China’s property market falters July 12, 2010 China’s frothy property market may have peaked after a government clampdown on speculators, new data indicated yesterday. Property prices across 70 cities fell 0.1 per cent in June compared with May – the first monthly fall since February 2009. Despite the monthly fall in June, property prices across China still remained 11.4 per cent higher [...]
Armani sets out resilient sales report July 12, 2010 ITALIAN fashion house Giorgio Armani yesterday said it had displayed “resilience” to battle through the global economic crisis, as it announced falls in its sales and profits. The company said consolidated revenues shrank by six per cent to €1.52bn (£1.27bn), down from sales of €1.62bn last year. And the company saw its operating profit plunge [...]
Depressed mining stocks are finally starting to look attractively valued July 12, 2010 IT WAS a tough second quarter for London-listed miners, which were dealt a severe blow by a toxic combination of general risk aversion, a planned tax on miners’ profits in Australia and a government-orchestrated slowdown in China. After reaching 25,356.51 on 6 April – its best level since July 2008 – the FTSE 350 mining [...]
Traders hold their breath for results July 12, 2010 CAUTION prevailed in the US stock market yesterday, with indexes edging higher as investors kept bets to a minimum in front of earnings. Volume was among the lightest of the year with investors wanting to see if corporate outlooks validate last week’s surge, the strongest week in a year. Dow component Alcoa reported its second-quarter [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 11, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES CHINA BANKS FEAR FALLING CONFIDENCE Faltering confidence in the Chinese economy could threaten the plans of the country’s banks to shore up capital reserves, the head of China Construction Bank, has warned. On top of the projected $22bn initial public offering of Agriculture Bank of China, announced last week, CCB and Industrial and [...]
Chinese growth helps PSA Peugeot Citroen lift first half sales by 16.9pc July 7, 2010 FRENCH carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen posted a 16.9 per cent rise in first-half sales yesterday, helped by new models such as the DS3, C3 Picasso and RCZ coupe and strong growth in China. Leaving aside sales of completely knocked-down (CKD) kits – shipped for assembly in other markets – sales rose 16.8 per cent to [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS July 7, 2010 ETF SECS ROLLS OUT ETCS TO GERMANY ETF Securities has extended its euro-based exchange-traded currencies (ETCs) offering to the German stock exchange this week, giving further flexibility to European investors – they were first listed on the LSE in November 2009. They now include eight euro-based ETCs with long or short exposure to the US [...]
AgBank’s IPO to get $22bn July 6, 2010 AGRICULTURAL Bank of China priced its Hong Kong and Shanghai dual listing yesterday, a deal that would break all IPO records by raising more than $22bn when adding in over-allotment shares. The initial public offering (IPO), which is raising funds to replenish capital, still faces a tough aftermarket, with a debut planned for 15 July [...]
No longer safe or sound July 6, 2010 WITH disappointing datasets coming out of the US – from employment to house prices – and equity markets looking shaky, some analysts have started to question whether this could be the beginning of the end for the greenback as the world’s “safe haven”. While such scenarios are usually imagined to play out over five- or [...]
THE AUSSIE IS NOT JUST A RISK PLAY July 6, 2010 DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT WITH the economic calendar light on both sides of the Atlantic this week, the most interesting event risk is taking place down under where the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) just left its benchmark rates unchanged at 4.5 per cent. Although the RBA acknowledged that the global recovery is beginning [...]