Fed’s doves will keep cash cheap December 14, 2010 INTEREST rates will stay “exceptionally low for an extended period”, the US Federal Reserve announced last night. And despite claims from home and abroad that it is fuelling a fresh bubble, the Fed will continue its lastest phase of quantitative easing (QE2), buying around $75bn (£47.5bn) of Treasury assets every month. Markets reacted to the [...]
Looking ahead to 2011: some likely winners and laggards December 14, 2010 FROM sovereign debt crises threatening the very future of the euro to currency wars and more quantitative easing, 2010 has been an eventful year in the foreign exchange markets. Currency traders will be pleased to hear that volatility, which has been so characteristic of the FX markets since the crisis, is unlikely to disappear any [...]
EURO’S RALLY IS DEPENDENT ON THE DATA December 14, 2010 DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT With the euro bears still fixated on sovereign debt problems, Monday’s 200 point rally in euro-dollar caught many currency traders by surprise and created a massive short squeeze. As Ireland appeared to be on its way towards finalising the EU bailout, risk aversion flows abated and credit spreads stabilised, leaving [...]
All-round positive outlook for 2011 worrying December 12, 2010 This is it – the last meaningful trading week of the year. This is the final opportunity for anyone wanting to move around a decent amount of stock or trying to place an order without sending prices haywire. The week when the futures and options expire and we all settle in to the two-week lull [...]
Banks propel FTSE upwards after interest rates decision December 9, 2010 BANKS helped Britain’s top shares rise yesterday after the Bank of England kept interest rates and quantitative easing measures unchanged, while US jobs figures raised hopes that a recovery was under way. The FTSE 100 was up 13.43 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5,807.96, eradicating Wednesday’s losses, though gains were muted, with some traders [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 8, 2010 FINANICAL TIMES FRESH WOES FOR DE LA RUE OVER FRENCH OFFER De La Rue first received an £820m takeover approach from François-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire, a French banknote printing rival, as long as eight weeks ago, it emerged on Wednesday. The disclosure comes as the crisis-hit FTSE 250 company defends itself against criticism from some shareholders [...]
Retailers and commodities push FTSE to three-week high December 7, 2010 Britain’s top shares closed at their highest level in over three weeks yesterday, lifted by commodity makers and retailers as equities remained the preferred asset class among investors despite macro concerns. The FTSE 100 ended up 38.17 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 5,808.45, having closed 0.4 per cent higher on Monday and 7.3 per [...]
GlaxoSmithKline looks towards China with £44.4m acquisition December 7, 2010 PHARMA’S expansion to the east took another step forwards yesterday with the news that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to acquire Chinese company Nanjing MeiRui Pharma (MeiRui). GSK will spend $70m (£44.4m) on the acquisition, as it continues to invest in emerging markets. China is “one of the fastest growing and most significant of the emerging markets,” [...]
Bet on black: Oil prices discover fresh energy December 6, 2010 FOR a commodity used to grabbing the headlines, crude oil has been overshadowed by its cousins for much of 2010. Unlike copper, coffee or cotton, which have climbed steeply, oil remained entrenched in its trading range between $70 and $85 a barrel. Not any longer. Cold weather sweeping across Europe, strong energy demand from emerging [...]
Sarkozy signs $20bn in deals on Indian trade trip December 6, 2010 FRANCE’S President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday said he had clinched deals worth about $20bn (£12.6bn) with India, becoming the latest among a string of world leaders jostling for a share of Asia’s third biggest economy. The business deals, which spanned atomic energy, defence and civil aviation, comfortably bettered the $10bn US President Barack Obama secured on [...]