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 [...]
Analyst picks for 26 March 2012 March 26, 2012 CURRENCY STRATEGIST JOEL KRUGER My pick: Looking to buy euro-Swiss franc Expertise: Combining fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: 1 month to 3 months We don’t usually incorporate fundamentals into our trade ideas, but it’s hard to ignore the Swiss National Bank’s SFr1.2000 floor. Still, the market is technically in the process [...]
Economic news drives quiet week for trading March 25, 2012 TODAY Investors in highly volatile oil and exploration stocks could face surprises this week, as some small-cap firms report, but the UK market should start off quietly. Volume may pick up in the afternoon with pending home sales from the US. Given mildly disappointing existing home sales figures last week, pending home sales could also [...]
FedEx tops forecasts but warns on Europe impact March 22, 2012 A STRONG holiday season and mild winter helped FedEx top Wall Street’s profit forecast, but the world’s second-largest package delivery company warned that it had lowered its expectations for the rest of this year due to Europe’s weak economy. “The fourth quarter is still very good, but what we’re seeing at the moment is we [...]