Deflation, no demand: Global economies struggling to up inflation and stagnation is on the rise May 18, 2015 We are now well into the second phase of post-financial crisis recovery. The first, terrifying phase was the period when central banks had to cut interest rates to zero and then develop and deploy new, unconventional weapons, including QE. The European Central Bank (ECB) had to be more imaginative than others, as it tried [...]
Google is racing (at 25mph) ahead in the self-driving car wars May 18, 2015 Fed up waiting for Tesla's self-driving car to emerge? Us too. Luckily Google has the answer. The Silicon Valley giant is releasing its prototype fleet of self-driving cars this summer ahead of a “small pilot” in the coming years. According to Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project, “a few” of the vehicles [...]
Fed will update on US outlook – New York Report May 17, 2015 INVESTORS will watch for any change in the economic outlook from housing data and remarks by various Federal Reserve speakers this week, while retailers will take over on the earnings front as the first-quarter reporting season trickles to its end. The highlight comes at the end of the week with Fed chair Janet Yellen speaking [...]
Investors wait out Wall St lull – New York Report May 13, 2015 WALL Street’s major indexes gave up early gains to end yesterday’s session little changed as some investors stood on the sidelines waiting for the next round of economic data at the tail end of earnings season. US retailers faced a tough April as households cut back on purchases of big-ticket items and import prices fell [...]
High global bond yields cause concern – New York Report May 12, 2015 US STOCKS fell yesterday after a recent run-up in global bond yields unsettled investors already concerned about an eventual Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Stocks recovered from steeper losses after Treasury yields slid back slightly from six-month highs. The recent, unexpected leap in yields on US Treasuries and German Bunds has been a thorn in [...]
Polling errors and the financial crisis: Why groupthink is to blame for both May 12, 2015 The election is done and dusted, but many interesting questions remain. Was there a swing to the Conservatives at the very last minute, or was it indeed possible to foresee the victory in advance? Snippets are emerging which suggest that the electorate had made up their minds well before polling day. Rod Liddle, the entertaining [...]
How to trade the notoriously ruthless FTSE All Share – DailyFX Tips & Picks May 11, 2015 WHILE the FTSE All Share Index ended higher in 21 out of the last 29 years, trading the FTSE 100 or FTSE All Share can be ruthless. This is because of the intra-year swings these markets exhibit. But by knowing about these swings, you could use them to your advantage. With the markets tending to [...]
Strong close as global debt worries fade – New York Report May 7, 2015 US stocks ended higher yesterday, helped by a jump in tech stocks and a reversal in surging global interest rates. Strong quarterly results from Alibaba as well as speculation that consumer review website Yelp.com could be for sale drove technology stocks higher, with the S&P tech index up 0.87 per cent. The number of Americans [...]
City pay revolts make a return: Investors are once again feeling uneasy about executive rewards May 6, 2015 Three years on from the so-called “shareholder spring” and listed hedge fund Man Group is again facing murmurs of discontent from investors over pay. The FTSE 250 group, led by chief executive Manny Roman, has put forward a plan to boost executive pay rewards and make it “competitive in the marketplace”. However influential advisory firm [...]
Fed comments weaken stocks – New York Report May 6, 2015 US STOCKS ended weaker yesterday after US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen warned of high valuations, adding to anxiety about future interest rates and a global bond rout. The S&P 500 ended at a low not seen since early April after Yellen said high equity valuations could pose dangers, although she also said she does [...]