I think it can be said quite fairly that my loathing for the UK banking sector is as strong as our beloved former editor at Spreadbet Magazine’s (and now a mere “editorial director”) love for the mining sector. Time and again the same clichés appear to be played out in the finance industry and time…
A very quiet day for financial markets sees risk assets relatively unchanged following a mild contraction of U.S. pending home sales, dipping 0.4 per cent for the month of June. The number mildly beat market expectations. Global stock indices are sympathetic of what has been a relatively quiet patch, allowing investors time to position ahead of…
It’s oh so quiet… Not even a mouse is stirring. The Vix is back to very low levels, the stock market is bubbling over near all time highs, the economy is back on track, QE rolls on… It’s safe to go on holiday. Or so you think… Aside from a recent June swoon, equities have…
The financial crisis of 2007-2009 was one of the worst recessionary periods in history. At its worst, it drove US equity markets down by almost 60% and resulted in the collapse of several once venerable financial institutions. In just a matter of weeks, liquidity was almost completely drained from the market and the surviving financial…
European futures are indicating a positive start to the week ahead of policy meetings from a number of central banks this week which could provide further reassurance that they will keep stimulus measures in place for the foreseeable future. Asian stocks were dragged lower by Chinese equities after industrial companies reported slower profit growth and…
In general, those writing about financial markets come from a journalistic background. They are usually as well suited to writing about the opening of a local supermarket as they are to covering the movements of Cable! This said, I do try to read pieces written by those who have worked or traded successfully in the…
Fears of monetary tightening by the US Federal Reserve continued to push rates higher. The yield onthe US 10-year Treasury bond rose from a low of 1.62% at the beginning of May to 2.61% at the end of June, its highest level since August 2011. The jump in the reference yield, which was paralleled by higher…
By Ben Turney Last month’s meeting of the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) provided an excellent opportunity to go short US stocks. Comments in the FOMC’s policy statement concerning the withdrawal of the bond purchasing programme prompted panic. For many this was a shock, but really the only surprise in the market’s reaction should have…
For UK investors, when it comes to the large US NASDAQ , they can be far more difficult to read both on a technical or fundamental basis that most of the equivalent groups in the UK. In an uptrend they seem to go much farther than anyone can believe possible – witness the valuations of…
