THE TIPSTER GERMAN DAX TIPPED FOR A FALLBACK August 31, 2009 GERMANY’S manufacturing sector might have been hit by the global recession but that didn’t stop Western Europe’s largest economy posting a modest expansion in the second quarter. However, analysts remain wary of calling an end to the recession and warn that there could be a pullback in the autumn. There are now signs that the [...]
More retailers could follow Woolies as hard times continue August 31, 2009 RETAILERS were in August their most positive since November 2007, a recent survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) showed. Only 2 per cent of retailers surveyed by the CBI in August are expecting the situation to get worse, despite high street sales falling for the fourth month running. And indeed, with all the [...]
TOO EARLY TO CALL THE IMPACT OF JAPAN’S ELECTION August 31, 2009 MARTIN SLANEYHEAD OF DERIVATIVES, GFT CHANGE is in the air in Japan. For more than 50 years the conservative Liberal Democratic Party enjoyed virtually unbroken rule. Unhappy with record unemployment and the problems of an ageing population, the centre-left Democratic Party. This may well herald a honeymoon period for the new government but is the [...]
Oils and miners bring FTSE higher, while banks also rise August 20, 2009 BRITAIN’S leading share index gained 1.4 per cent as stocks enjoyed a broad-based recovery yesterday, with heavyweight oils and miners in demand as raw material prices rose while financials also rallied. By the close, the FTSE 100 was 66.91 points higher at 4,756.58, having reversed earlier losses to close slightly higher on Wednesday. The UK [...]
Factory data gives boost to US stocks August 20, 2009 US stocks rose for a third straight session yesterday with financial stocks leading gains after US manufacturing data and a rebound in Chinese stocks reassured investors. The Dow and the S&P 500, which suffered their worst day in about seven weeks on Monday, got a lift from signs of improvement in US Mid-Atlantic manufacturing and [...]
Gold still strong, but don’t expect any record highs August 19, 2009 YOU must have seen the adverts on the television. Since the recession started to bite, smiley men and women have appeared on our screens telling us that we ought to send in any spare gold in an envelope, and we will receive a lovely fat cheque in the post. While the extra cash will no [...]
Picking the right moment is the key to forex trading August 19, 2009 SINCE Monday we have learnt that Japan exited recession in the second quarter, that German investors are more confident in August than they were last month, that UK inflation still stands at 1.8 per cent, and that three members of the UK’s Monetary Policy Committee considered extending quantitative easing in this country to £200bn. Today [...]
CENTRAL BANK POLICIES ARE DIVERGING August 19, 2009 GEORGE TCHETVERTAKOVHEAD OF MARKET RESEARCH, ALPARI UK LOOKING at macroeconomic events over the past few weeks, it is becoming increasingly clear that central banks around the world are considering different monetary policy frameworks going forward. Over the past 18 months, many central banks were forced to follow similar policies of cutting interest rates as quickly [...]
RELOADING ON RISK DURING THE AUTUMN August 19, 2009 BRIAN DOLANCHIEF CURRENCY STRATEGIST, FOREX.COM OVER the course of this summer my colleague Jane Foley and I have been consistently cautious on the extraordinary rebound in risk appetite and the accompanying rally in virtually every risky asset class (stocks, commodities and carry trades in forex). We argued that markets were overly optimistic about the prospects [...]
GEARING CAN HELP MANAGE YOUR RISK August 19, 2009 ALEXANDRE HOUPERTHEAD OF LISTED PRODUCTS UK, SG CORPORATE & INVESTMENT BANKING VOLATILITY is be lower than it was at the end of 2008, but that doesn’t mean that markets are placid. This week’s Japanese GDP data showed that reactions to unexpected news can be extreme. This is just the kind of market where traders look [...]