UNLEASH THE MATRIX TO GET ACTION April 5, 2011 CONSULTING ANALYST, INTERTRADER Do you remember the film Trading Places with Eddie Murphy? The key scene takes place in the commodities trading pit for orange juice in the World Trade Centre. Two traders observe that Randolph and Mortimer, the two old-timers running the show, are buying every orange juice contract in site. Then those two [...]
Commodities send FTSE 100 up to six-week high April 4, 2011 STRENGTH from commodity stocks helped Britain’s top shares inch up to its highest close in six weeks yesterday, but trading was light and investors were sceptial about prospects for further gains. The FTSE 100 closed up 7.06 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 6,016.98, adding to the six-week closing high seen on Friday after solid [...]
Wall Street fails to make progress on low volumes April 4, 2011 THE S&P 500 met tough resistance yesterday, failing to break a level that has held since mid-February even as a spate of deals and underlying strength in the economy spurred optimism. But caution ahead of earnings season held volume to its lowest level this year and suggested the recent rally may be fading. The benchmark [...]
Cuts and consequences April 4, 2011 IN WESTMINSTER, “the markets” are increasingly attributed sentience and an opinion on the world around them. In the lower chamber, we hear much pontificating on “what the markets want”. Traders in contracts for difference (CFDs) may want to ask the opposite question: if the deficit is not brought under control, or maybe more importantly, is [...]
THE WORLD IS FRAGILE FROM EAST TO WEST April 4, 2011 CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT THE first quarter of 2011 finished last week with a number of the world’s major stock indices registering impressive gains. This was quite an achievement given the geopolitical turmoil that erupted in January. Although the regime change that took place in Tunisia and Egypt has been relatively painless so far, the [...]
Trade with care, as copper’s future looks uncertain April 4, 2011 TRADERS going long on copper over the last few years would have made enormous profits, as it rebounded from its collapse following the financial crisis. But its momentum has been flagging since February’s peak. There are still many copper bulls, but it is looking less like a one-way bet. Adding to the complexity of the [...]
THE TIPSTER April 4, 2011 THE Falklands rollercoaster continues. The latest twist is that Falklands Oil and Gas (FOGL) is to take over operatorship from partner BHP Billiton. This means FOGL maintains control over its exploration programme, but has the benefits of BHP sharing the costs of drilling and depositing funds in an escrow account. Investors may be tempted at [...]
FTSE expected to dip as traders take some profits April 3, 2011 The first 100-point gain for the FTSE 100 index on Friday since the start of the year is likely to prove too much of a temptation for those looking to bag some profits this morning, with the usual headaches still tormenting the markets: oil and the European debt crisis. In out-of-hours trading, GFT is forecasting [...]
Taking a punt on FTSE 250 companies April 3, 2011 THERE are tax, leverage and other advantages to using spread betting to get exposure to equities. For some investors, of course, these benefits may not offset the time and skill needed to negotiate the spread betting markets. However, some markets are easier than others to manage, with the FTSE 250 the best place to start. [...]
THE TIPSTER April 3, 2011 THIS week sees a fourth quarter trading update from Marks & Spencer. The impact of the VAT hike, rising commodity prices and careful consumers will make for interesting reading. With so many others on the high street struggling, there is no real hope of a good performance from M&S. Overseas ambitions may well help in [...]
