Africa’s future looks bright to Renaissance March 9, 2011 EVEN in times of relative stability, media reports on Africa lead many investors to think they can find better places for their money. So with turmoil rolling across the north of the continent this impression has only intensified – the jubilation of Cairo’s Tahrir Square has been replaced by the brutality of Muammar al-Gaddafi. However, [...]
The glass is half full for ISA investors in stocks and shares March 9, 2011 WITH the end of tax year deadline swiftly approaching, investors should make sure that they take advantage of the generous £10,200 allowance for individual savings accounts (ISA). This can either be used in its entirety for stocks and shares or up to £5,100 can be put into a cash ISA with the remainder in stocks [...]
Pouring into the red liquid market offers tasty returns March 9, 2011 A COMPOUND annual growth rate of 15 per cent since 1999: sounds good, doesn’t it? It sounds even better when you find out that’s higher than US and UK equity markets and comparable only to property without, er, being property and suffering its recent fate. Surely it can’t get better than that? Well, actually, it [...]
When the boss is out you can shine March 9, 2011 IT’S a peculiar thing, but whenever David Cameron goes away on holiday or on overseas business, his deputy Nick Clegg fails to shine. Recently the deputy PM even said he had “forgotten” that he was running the country. For most people though, the boss being away is a good opportunity to make their mark. But [...]
Shaky times for Kiwi ahead of rates decision March 8, 2011 ON 22 February an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 hit the South Island of New Zealand, devastating persons and property in the city of Christchurch. In consequence, the Kiwi slid against the US dollar. Prior to the quake the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) was largely expected to sail a steady course, holding [...]
EURO RETREATS ON SOVEREIGN DEBT WORRIES March 8, 2011 DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT JUST as euro-dollar broke through the key $1.4000 level on anticipation of an upcoming European Central Bank (ECB) rate hike, Moody’s downgraded Greece, bringing the rally to a sudden halt as sovereign debt fears returned to the currency market. On Monday, Moody’s reduced Greece’s sovereign debt rating by three notches [...]
Europe’s tale of two currencies couldn’t be more different March 8, 2011 PARTS of Geneva may now be starting to look like Fulham as bankers and fund managers flee there to celebrate the manyfold merits of the UK’s 50 per cent income tax rate. The Swiss treasury, probably progressive taxation’s biggest champion, had also seen its franc strengthen. Its status as a haven currency was recently underlined [...]
GET TRADING EDUCATION ON A SHOESTRING March 8, 2011 CONSULTING ANALYST, INTERTRADER I RECEIVED a phone call from a guy who wanted help with his trading. He had spent nearly £15,000 on trading education with a well known educational trading establishment. Yet he was nowhere closer to making trading his chosen career than he was before, despite his sizeable investment in trading education. I [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS March 8, 2011 FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short Aussie dollar-dollar, Long dollar-Swiss franc Expertise: Fundamental and Technical Analysis with Risk Management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week Opposing views on the yen with my long dollar-yen and short euro-yen tripped a first target on the first and stop on the second. The [...]
THE TIPSTER March 8, 2011 EUROPEAN officials are preparing to announce a comprehensive solution to the “peripheral problem”, with an expansion of the existing European financial stability facility (EFSF). Given the market focus on the issue, it is likely that a large proportion of market participants are speculatively short on the euro as a hedge against default risk becoming market [...]