US second quarter earnings steer shares upward July 11, 2010 European stock markets are headed higher once again on the open this morning, continuing last week’s buying spree which gave us the biggest weekly rally in a year. GFT is quoting the FTSE 100 index to open up 35 points from Friday’s close, at 5,167. The German DAX is also expected to start higher, up [...]
JAPANESE MARKET July 11, 2010 Japanese shares and government bonds are likely to face initial selling pressure today after the government lost an upper house election – a reverse that could thwart its ambitions to curb public debt. Longer term, though, markets will eye which smaller parties the ruling Democratic Party allies with, what policy compromises it makes and whether [...]
The markets are on the turn, but only in the short-term July 11, 2010 THE success of Paul the octopus at predicting the outcome of World Cup matches has left many spread betters green with envy at his powers. What would be better than being able to predict with accuracy the bottom of the market? But in the absence of any psychic ability, traders have to rely on market [...]
The unreliability of the Baltic Dry July 11, 2010 SINCE the end of May, the Baltic Dry Index, which measures worldwide international shipping prices of dry bulk, has plummeted some 50 per cent. It has now fallen for 31 consecutive days – its worst run in more than six years – raising concerns among investors about both the outlook for world trade and for [...]
THE TIPSTER July 11, 2010 AFTER this column tipped a sell of dollar-Canadian dollar at C$1.0675 on Tuesday of last week, the loonie rallied hard against the greenback late in the week and dropped all the way down to C$1.0303 by Friday afternoon. The market has suddenly started to price in a possible interest rate hike in Canada following the [...]
SPREAD BET GURU July 11, 2010 MARKET STRATEGIST josh@cityindex.com Q. Dear Josh, which are the major companies announcing this week and what is the sentiment likely to be for the new earnings season? A. This week marks the start of the second quarter US earnings season and already we have started to see equity prices fluctuate in anticipation of results. Last [...]
A new port of call far north of the Algarve July 11, 2010 IF you’re thinking of getting away to Portugal this summer, chances are it’s the Algarve you’re considering, for a bit of sea, sardines or the swing of a golf club. Well fine, the country’s southern region does all those things extremely well. However, British holidaymakers tend to forget what the rest of the country has [...]
Treats in store at Lisbon’s glam Ritz July 11, 2010 IF you are going to visit Lisbon, you should stay at the Ritz Four Seasons, an enchanting, marble-clad property from one of the world’s best hotel operators. Its location and positioning is ideal; the hotel offers vistas of Eduardo VII Park, St. George’s Moorish castle, the Old Town and the Tagus River from atop one [...]
Spreading success, little by little July 11, 2010 WILSON Moleni is on his first trip to the UK. And what a first visit it is: he is dining with royalty, meeting dignitaries and briefing journalists. Not bad for a man who grew up among Malawi’s poorest, and who (most of the time) had just enough food to continue to go to school. Moleni, [...]
CASE STUDIES: OPPORTUNITY BANK SUCCESS STORIES July 11, 2010 ANNA, NKHATA BAY DISTRICT Anna’s daughter-in-law died just days after giving birth. The child was just seven days old. Anna collected the baby from the hospital but couldn’t find any money to buy milk. She turned to the Opportunity Bank for help. She took out a loan of MK 5,000 which meant that she could [...]
