POLITICS CAN RARELY MOVE THE MARKETS May 25, 2009 When Richard Nixon was asked what he would be doing if he wasn’t President, he said: “Buying stocks on Wall Street”. One can only imagine the headlines. But it does raise the question, do politics and the markets ever mix? With our political system being dragged through the gutter will there be an effect on [...]
POLITICS CAN RARELY MOVE THE MARKETS May 25, 2009 When Richard Nixon was asked what he would be doing if he wasn’t President, he said: “Buying stocks on Wall Street”. One can only imagine the headlines. But it does raise the question, do politics and the markets ever mix? With our political system being dragged through the gutter will there be an effect on [...]
EUROPEAN REPORT May 25, 2009 EUROPEAN shares closed higher yesterday with Sanofi Aventis leading pharmaceuticals higher after winning a US contract, and some analysts choosing to interpret a leading German economic survey positively. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares rose 0.3 per cent to a provisional close of 858.57 points, after two sessions of losses. But trade was [...]
MARTIN ON THE MARKETS May 25, 2009 THE FTSE 100 managed to finish positive last week, even after the threat that the UK’s S&P AAA credit rating may be removed. Nevertheless we can expect some mediocre profit-taking this morning. Later in the week we have a host of key US economic indicators such as durable goods and new home sales on Thursday [...]
MARTIN ON THE MARKETS May 25, 2009 THE FTSE 100 managed to finish positive last week, even after the threat that the UK’s S&P AAA credit rating may be removed. Nevertheless we can expect some mediocre profit-taking this morning. Later in the week we have a host of key US economic indicators such as durable goods and new home sales on Thursday [...]
Uncertainty over dividend payments could see defensive shares back on top May 25, 2009 MARKS & Spencer was hit by shareholder anger last week after it confirmed a widely flagged decision to slash its dividend payout to shareholders by one third. It saw its shares dive to the bottom of the FTSE 100, wiping 8 per cent off the share price in just one day. The price has continued [...]
Uncertainty over dividend payments could see defensive shares back on top May 25, 2009 MARKS & Spencer was hit by shareholder anger last week after it confirmed a widely flagged decision to slash its dividend payout to shareholders by one third. It saw its shares dive to the bottom of the FTSE 100, wiping 8 per cent off the share price in just one day. The price has continued [...]
US economic data in focus to pull US markets up May 25, 2009 WALL Street may feel more pressure this week unless a raft of economic data, including consumer confidence, home sales and gross domestic product (GDP), restores the optimism that had driven a two-month rally before fading last week. Investors cited the potential bankruptcy of General Motors as a concern, as further job losses could imperil the [...]
US economic data in focus to pull US markets up May 25, 2009 WALL Street may feel more pressure this week unless a raft of economic data, including consumer confidence, home sales and gross domestic product (GDP), restores the optimism that had driven a two-month rally before fading last week. Investors cited the potential bankruptcy of General Motors as a concern, as further job losses could imperil the [...]
SPOTLIGHT ON SMALL CAPS May 25, 2009 THE greatest bugbear of the year for Aim investors, at least on the face of it, has been the exodus of companies from the junior market as more and more are forced to delist amid the economic turmoil. But as the number of firms on Aim continues to fall back, many small cap experts are [...]