Posts from — April 2009

In mid-morning trading the FTSE 100 is trading positively, up 89 points since opening.

Right now the UK’s leading index is trading above 4250, its highest level since the March lows. The banking sector led the way with Barclays trading at a 3-month high after RBS upgraded the banks stock to ‘buy’.

While the markets are benefitting from positive sentiment, it is unclear whether investors are viewing things with rose tinted glasses.

In reality the economic outlook is mixed. Last months slight increase in house prices has already been wiped out, with the Nationwide house-price index down -0.4%, and in Germany unemployment have risen to 8.9%, 25,000 more than expected.

Looking to the US, IG Index is quoting the Dow to open just below 8300, up around 110 points from yesterday’s close. While this morning’s opening makes a break from the recent atmosphere of doom and gloom, the fundamentals still indicate that this rally could come down with a thump.

Also see today’s market update, Spread Trading.

Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital. You may lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

Good Luck!

DB

The above comments do not constitute investment advice Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.

Content provided by IG Index which is Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA Register number 114059.

Whilst there is a wide array of Forex and Indices markets at BetOnMarkets it is good to see they are expanding their range of equities. 5 new UK stocks are now available for trading:

• Astrazeneca
• Aviva
• British American Tobacco
• Glaxosmithkline
• Prudential

(there are now more that 15 UK equities markets and 25 US equities markets available).

For more details see: BetOnMarkets Financial Markets.

For the BetOnMarkets review see: BetOnMarkets Review.

Good Luck!

DB

The above comments do not constitute investment advice Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.

In mid-morning trading the FTSE 100 is down on the day so far.

From the start of trading this morning UK stocks have been under pressure, with fewer than ten of the FTSE 100 constituents registering a positive move for the day.

The main catalyst for this early weakness is the increasing worries regarding the swine flu virus. Monday saw a muted reaction to the news, but with the alert level for the virus raised by the World Health Organisation, traders have had to re-evaluate just how serious this could end up being.

One of the few positives today is the BP share price. First quarter profits are down by more than 60% compared to a year ago, but still managed to beat analysts’ expectations.

There had been concern that the double whammy of a plunge in oil price and a slump in global demand for fuel would take more of a toll on the numbers.

BP seems to have weathered this better than expected and the share price has pushed back to levels not seen since the middle of February, with speculation of a possible run back to the 520p area.

Looking ahead to the US markets, and at the moment we are expecting the Dow Jones index to open down around 90 points. Flu concerns are playing their part, as are worries that Bank of America and Citigroup could need even more cash.

Both these factors, plus consumer confidence numbers due out after the US markets open, could add some volatility to today’s session – although so far, dips in the US have still brought the buyers back out, with 7900 seen as the significant short-term support for the Dow.

Also see today’s market update, Spread Trading.

Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital. You may lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

Good Luck!

DB

The above comments do not constitute investment advice Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.

Content provided by IG Index which is Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA Register number 114059.

UK stocks have started the week off negatively so far, with the FTSE down by around 20 points.

Travel companies have been particularly hit in morning trading as the markets have digested the swine flu news.

BA and cruise company Carnival are two of the biggest losers, both off by more than 6% at the mid-morning stage. This has put a dent in the three-month recovery for BA, but there are early signs that some traders are viewing the initial sell-off as being somewhat overdone and a knee-jerk overreaction to the weekend’s news.

Nevertheless after some strength towards the end of last week, markets do look vulnerable to further slides from these levels.

Major indices such as the FTSE 100 and the S&P 500 have yet to better the levels hit in early-to-mid April, so further choppy trading could well be the order of the day.

Looking ahead to the US session, at the moment we are expecting the Dow to open down around 90 points lower from Friday’s close – again on swine flu concerns.

With no major economic announcements due out of the States today, it could be a somewhat flat session ahead. As has happened in the UK, any strength in US stocks may prove to be too much of a temptation for traders to take some money off the table as the markets struggle to find direction.

Note that spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital. You may lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

Good Luck!

DB

The above comments do not constitute investment advice Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them. Content provided by IG Index which is Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA Register number 114059.

According to Dave Evans of fixed-odds firm, BetOnMarkets, “The FTSE currently indicates a strong open, as rumours of better then expected UK retail sales numbers have traders ready to jump back into the market.

“This morning, we can expect lots of volatility as the UK will unveil its retail sales as well as the GDO numbers. We so much uncertainty ahead of the opening bell, its hard to predict where the FTSE will open this morning”.

This is somewhat at odds (no pun intended) with our today’s Daily Trading Update.

It looks like our contributors and analysts are as undecided as the markets.

Good Luck!

DB

The above comments do not constitute investment advice Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.