Ominous fiscal cliff talk from Fed’s Ben Bernanke spooks the FTSE 100 December 13, 2012 BRITAINS’ leading share index fell yesterday as concerns over US fiscal negotiations resurfaced, prompting investors to consolidate recent gains made during the longest continuous rally of the year. The FTSE 100 index was down 16.24 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 5,929.61, having closed 0.4 per cent higher at a nine-month closing peak on Wednesday [...]
Fed targets jobs as it doubles QE December 12, 2012 THE US Federal Reserve sailed further into uncharted waters last night, announcing an extra $45bn (£27.9bn) a month of monetary stimulus and an unprecedented plan to keep its ultra-loose policies running until it hits a new employment target. Chairman Ben Bernanke has driven the Fed through an exceptional period of cash creation and quantitative easing [...]
Help give someone Opportunity December 12, 2012 SANDRA and her family are among the many that were helped by the money raised from the appeal last year. Full Name: Sandra Clara Tomas Gender: Female City, Country: Tete, Mozambique Children: four aged five to 21 Sandra Clara lives in Tete, the north-western province of Mozambique, with her four children aged five to 21. [...]
FTSE surges to nine-month high on hopes of further stimulus from Fed December 12, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index closed at a new nine-month high yesterday, led by an energy sector buoyed by hopes that the US Federal Reserve would continue to provide stimulus for the world’s biggest economy. Oil & Gas and basic materials, which rise and fall with optimism over the economic outlook, combined to added over 13 [...]
Wall St flat as fiscal cliff fears remain high December 12, 2012 US stocks ended nearly flat yesterday, giving up most of the day’s gains after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke reiterated that monetary policy won’t be enough to offset damage from the “fiscal cliff.” His comments followed the Federal Reserve’s announcement of a new stimulus plan, which briefly pushed the S&P 500 to a seven-week high. The [...]
Rapid responses December 12, 2012 Urban renewal [Re: Decline in homeownership is the result of bonkers red tape, yesterday] Unfortunately, the housing shortage is London is not just an issue of “idiotic planning rules” but a fundamental unwillingness to allow the city to expand physically. The debate has artificially divided into supporters of the green belt and those who want [...]
Central banks inflate a new asset price bubble December 10, 2012 THE Bank of International Settlements (BIS) has warned that global asset prices are rising to levels not seen since before the 2008 crisis. This is despite the ongoing European sovereign debt crisis and the inability of the US to control its government spending and address its deficit woes. It comes at the same time as [...]
Analyst picks for 11 December 2012 December 10, 2012 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Long dollar-yen, and long gold Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few days With the Fed expected to announce a extension to QE3 or a new QE4 (similar to QE2), the US dollar could be under pressure soon. I’ve moved [...]
Fed eyes new bank debt rules December 4, 2012 US financial regulators are considering proposals to force banks to hold more long-term debt in a bid to improve stability. Dan Tarullo, a board member of the Federal Reserve, said a plan for minimum long-term debt requirements does “not immediately suggest any unfavourable unintended consequences, thereby perhaps strengthening its appeal as a near-term policy priority”. [...]
Beige Book backs stimulus November 28, 2012 THE US could be in for further monetary stimulus, after the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report on the economy, out yesterday, gave little sign of price pressures but revealed continued worries about growth. The report said manufacturers were worried about the impact of the so-called “fiscal cliff” of tax hikes and spending cuts due in [...]