US inflation on the rise May 13, 2011 US inflation hit the highest level in two and a half years as food and energy prices moved higher, but there was little sign of a broader pick-up in inflation that would trouble the Federal Reserve. The Labor Department said on Friday its Consumer Price Index increased 0.4 percent in April from March after rising [...]
Don’t worry, the party in commodities isn’t over yet May 11, 2011 COMMODITIES took a big knock in the recent correction, but the fundamentals still point towards continued rises over the medium term. Assuming you aren’t planning to fill your home with sheep, soybeans and platinum, with certain provisos, commodity funds can offer you a route in. THE PARTY ISN’T OVER Investors who joined the commodity party [...]
N Brown dividend up as profit jumps May 10, 2011 HOME shopping business N Brown yesterday posted another year of growth, despite difficult trading conditions. The retailer, which has brands including High and Mighty, Figleaves, Jacamo and Simply Be, reported revenues of £718m for the year to 28 February, up 4.2 per cent. Pre-tax profits were boosted by 5.5 per cent to £98.2m. The company [...]
Bank to face questioning over inflation May 8, 2011 THE BANK of England releases its latest Inflation Report on Wednesday, with economists increasingly divided over the outlook for price pressures in the UK. Consumer price inflation unexpectedly slowed to four per cent in March, yet official figures released next week could show a rebound for April. Input costs for manufacturers accelerated to 17.6 per [...]
Don’t cry for me, Argentina: I’ve found Malbec paradise May 8, 2011 THE new Argentina is deeply seductive – its famous beef and increasingly famous wine are celebrated in restaurants from New York to Beirut. Its natural beauty, from the Andes to the plains of Patagonia; its sparkling heat, beautiful people and stunning horses lure travellers the world over. And Buenos Aires, the gorgeous, cosmopolitan crown on [...]
Malaysia hikes its interest rates May 5, 2011 Malaysia’s central bank ended its rate-hike pause yesterday, raising its key policy rate by 0.25 per cent to three per cent, and ordered banks to set aside more money in reserves to fight inflation stoked by rising oil and food prices. The Bank raised the Statutory Reserve Requirement – the amount of cash reserves banks [...]
Commodities drag on FTSE but high street names rally May 4, 2011 COMMODITY stocks pulled Britain’s top share index lower yesterday, ending the FTSE 100’s recent rally as disappointing US manufacturing data spoiled investors’ appetite for risk. The FTSE 100 closed down 98.81 points, or 1.6 per cent, at 5,984.07, with the FTSE volatility index up 11.4 per cent, hitting a near five-week high. The FTSE 100 [...]
Inflation growing in the OECD as food prices bite May 3, 2011 FOOD prices are posing greater inflationary pressures throughout the developed world, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) revealed yesterday. And food inflation in UK shops was up to 4.7 per cent last month, according to a separate survey conducted by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Overall shop price inflation edged up to 2.5 per cent, [...]
Earnings successes still marred by inflation May 2, 2011 THE past week has seen global equity markets, especially in the US, boosted by better than expected corporate earnings. Investors moved further back into equities, betting once again that sovereign debt, nuclear troubles in Japan and higher commodity prices won’t turn out to be sufficient headwinds to blow corporates off course. In Britain, the impact [...]
THE TIPSTER May 2, 2011 THE FOMC announcements and Bernanke’s speech on monetary policy last week ensured that the dollar took a hammering and that spot gold traded at an almighty $1,533 per ounce. As long as the interest rates remain low and inflation pressures remain, it may become difficult for shorters to find the right time to enter the [...]