets closed mostly flat in a thinly traded day. Outside the Nasdaq, the market recovered from early losses as some recent fears over Europe faded. Traders tried to build [...]
FTSE seesaws lower on banks and retailers December 21, 2011 BRITAIN’S top share index fell back after a volatile session yesterday, swinging back from early strong gains in low volumes, with banks seeing gains eroded, although Lloyds was boosted by a broker double upgrade. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was down 29.86 points, or 0.6 per cent at 5,389.74, reversing a chunk of [...]
To track or chase returns December 21, 2011 WHETHER investors should aim for alpha (beating the benchmark) or beta (tracking the benchmark) is a debate that divides investors. Here a defender of tracking beta and an advocate of chasing alpha put their respective cases. WORLDTRACK ANTHONY CHRISTODOULOU Should investors chase Alpha? In a word: no. Evidence shows that it is futile attempting to [...]
Outlook for 2012: Protecting your wealth December 21, 2011 BESTINVEST ADRIAN LOWOCK 2012 Macro outlook Weak economic growth will continue in the West, as the deleveraging process enters its third year – we are still several years away from completing this. However, any resolution in the Eurozone is likely to provide some short-term support to stockmarkets. Predictions for end of 2012 ● FTSE 100: [...]
Festive cheer gives Wall Street a boost December 20, 2011 US stocks rallied nearly three per cent yesterday as investors bought surging banks, homebuilders and networking companies, though low volume was seen as amplifying the market’s move. Investors jumped on a banking sector that was already riding high, extending gains after the US Federal Reserve released new capital proposals that turned out to be less [...]
German data and Spain auction lift FTSE December 20, 2011 BRITAIN’S top share index hit a one-week closing high yesterday, after a drop in Spain’s borrowing costs and encouraging data from Germany overshadowed fears over Europe’s debt crisis. Short-term financing costs for Spain more than halved as banks lapped up debt at an auction, with much of the purchasing power said to have come from [...]
Krona and krone won’t be safe-haven kings December 20, 2011 ALONG with Apple’s shares plummeting 50 per cent in value, Australia’s looming recession and wheat doubling in price, in its self-styled outrageous predictions for 2012, Saxo Bank speculates that Sweden and Norway could replace Switzerland as the safe haven currencies of choice. But could Sweden’s krona or Norway’s krone really become the security blankets for [...]
THE POUND IS ABOUT TO HIT TURBULENCE December 20, 2011 THIS year, trade in sterling has been relatively subdued. With market attention focused on the euro, UK credit markets escaped scrutiny. This lack of limelight helped cable to maintain relative strength throughout the year. Some traders even argued that the pound deserved to be viewed as a safe-haven currency given the country’s independent monetary policy. [...]
