Banks and commodities gain strength after S&P reassures on Greek debt March 16, 2010 BRITAIN’S top shares gained 0.5 per cent yesterday lifted by strength in banks and commodity issues after reassuring news on Greece’s debt situation and as investors awaited the outcome of a US Federal Reserve meeting. At the close, the FTSE 100 was 26.58 points higher at 5,620.43, having closed 0.6 per cent lower on Monday. [...]
Intel leads the way as Fed decision lifts Wall Street March 16, 2010 US stocks rose to a fresh 17-month high yesterday after the Federal Reserve held benchmark rates near zero and maintained its pledge to keep them low for an extended period. The central bank also pointed to increased momentum in the economy’s recovery, and that, coupled with strength in Intel, helped the Standard & Poor’s 500 [...]
Hedge funds investing in big-time divorce March 16, 2010 AMONG all the people who lost money in the downturn, one of the most colourful cases was that of Scot Young, businessman friend of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky and owner of the Ivy restaurant, Richard Caring. When his wife filed for divorce last year it emerged that Young’s £400m fortune had apparently vanished, with Young [...]
FTSE slips on caution over banking stocks and falling commodity prices March 15, 2010 FALLING commodity prices dented miners and energy stocks and banks fell, pushing Britain’s top share index 0.6 per cent lower yesterday, with investors cautious before central bank policy meetings later in the week. The FTSE 100 index ended 31.80 down points at 5,593.85, having risen 0.5 per cent last week. Miners, sensitive to shifts in [...]
US stocks flat after third low trading day this year March 15, 2010 US STOCKS were little changed yesterday as a late rebound in financial stocks offset nagging worries the Chinese government may tighten credit, a move that could slow growth in the global economy. Banking stocks reversed late in the session after Christopher Dodd released a proposed financial regulation overhaul bill. The KBW Banks index added 0.2 [...]
Flexible hedge fund strategies perform best March 15, 2010 HEDGE FUNDS managed to post positive returns last month by capitalising on favourable fixed income and foreign exchange positions, a top hedge fund index revealed yesterday. The Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund index, which is calculated as a total return index on a monthly basis and tracks the asset-weighted average performance of more than 5,000 hedge [...]
THE TIPSTER March 15, 2010 AFTER hitting 29-year highs at the start of February, global raw sugar prices have since tumbled as supply in Brazil and India was stronger than expected. Prices have now fallen below 20 cents per pound, after hitting highs of 30.40 cents per pound back in February. Can the fall in prices continue? Spreadex has a [...]
This is the moment to sniff out some bargains March 15, 2010 ONE of the most lucrative strategies in the investment book is value investing, or investing in firms that appear undervalued when analysed using a certain type of fundamental analysis. For example, if a company’s share prices is lower than its dividend yield, or its book value. Famous proponents of this strategy include Warren Buffett, and [...]
MOMENTUM IS DRIVING THE MARKETS March 15, 2010 WITH the days getting longer and the Cheltenham Festival kicking off this afternoon, there is a palpable feeling of optimism around. Despite little in the way of bullish news last week, stock indices puffed and wheezed their way higher. The S&P made its highest close in 17 months – breaking back above 1,150, which was [...]
European firms are still cheap March 15, 2010 THE year has not got off to a good start for continental Europe. Exporters were stung by a strong euro at the start of the year before fiscal turmoil in Greece cast doubt over other heavily-indebted Club Med countries’ stability. To top it all off, its economic recovery appears to have stalled. From a macroeconomic [...]