Fed’s caution hits Wall Street April 4, 2012 US stocks fell for a second day yesterday as investors contemplated a world without monetary stimulus and a poorly received bond auction in Spain suggested the effects of Europe’s funding operations were waning. Selling was broad as indexes tracking nine of the 10 S&P 500 sectors ended lower, with financial, materials and technology shares the [...]
Course selection is not easy in accountancy as all qualifications excel April 4, 2012 ACCOUNTANTS needn’t feel judged by their acronyms. While the ACA, the ACCA, the CIMA, and the CA all bear their own associations, accountancy qualifications are slowly shirking their historical prejudices. Nowhere is this more obvious than in their international recognition. The ACA, offered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), has [...]
Profit-taking pares earlier gains April 3, 2012 BRITAIN’S leading share index beat a retreat yesterday, falling back after strong US data led gains on Monday as investors awaited more clues to the state of the world’s biggest economy. The FTSE 100 index closed down 36.55 points, or 0.6 per cent at 5,838.34 after recording its biggest daily rise in two months on [...]
Wall Street drops on Fed caution April 3, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday, with the S&P 500 retreating from four-year highs after the US Federal Reserve said it was less inclined to provide more economic stimulus. The Dow Jones industrial average declined 64.94 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 13,199.55 at the close. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 5.73 points, or 0.40 [...]
Making sure the shuttlecocks all fly on time in the London Games April 3, 2012 COUNTDOWN TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES 114 DAYS TO GO Q What was your brand’s primary reason for being involved with the Games? A It started with a belief that bringing the Games to London and hosting it in London was going to be a very good thing for the UK. We backed the [...]
The outlook for China and its dependants April 3, 2012 BRENDA KELLY CMC MARKETS There are a lot of unknowns and contradictions when it comes to China. The state of its banking sector will be the decisive factor in whether a hard or soft landing is accomplished. While the institutions themselves are reporting high profits and a large deposit base; the levels of debt, the [...]
Watching the skies for signs of another Swiss franc intervention April 3, 2012 EVER since the Swiss National Bank (SNB) steamrollered the FX market in September last year, traders have been nervously watching for signs that it is preparing another move. But just how likely is this? As European financial woes rumbled on, investors took flight into the safety of the Swiss franc, rapidly strengthening it against the [...]
THE TIPSTER Aussie dollar takes a hit April 3, 2012 The Aussie dollar has struggled to make headway against the dollar recently. The currency has been hurt by concerns of a slowdown in the Chinese economy, although the latest Chinese manufacturing data gave the Australian dollar a lift on Monday. The Reserve Bank of Australia kept its cash rate unchanged at 4.25 per cent yesterday, [...]
FTSE posts big rise as US and China manufacturing data ease concerns April 2, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index posted its biggest daily rise in two months yesterday, up nearly two per cent as manufacturing data from the world’s biggest economies eased concerns over sluggish growth, offsetting uncertainty in Europe. Rising shares of mining companies also helped. London’s blue chip index climbed 106.44 points, or 1.9 per cent to 5,874.89. [...]