US stocks rise as deals offset talk of default – New York Report June 16, 2015 US STOCKS rose yesterday following back-to-back daily declines, with merger activity more than offsetting market concerns as Greece struggles to avoid a default on its debt. Traders also kept an eye on interest rates as a two-day policy-setting meeting at the Federal Reserve began. Despite the collapse of talks between Athens and its European and [...]
All eyes are on Greece but rebounding inflation is Europe’s next big challenge June 16, 2015 The markets are on edge and, as Mario Draghi conceded several weeks ago, there is not much the European Central Bank (ECB) can really do to help. At the moment, all eyes are on Greece – a statement that could have been written on numerous occasions over the last five years. It’s “déjà vu all [...]
Why it’s not time to dump US equities: A Fed interest rate hike won’t drag down stocks June 16, 2015 For US equity investors, it’s all eyes on the Fed until we see the first lift-off in interest rates in September or potentially December this year. We’ve got beyond the patch of weak economic data earlier in 2015 and are returning to stronger growth, as signalled by healthy labour market data in recent months. Ironically, [...]
Bitcoin spikes above $240 on Fed interest rate fears June 16, 2015 Bitcoin has spiked against the dollar, broaching the $240 mark for the first time this month. Read more: How to really make money from Bitcoin The cryptocurrency reversed sharp falls from earlier this month to jump as high as $241.09 today, as investors awaited a policy update from the US Federal Reserve which is expected [...]
Failure to reach Greek debt deal pulls FTSE down – London Report June 15, 2015 GREECE’S latest failure to reach a deal with its creditors helped to push the FTSE 100 down yesterday, with the blue-chip index closing down 1.1 per cent at 6,710.52. The reduction extended the previous session’s losses of 0.9 per cent, but slightly outperformed major Eurozone indexes. Talks on ending a deadlock between Greece and its [...]
Why Turkey will be the first of the emerging market dominoes to fall June 14, 2015 Like a lion ambling out of the mists of the Serengeti in search of its first meal of the day, first-rate political risk analysts must possess the sixth sense of always looking for the weakest water buffalo. Delving beneath the happy talk and self-serving comments governments invariably put about regarding their countries’ economic prospects, they [...]
Electoral loss for Turkey’s authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is good news for markets June 9, 2015 The one thing Sunday’s game-changing election result in Turkey has definitely given us is uncertainty. But while markets initially reacted with dismay after the incumbent Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) 13 years of solid majorities came to an end, in the longer term, they may wonder if uncertainty is that much worse than the alternative [...]
Global turbulence to rock UK: Trouble in the Eurozone, Fed rate hikes and a Chinese slowdown could hit markets June 8, 2015 Yesterday, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) revised its UK economic growth forecasts to 2.4 per cent and 2.5 per cent for 2015 and 2016 respectively, down from 2.7 per cent and 2.6 per cent. It wasn’t troubles at home that concerned the business organisation. The CBI cited economic instability in Greece, a sluggish Eurozone, [...]
Car review: The Mini John Cooper Works is a new classic of the hot hatch genre June 8, 2015 The daddy of all hot hatchbacks is the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Introduced in 1976, Volkswagen shoehorned a 1.6-litre engine into its popular family hatch and boasted of its 110mph top speed. It’s a shame, then, that today the Volkswagen Golf GTI is such a lardy number. Sure, it’s fast – and you can buy [...]
Investors still uncertain over Fed’s rate hike – New York Report June 7, 2015 STOCK investors are expected to tread carefully next week, as speculation about the timing of a US Federal Reserve interest rate hike adds to concerns about valuations. Since hitting record levels two weeks ago, the US stock market has struggled for direction, and investors said the next several sessions might prove no better. A run of better-than-expected economic figures [...]