THE TIPSTER BEATING THE RECESSION MENTALITY
RETAIL sales figures last week might have been disappointing news for the high street, but video game retailer Game Group has typically outperformed other less resilient companies. We will find out whether Game Group is continuing to perform well when it releases its quarterly earnings on Wednesday.
The share price has been relatively flat throughout 2009, but the company could benefit from the “staying in is the new going out” mentality that the British consumer seems to have adopted during the recession. Capital Spreads quotes 174.4p-175.6p for the rolling contract.
Consumers’ spending has been hampered by worries about the state of the jobs market; there has also been a reduction in the demand for credit. Continued fears about the underlying health of the UK’s banking sector has also seen sterling fall to four month lows versus the euro, with one of its biggest weekly declines in six months. ShortsandLongs.com has a December contract priced at 0.8983p-0.8993p.
But while worries about the economic recovery are pushing sterling lower, gold is still performing well and has established a foothold above the $1,000 level. It could be preparing itself for another move upwards. ShortsandLongs.com has a daily October contract priced at $1,014.6-$1,015.1.
Also hitting the headlines was oil exploration and production company Tullow Oil, which made a significant oil find last week and bid interest emerged from Italian energy giant ENI, fuelling gains in the share price of 12 per cent last week. How long can the share price continue to rise, or might we see a bout of profit-taking?
Spreadex has a rolling daily spread of 1,206.7p-1,210.3p.
Niche defence company Chemring, which manufactures pyrotechnics, munitions and detonators, released an upbeat trading statement on Friday, saying that its outlook for the rest of the year remains in line with expectations. Its share price has been rising sharply since the start of September and its 28 per cent increase in its forward order book means its prospects look very encouraging. IG Index has a spread of 2,410p-2,420p.