Sterling is stuck in the middle of a tug of war January 4, 2011 WITH higher rail fares, energy bills and from yesterday, VAT, 2011 is so far not looking like a very happy New Year for many British consumers. But despite the higher costs, they can at least take solace from the fact that the economy does seem to be recovering fairly remarkably. And the pound seems to [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 3, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES CHINA TRAVEL GROUP PULLS OUT OF AIM Et-China.com International Holdings, the Chinese travel specialist, will today become the first company to quit Aim this year. Shares in the company, which raised £4.4m at 127p a share when it joined Aim in August 2007, were suspended at 103 1/2p in July because of its [...]
Spread betting vs. contracts for difference January 3, 2011 THE new year is underfoot, and with European sovereign debt still looking problematic, Chinese inflation sky high and the Federal Reserve still emptying a bathtub of money onto the world, it is looking to be at least as interesting a year as 2010. For ordinary investors, volatility is not very much fun. Most people are [...]
Top stock picks for 2011 January 3, 2011 TRADING individual equities is always a risky business for contracts for difference (CFD) traders. An ill-considered, poorly executed trade will leave your fingers severely burnt and your account balance in the red. But get it right and you’re on track to rake in the profits. Even though equity strategists are cautiously optimistic about the prospects [...]
STOCKS MUST NOT RELY ON QE STIMULUS January 3, 2011 CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT AS WE head into the new year, there are a number of significant financial and economic issues still unresolved. The most immediate problem is the European debt crisis. The potential insolvency of many banks and the high levels of public debt of many member states will continue to weigh on the [...]
What the other papers say this morning December 22, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES PATTEN TOPS LIST TO CHAIR BBC TRUST Six people are on the shortlist to be the next chairman of the BBC Trust, according to two insiders who have seen the document. Lord Patten, former Conservative party chairman and the last governor of Hong Kong, is clear favourite. But Sir Howard Davies, director of [...]
Currency wars and rate hikes: another year in emerging FX December 21, 2010 CHEAP money and attractive returns have seen investors plough their money into emerging market currencies. Yet hot money inflows have forced currency appreciation despite authorities’ best efforts at capital controls and other methods of weakening their exchange rates. Thanks to highly accommodative monetary policy in the West and efforts to remain competitive among the emerging [...]
the bullish argument for the euro December 21, 2010 DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT AS WE approach 2011, no currency is less liked than the euro. Only yesterday, the euro was at all-time lows against the Swiss franc with the pair sliding towards the SFr1.2500 level. It appears as though all of Europe is trying to exchange the single currency in favour of the [...]
FTSE surges to a 30-month high as risk appetite boosted by strong US earnings December 21, 2010 MINERS and banks drove Britain’s top share index to a 30-month closing high yesterday, as risk appetite rose due to easing tensions on the Korean peninsula and upbeat earnings from US software maker Adobe Systems. The FTSE 100 index ended up 60.19 points, or one per cent, at 5,951.80, its highest close since early June [...]
GOOD TIMES FOR EQUITIES MAY NOT LAST December 20, 2010 CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT DESPITE a couple of nasty dips earlier this year, 2010 is ending on a high note for equity investors. Worries over the European debt crisis, concerns about stubbornly high US unemployment and a crippled housing market, and growing fears of inflation in emerging markets have failed to inflict serious damage to [...]