FTSE 100 index opens up on supermarkets as share price of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer rise following Morrisons results January 12, 2016 The FTSE 100 index opened higher this morning as housebuilders and supermarkets made gains. The UK's blue-chip index rose 0.2 per cent to 5,883 points, led higher by Tesco, Sainsbury's and housebuilder Berkeley Group. The index made gains despite continued scepticism about the state of the Chinese economy. Read more: And they’re off – Shire and Baxalta agree $32bn [...]
Oil rout, shambolic Chinese regulators, and Apple analyst misses: Why don’t we ignore Week One and start again? January 12, 2016 Oh what japes, and that was only the first week back at work this year. But did we learn anything useful from the first five days of trading? Possibly, but has anyone come out of week one with any credit or stood out as a visionary amid the chaos? Not that I can see, I’m [...]
Don’t panic yet on stock market swings, say economists January 11, 2016 The sharp falls in global stock markets since the beginning of the year are unlikely to usher in a new period of economic turmoil, economists have said. London’s FTSE 100 has lost 3.6 per cent this year while the Vix, known as an investors’ fear index, hit 27 at the end of last week, the highest since [...]
Morgan Stanley warns oil prices could fall to $20 per barrel due to a strong US dollar January 11, 2016 Foreign exchange rate movements could send Brent crude oil as low as $20 per barrel, investment bank Morgan Stanley has warned. In a research note sent out today, it said oil prices could fall between 10 to 25 per cent if the US dollar gains five per cent. While the widening gap between supply and demand may [...]
US stocks rise as markets shake off China concerns January 11, 2016 It seems American investors have finally driven the bears away: US markets opened up as fears over China’s economy started to abate. After a sharp fall last week, US equities started this week with more confidence. The Dow Jones jumped 100 points as trading began, helped along the way by Apple, which itself made gains [...]
Brent and US crude: Oil prices fall amid anxiety over China’s economic slowdown January 11, 2016 Oil prices careered lower today, as anxiety over the pace of China's economic slowdown dented the outlook for demand. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell 2.7 per cent to $32.63 per barrel today, while West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, slumped 2.1 per cent at $32.47. It comes after oil prices shed around 10 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 stock market turmoil: What does this mean for the rest of the year? January 11, 2016 Britain's FTSE 100 index had its worst ever start to the year last week, wiping around £85bn off the UK's most valuable companies – but what does this mean for the rest of 2016? The blue-chip index shed three per cent last week to finish at 5,912.40 points – back below the psychologically important 6,000 mark. It suffered as turbulence [...]
House of Fraser reports strong Christmas trading period after first full year of being owned by Chinese conglomerate Sanpower January 11, 2016 House of Fraser appears to have shrugged off the festive blues plaguing other retailers, with sales up 5.3 per cent for the six weeks to 2 January. The figures The Chinese-owned department store, said it had had a strong Christmas trading period, starting with Black Friday, when sales were up 10 per cent on the previous [...]
FTSE 100 index opens lower as concerns over the Chinese economy persist January 11, 2016 The FTSE 100 index opened lower today as fears over the state of the Chinese economy lingered on. The UK's blue-chip index fell 0.34 per cent to 5,891 points, led lower by oil companies and miners (again). The news followed another fall in Chinese markets, after weak inflation data was published over the weekend. "It feels as though [...]
Another bloodbath on Chinese markets as shares finish lower after weak inflation data January 11, 2016 Shares on Chinese markets fell again today, with the Shanghai Composite falling 5.33 per cent, while the Shenzhen Composite finished 6.6 per cent lower, after weak inflation data from over the weekend. That pushed Hong Kong's Hang Seng down 2.47 per cent, closing at 19,949 points – the first time it has fallen below 20,000 since 2013. [...]