Wall Street drops on Fed caution April 3, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday, with the S&P 500 retreating from four-year highs after the US Federal Reserve said it was less inclined to provide more economic stimulus. The Dow Jones industrial average declined 64.94 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 13,199.55 at the close. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 5.73 points, or 0.40 [...]
Analyst picks for 3 April 2012 April 2, 2012 CURRENCY STRATEGIST JOEL KRUGER My pick: Sell sterling-dollar at $1.6210 Expertise: Technical analysis Average time frame of trades: 3 days to 1 week The market has recently broken to fresh 2012 highs beyond $1.6000, and this now likely opens additional upside back towards the October 2011 peak by $1.6170. While our core bias remains bearish, [...]
UK finance chiefs: The worst is over April 1, 2012 THE UK’S top finance chiefs no longer expect the country to face a double-dip recession, and are instead advising their firms to expand into an increasingly optimistic landscape, a new survey revealed today. Just 30 per cent of chief financial officers surveyed in Deloitte’s landmark poll now expect a renewed recession, down from 54 per [...]
Is George Galloway’s victory a sign that the major parties are out of touch with voters? April 1, 2012 YES Nigel Farage The Bradford West result has given the system a bit of a kick up the backside. George Galloway is a seasoned and clever performer and knows which buttons to press. It’s hard to ignore his bandwagon when it rolls into town. Respect and Ukip were the only parties to increase their votes [...]
Apple gains again despite Wall St slide March 27, 2012 US stocks retreated from near four-year peaks yesterday, while a batch of large-cap shares hit new highs, with the help of portfolio managers snapping up top performers near the end of the quarter. With the first quarter ending on Friday, portfolio managers adjusted holdings by buying some of the best performers to dress up their [...]
Helicopter Bernanke hints at QE3 March 27, 2012 THE dollar had a roller coaster ride yesterday as Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke gave an indication that a third round of quantitative easing could be on the cards. Speaking at the National Association for Business Economics Conference in Washington, DC, Bernanke stated that, though there has been some strengthening of labour market conditions, long-term [...]
Bernanke wants more QE March 26, 2012 MARKETS rose on hopes of more quantitative easing (QE) yesterday after US Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said the recovery may need more support. The central banker hinted at more money printing, arguing more action should be taken to push boost jobs. “Despite the recent improvement, the job market remains far from normal,” he said. “Further [...]
Bank of England: Britain gained from the Fed’s QE March 26, 2012 AMERICA’S money printing cut the cost of borrowing for the UK government, according to research published by the Bank of England today. Although the aim of the US Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing (QE) programmes were to lower long term interest rates in the US and so boost economic growth there, the study revealed spillover effects [...]
Bernanke’s words boost US markets March 26, 2012 THE S&P 500 rebounded from its worst week so far this year to retake a four-year high yesterday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signalled supportive monetary policy will remain even though the job picture has begun to improve. The three major US stock indexes climbed 1 per cent or more and all 10 S&P [...]
FTSE posts a two-week high on upbeat data and US policy March 26, 2012 BRITAIN’S benchmark share index posted its biggest daily gain in two weeks yesterday, as expectations of looser US monetary policy and brighter German data gave investors fresh reason to push the market towards a retest of recent eight-month highs. The FTSE 100 closed up 47.81 points, or 0.8 per cent, at 5,902.70. A surprise improvement [...]