VIX SUGGESTS TRADERS ARE NOT WORRIED March 8, 2010 DAVID MORRISON CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT THE first week of March saw stock markets strengthen further, taking us back up through significant retracement levels for a number of major global indices. Investors cheered on a successful Greek bond auction, boosted by the country’s newly-proposed austerity measures. Concerns over sovereign risk contagion have been brushed aside [...]
2010 is the year for small caps March 8, 2010 AFTER small caps’ excellent 2009, many were left wondering whether such a performance could be repeated in 2010. Neil Hermon, portfolio manager of the Henderson Smaller Companies Investment Trust, certainly thinks so. Hermon says that smaller companies have the ability to outperform this year thanks to a weak sterling and improved mergers and acquisitions (M&A) [...]
Stock markets head upwards March 7, 2010 EUROPEAN stock markets are headed for a positive start to the week, building on the momentum gained from Friday’s better-than-expected US unemployment rate. GFT is forecasting the UK’s FTSE 100 to open up 10 points from Friday’s close, at around 5,610. The German DAX is expected to open up nine points at 5,886 and the [...]
Economic Diary March 7, 2010 IT IS a busy week ahead on the economics front once again. While last week was dominated by central bank decisions from across the world and independent surveys, this week we will see a slew of statistics that may or may not confirm rebounding consumer confidence and output. UK February Sales figures due In the [...]
Media gets through its toughest trial yet March 7, 2010 THE X Factor winner for 2010 is… ITV. The broadcaster has managed to survive the economic crisis, albeit with a slimmed down staff base, and actually managed to turn a £25m profit at the end of last year, after losing £2.7bn in 2008. There could be more good news to come for the UK’s media [...]
THE TIPSTER March 7, 2010 IT IS easy to forget that only about a year ago, crude oil was treading water around the $35 a barrel mark. Today, however, crude is back up to above $80 and has continued to edge its way higher. On Friday, it managed to climb as high as $82 for the first time since early [...]
As inflation rises, so can your profits March 7, 2010 WHATEVER the Bank of England might be telling us about a temporary spike in inflation, fund managers and analysts around the City are preparing themselves for a period of rising prices and adjusting their portfolios accordingly. Their reason? The parlous state of developed countries’ public finances combined with a weak recovery means that heavily indebted [...]
CITY INDEX March 7, 2010 Q.Dear Josh, how do stop losses work in relation to market gapping? A.I think it’s very important to understand how stop losses actually work, particularly in reference to market gapping. There are key differences between a guaranteed stop loss and a standard stop loss. A standard one is free of charge but it only closes [...]
Confidence in retail sector lifts Wall St March 4, 2010 US stocks rose yesterday as better-than-expected monthly sales from retailers and a drop in the number of Americans filing claims for jobless benefits pointed to stabilisation in the economy. The boost from February retail sales, which were expected to have been hurt by severe weather across the US, lifted retailers’ shares as the S&P retail [...]
A fly-away internet success March 4, 2010 THE entrance to Cheapflights, the flights comparison website, is based just off Baker Street and contains little more than a vintage advert for Pan Am that hangs on a wall and a couple of leather chairs. Its understated style is also embodied in executive chairman Hugo Burge. The Bedales and Cambridge-educated geographer was in his [...]