Bernanke will tighten fiscal screws on US February 10, 2010 Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke indicated the central bank will soon begin tightening the screws on the US money supply. He said the central bank will reduce the stimulus package by removing some cash from the financial system and then raising interest rates. The cuts will not be implemented for some time but the statement [...]
US stocks dip after Bernanke strategy February 10, 2010 US stocks dipped yesterday as worries over Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s strategy after the economy recovers offset optimism about a possible rescue for debt-burdened Greece. Trading volume was light, with many participants leaving early because of an East Coast snowstorm. The French daily Le Monde wrote that France and Germany were set to present [...]
Bernanke’s brakes on bonds good for stocks February 10, 2010 THE snow forced Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke to submit a written testimony to Washington’s legislators yesterday rather than go to Capital Hill in person, but the message the Fed governor delivered was the same regardless of the weather: he plans to withdraw support from the financial markets at some point soon. Bernanke outlined a [...]
IT’S STILL TOO EARLY TO STOP THE STIMULUS February 8, 2010 WE ARE two-thirds of the way through the US fourth-quarter earnings season and 74 per cent of S&P 500 firms that have already reported have beaten analysts’ estimates. A further 9 per cent were in line while 17 per cent of companies fell short. The earnings season has not been good enough so far to [...]
Britain crash to Austrians February 4, 2010 TENNIS: Great Britain’s Fed Cup team saw their promotion hopes dented as Austria opened up an unassailable 2-0 lead in their Group D tie in Portugal. Anne Keothavong’s first match back after six months out with a knee injury ended in a 6-2, 6-2 defeat by Patricia Mayr, while Elena Baltacha lost 6-3, 6-3 to [...]
Lucky Leo can star at Donny February 4, 2010 LAST weekend’s meeting at Doncaster was frozen off, so let’s hope the weather doesn’t disrupt tomorrow’s action. KALAHARI KING, runner-up in last season’s Arkle Chase, carries top weight in the feature contest, the Blue Square Handicap Chase. Ferdy Murphy’s stable star heads the field of 15 in the £70,000 contest and will take some stopping [...]
A IS FOR… A TOUCH OF ACRIMONY AT ALCHEMY February 2, 2010 PROOF, if it were needed, that the old adage about time being the best healer does not always ring true. Private equity veteran Jon Moulton is in the preliminary throes of building his new business, Better Capital, after quitting his former firm Alchemy Partners last September amid a boardroom bust-up over strategy. (His resignation letter [...]
The Tipster February 2, 2010 CENTRAL BANK news is dominating the currency markets this week and foreign exchange traders should be digesting these decisions as they are announced. On Monday night, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) shocked the markets by keeping interest rates on hold at 3.75 per cent. The expectation had been for a 25 basis point hike [...]
RETHINK YOUR VIEW ON GOLD AND SILVER February 1, 2010 CFD Market Strategist, GFT After a strong start to the New Year, equities finished January on a very weak note. With China beginning to tighten policy, investors have become twitchy. The prospect of a drop in Chinese demand and a world with less liquidity has rattled financial markets. There was hope that the US earnings [...]
Markets likely to fall as uncertainty prevails January 31, 2010 European stock markets are headed for a major tumble this morning, as a sell-off on US markets gathered steam on Friday evening. GFT is forecasting the UK’s FTSE 100 to open down a hefty 90 points from Friday’s close, around 5,212. The German DAX is expected to open down 105 points at 5,590 and the French CAC 40 [...]