Will US politicians be able to broker a deal by the end of the month to avoid the fiscal cliff? December 17, 2012 YES Michala Marcussen We see a 90 per cent chance that a temporary extension will be agreed before the end of the year. But every day of inaction lowers this estimate. In the latest twist, the Republican House speaker John Boehner has suggested an increase in taxes for incomes over $1m (£620k). While this is [...]
Rapid responses December 17, 2012 Banking union [Re: European banking union will be no friend of vibrant financial services, Thursday] If Europe’s banks are going to be regulated under one umbrella, the financial sectors of smaller countries will likely find themselves stifled. The inclination for a European regulator will be to impose the level of regulation that is already in [...]
Capital classifications will give gold a boost December 17, 2012 US BANKS are staging an eleventh hour appeal to have the implementation of Basel III delayed from its 1 January 2013 deadline, arguing that they would need to bolster their balance sheets with an additional $800bn (£493bn) in core capital assets under the new framework. But while there may be some protests, and the date [...]
The markets don’t sleep during the festive period December 17, 2012 OVER the Christmas period, equity markets are often seen as offering slim pickings for spread bet and contract for difference traders. Granted, there’s the prospect of a Santa rally, but otherwise the FTSE-100 index tends to end up trading in tight ranges as volatility ebbs away. Underlying volumes are low, traders generally aren’t at their [...]
Steady as she goes December 17, 2012 SHARES in cruise operator Carnival are up by over 14 per cent over the last year. Its earnings conference call on Thursday will confirm that bookings have held up well. The company has also commissioned new ships, adding to its burgeoning fleet. It may not be entirely plain sailing going forward but, for now, the [...]
Looking ahead to the 2013 markets December 17, 2012 IF WE have to go through 2013 in a similar vein to 2012, with a record number of Eurogroup, Ecofin, Euro summit, and FinMin meetings, my patience will be severely tested. It’s about time we moved on from over-analysing upcoming banking unions or aid packages. We need to return to a sense of normality, and [...]
Analyst picks for 18 December 2012 December 17, 2012 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Short Aussie-yen and euro-yen Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few days I closed a long dollar-yen position at ¥84.15, booking a gain of 4.3 per cent. Given the results of the Japanese elections, I then flipped the position, going [...]
Cage fight your way to a healthy mind and body December 17, 2012 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT TWITTER: @LAURAFITNESS WEB: LAURAWILLIAMSONLINE.CO.UK FIT IN THE CITY Khalid Ismail is a British-Moroccan Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter who has trained in contact fighting since he was five years old. He came through injury and adversity to cement himself as one of the UK’s top fighters. He tells us why MMA [...]
Where to try your hand (and elbow and knee) at MMA December 17, 2012 LDG FITNESS CENTRE Former MMA champion Khalid Ismail (see left) trains himself and other pro fighters at the LDG Fitness Centre in Chadwell Heath, which he founded in 2006 after becoming disillusioned with the approach of more mainstream clubs. The gym promises a friendly, affordable high quality establishment in which to train. ldgfitnesscentre.com 13 Bridge [...]
Guy has his Hands on some fine wine December 17, 2012 They have been making wines on this land since the Romans in Etruscan times so I thought, ‘why not?’ I WAS once told that the finest luxury a man can have is an opera house in his garden – oddly enough by a man who had exactly that. If that is true then having your [...]