Flutter on football, and maybe make a mint on Murray September 6, 2009 FOR those who like a bit of spread betting to enliven their sport, the first big event is England’s World Cup qualifier against Croatia on Wednesday night, in which an England win will guarantee a journey to South Africa next year to see if Fabio Capello can succeed where countless others have failed. (The odds [...]
London ends lower as all eyes turn to payroll data in the US September 3, 2009 THE FTSE 100 closed lower yesterday, weighed down by energy stocks, though with a rally from miners limited losses ahead of today’s key US non-farm payroll figures. The index closed the session down 20.80 points, or 0.4 percent, at 4,796.75, having traded lower on the first two days of September. But the recent powerful rally, [...]
Strong retail stats boost Wall Street September 3, 2009 US stocks rose yesterday, snapping a four-day losing streak, after stronger-than-expected retail sales data eased concerns about the economy before today’s important jobs data. After sharp falls this week, the broad S&P 500 index finished above 1,000 as retailers’ August sales were joined by a survey showing improvement in the US services sector. Financials and [...]
How using currency pairs can help you trade on your attitude to risk September 2, 2009 SINCE the start of the financial crisis, traders’ attitudes to risk have gone up and down almost as regularly and dramatically as their blood pressure. Uncertainty has been one of the major characteristics of the markets. As well as sending traders scuttling to their doctors, it has also meant that there has been an increased [...]
NEW YORK REPORT September 2, 2009 U S stocks fell yesterday as jitters about the economy prompted investors to unload shares for a fourth-straight day, despite a sharp drop in the previous session. Major indexes fluctuated between positive and negative territory throughout the day before closing in the red, with the S&P 500 index posting its worst losing streak since late [...]
Heavy-handed FSA ruffling recruiters September 2, 2009 WHEN the chairman of the Financial Services Authority’s chairman, Lord Turner, made comments about taxing bonuses, it was not the first time that the regulator had ruffled feathers in the City. Indeed, recruiters in the Square Mile have been feeling added pressure from the FSA for almost a year now. According to information obtained through [...]
BANKERS AND MINERS ARE IN DEMAND September 2, 2009 ALEXANDRE HOUPERTHEAD OF LISTED PRODUCTS UK, SG CORPORATE & INVESTMENT BANKING LIKE all investors, those who use covered warrants will be starting to think about how to position themselves for a potential global upturn. Two sectors in particular have been at the forefront of the market’s summer rally: banking and mining. Given how low banking [...]
THE LONDON REPORT September 2, 2009 THE benchmark share index closed flat yesterday as a retreat in financials and miners, triggered by weak US data, was offset by stronger energy stocks, after a “giant” oil find by BP. The FTSE 100 index ended down 2.15 points at 4,817.55, after it fell 1.8 per cent on Tuesday. US private employers cut 298,000 [...]
Private equity eyes up City law firms September 1, 2009 THE BELEAGUERED legal profession, says Jeremy Hand, managing partner of private equity firm Lyceum Capital, is facing “a fire-storm whipped up by the recession, smarter customers, technology, outsourcing and legislation”. If that wasn’t trouble enough, it’s also being forcibly opened up to competition that could arise from the so-called Tesco Law – the shorthand for [...]
Aussie looking vulnerable as investors fear Chinese bubble September 1, 2009 SINCE equity markets began to rally in March, traders have been riding the wave of the strong Australian dollar. Since then, going long on the currency has been a no-brainer for foreign exchange traders across the world. Those who entered positions back then will have benefited from the 39 per cent rise in Australian dollar [...]