The cloud of debt that is hanging over the US July 19, 2011 WHILE the European debt crisis rumbles on, there is also a storm brewing across the Atlantic. As European finance ministers squabble, the GOP and Democrats are locked in a battle of their own. This row has fuelled uncertainty from investors as to America’s ability to address its enormous debt burden. But if they are to [...]
SWISS FRANC IS PROVIDING RISK RELIEF July 19, 2011 CREDIT concerns continue to preoccupy FX traders, and as officials on both sides of the Atlantic struggle to put forth a credible fiscal policy to appease the markets, the Swiss franc remains the currency of choice for those seeking the safety of sound money. The Swissie has become the pox-on-both-your-houses trade as investors seek to [...]
Eurozone crisis won’t be swept under the peripheral carpet July 19, 2011 THE Eurozone has been on the brink of outright crisis for a while, but events are overtaking politics, as markets lose faith in Europe’s heart. Kathleen Brooks of Forex.com is concerned that the tremors in the periphery are now being felt in the core, noting: “France and Belgium have seen their spreads versus German bonds [...]
THE TIPSTER July 19, 2011 SINCE breaking below the $80 level in spectacular fashion a few days ago, dollar-yen seems to have found some support around ¥79. The break below ¥80 could mean a retest of the post earthquake lows around ¥76.50. Capital Spreads quotes a price of ¥79.00-¥79.01. European government bond yields are hitting lofty heights not seen for [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS July 19, 2011 FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short Australian dollar-dollar and euro-dollar, long dollar-yen Expertise: Fundamental analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week My sterling-dollar short from last week hit its first target; but the remainder of the position was trailed out at break even on a sharp reversal [...]
An open culture is the best safeguard against the risk of damaging scandals July 19, 2011 HEAD OF ACCA UK BEING in business is about value creation. We live in a capitalist society; it is profits, losses, warnings, and dividends that routinely make the business headlines. But if there’s one thing that recent events involving the press have shown, it is that businesses have to deliver more than just economic value [...]
For the public sector, releasing data to the public gaze needs to be far more common July 19, 2011 HEAD OF PUBLIC SECTOR, ACCA LAST week, the Treasury published the unaudited whole-of-government accounts for 2009/10. This was a landmark moment for public finance in the UK, as it’s the first time that this has happened; the idea of publishing the accounts was floated in the mid-90s, so this is something that we’ve been waiting [...]
Mercedes’ ultimate ticket to ride July 19, 2011 SOME days are good, some days are great. And no doubt about it: being driven around Goodwood in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG gullwing supercar by former F1 world champion Jody Scheckter is a great experience. Scheckter, now an organic farmer at Laverstoke Park Farm, says he’s not been on a race track in years. I [...]
CAR TALK July 19, 2011 PEUGEOT’S NEW FLAGSHIP Peugeot has shown its new flagship 508 RXH diesel-electric crossover ahead of its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The four-wheel drive estate is powered by a 2.0-litre HYbrid4 drive unit which produces 200bhp and can be run in 100 per cent electric mode. Emissions are just 109g/km of [...]
India hold no fears for us, insists Swann July 19, 2011 ENGLAND spinner Graeme Swann can’t wait to finally get down to the serious business of the summer and wrestle the No1 Test ranking from India’s grasp. The visit of a limited Sri Lankan side represented a low-key start to England’s summer campaign in a series heavily disrupted by the weather. India, cricket’s current world superpower [...]
