The Tipster March 23, 2010 UNSURPRISINGLY, it is sterling that will be in focus today with the Budget scheduled to follow Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon. This will keep the pressure on sterling against the dollar but the pound will remain susceptible to sharp rallies while it stays above the key Fibonacci technical support level of $1.4850. FX traders should [...]
Whatever you fancy in the long-term, there’s an ISA for it March 23, 2010 With tax hikes on the horizon as the general election looms, sheltering more cash in an ISA is a sensible move. The investment choices you make will depend on how long you wish to invest and how much risk you are prepared to take. But every new year there brings a new fad investment and [...]
An ISA in a fund can see you though tough times March 23, 2010 WITH an equities ISA you can shelter more money from the taxman than you can with a cash ISA – currently £7,200 a year in equities compared to a maximum £3,600 in cash (or £10,200 for the over 50s). This will increase to £10,200 for everyone from April 6, of which £5,100 can be in [...]
Easing central banks’ inflation targets would be a mistake March 23, 2010 SOVEREIGN debt has replaced the bank crisis as the biggest worry for investors. The problems in Greece have served to focus attention on the budget deficits of the entire southern Eurozone. And last week the head of sovereign risk at Moody’s, talking about the situation in the US and UK, said: “We expect the situation [...]
The budget is Darling’s last chance to convince voters and markets March 23, 2010 MORE than one budget is expected this year, and there is a good chance that tomorrow’s will be superseded by another once the election has been fought and won. But that doesn’t detract from the fact that there is still an awful lot riding on chancellor Alistair Darling’s words this week. Firstly, the budget provides [...]
The Tipster March 22, 2010 WHEN chancellor Alistair Darling delivers his budget tomorrow afternoon, he is expected to confirm the government’s support for an international levy on banks. And as if the outlook couldn’t look more overcast for banks, Virgin has funding in place to buy a swathe of high street branches from RBS, which should increase the competition in [...]
CFD ANALYST PICKS March 22, 2010 TECHNICAL STRATEGIST JOEL KRUGER My pick: Buy US dollar index at 90.30 Expertise: Technical analysis Average time frame of trades: 5-10 days The index has been in the process of consolidating for a good portion of the year with any rallies being well capped at just over 81. However, the consolidation has been bullish and [...]
Low volatility offers opportunities to buy March 22, 2010 LOOKING at the headlines, you probably wouldn’t draw the conclusion that the financial markets are currently a sea of calm. There’s political uncertainty in both the UK and, to a lesser extent, the US. Sovereign debt risks are mounting in the developed world with the Eurozone still in focus and the UK a concern if [...]
REGULATION WILL EXCITE THE MARKETS March 22, 2010 POLITICAL issues look like dominating markets this week. This started on Sunday when President Obama’s healthcare reform was passed narrowly by the House of Representatives. In France, Nicolas Sarkozy has seen his party battered in regional elections and tomorrow we have the last budget before the UK election. Finally, there is the European summit, which [...]
London’s FTSE 100 ends down after weak oil stocks weigh on the market March 22, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index ended slightly lower yesterday, as weakness in oil stocks outpaced firmer drugmakers, as the US House of Representatives approved a healthcare reform bill, and with miners also in demand. The FTSE 100 ended down 5.58 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 5,644.54 after a volatile session which saw the index dip [...]
