High-speed changes to FX trading July 27, 2011 ELECTRONIC trading is not a new development. Nasdaq, the first electronic exchange, is more than 40 years old. But advancing technology has slashed latency. On the NYSE, 10 years ago an order took 20 seconds to execute a trade, now it takes one. “High-frequency trading (HFT) is a natural result of the technological developments we [...]
Actuaries count on career satisfaction July 27, 2011 SENIOR ACTUARIAL PARTNER, MAZARS THE idea of becoming an actuary will fill some people with horror, but believe it or not there are many benefits to the profession. For those unaccustomed to the profession, actuaries are people who use financial models to access the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. The work can bring travel, [...]
Strong results nudge FTSE up in spite of US debt stalemate July 26, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares managed modest gains yesterday as solid results from blue-chips including drugmaking group GlaxoSmithKline and energy firm BG Group more than offset an earnings miss from heavyweight BP. Volume on the FTSE 100 was thin, however, as investors waited for clarity from US debt ceiling talks. The UK benchmark index ended up 4.47 [...]
Political fears drag down Wall Street July 26, 2011 The stalemate in US debt talks dragged down stocks for a second day yesterday, and light volume showed investors remained reluctant to make bets despite another round of healthy earnings. Declining issues solidly outpaced advancing ones, even though major averages showed mostly modest declines. A failure to raise the US debt limit by an 2 [...]
Political squabbles bring damage to US dollar strength July 26, 2011 IN the US, the bickering over the raising of the debt ceiling is becoming ever more nasty. Democrats and Republicans are in a deadlock over increasing the $14.3 trillion cap on government borrowing. The dispute has got into a predictable rut: Republicans accuse Barack Obama of profligacy, Obama accuses the GOP of pettiness and then [...]
THE AUSSIE IS NEW SAFETY TRADE TREND July 26, 2011 THE newest trend is the emergence of the commodity dollars as a safe haven trade. With US debt ceiling issues still unresolved as the clock ticks away on the 2 August deadline, the dollar continues to weaken against the standard risk aversion currencies such as the Swissie and the yen. As a matter of fact, [...]
THE TIPSTER July 26, 2011 ON WEDNESDAY, New Zealand’s central bank is expected to clarify its stance and could mention New Zealand dollar strength as a factor under consideration. Talk of intervention remains premature, but is definitely a possibility. Global growth concerns and a dovish central bank should cap extensive gains for the time being, but even a small factor [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS July 26, 2011 FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short Aussie-dollar; short euro-dollar; long Aussie-Kiwi Expertise: Fundamental analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week We are in a week where chop, volatility and fundamental uncertainty will dominate. Given the combined influence of the US deficit impasse and EU sovereign troubles, it [...]
FTSE knocked by US default worry July 25, 2011 BRITAIN’S leading share index slipped back yesterday, weighed by weakness in financial issues on fears of a possible debt default by the United States, with investors’ attention switching to precious metal miners and defensively-perceived sectors. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was down 9.76 points, or 0.2 per cent at 5,925.26, snapping a four-session [...]
