THE TIPSTER
AIRLINE British Airways has been beset by strikes over the past week or so but it releases traffic figures tomorrow. Investors will be eager to hear how the strikes have affected passenger numbers. The share price has remained resilient in the face of the strikes with many employees helping to keep the airline flying, but will the strength continue? Capital Spreads quotes a price of 248.3p-249.0p.
Soya beans plunged last week after the US government reported that stockpiles are larger than expected and 2010 looks to be another record year for production. The price of May soya bean contracts fell as much as 4.2 per cent, taking the year-to-date drop to almost 10 per cent. It currently sits right on trend line support going back to 2006 and a break below the $900 level could result in a fall as low as $800-$750. Spread Co has a spread on the May soya beans contract of $934.10-$935.10.
The end of last year saw the dollar plunge to its worst level against the Japanese yen since the mid-1990s but since then dollar-yen has staged a very impressive recovery. In fact, for the chartists out there, it is starting to look as if this particular currency pair could be breaking out of the downtrend that has successfully capped any rallies since May 2007. All of this is starting to suggest that there could be further gains to come for the pair. Therefore, for traders looking to take a position over the next few days, options could be the way forward. IG Index is quoting the US dollar-yen 94.00 call option, expiring this Friday at 94.39-94.47.
Although retailer Mothercare said last week that UK like-for-like sales for the full year were up 3 per cent and the company continues to manage the business well in an uncertain consumer environment, some analysts are viewing the stock as a near-term sell. They argue that all the good news is now priced in – the share price has more than doubled since October 2008. Spreadex is offering 589p-593p.