Weak Banks and a Poorer UK, updated 31-Dec-08
Unfortunately the major problems remain though. Banks continue to struggle to improve their capitalisation. If land and property values continue to fall, if marginal companies continue to...read article:
Weak Banks and a Poorer UK.
To Trade or Not To Trade, updated 15-Dec-08
Markets are open on the up this morning with heavy buying towards the end of the US session on Friday and the Far East joining in on the action this morning. The solidity of the markets in the face of poor economic data is giving weight to...read article:
To Trade or Not To Trade.
Housing Market v FTSE 100 Performance, updated 12-Dec-08
Today is the last serious trading day of the year as the next two weeks tend to be very, very short on liquidity and occasionally long on volatility. In the UK there is now another variable to be taken into consideration and this is...read article:
Housing Market v FTSE 100 Performance.
A Courageous Decision on Market Turmoil, updated 02-Dec-08
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water the Dow drops 680 points in a session. The more you watch the various twists and turns of...read article:
A Courageous Decision on Market Turmoil.
The Banks and Lending to Business, updated 01-Dec-08
With another 12 months of a, probably, contracting economy, I would look with a pretty jaundiced eye at a small business that required money to survive right at the beginning of the down turn. I might ask 'when times...read article:
The Banks and Lending to Business.
The Pre-Budget Report and the FTSE 100, updated 25-Nov-08
The FTSE is called virtually unchanged as traders try to get a handle on Chancellor Darling's stimulus package but the reality is that our markets are...read article:
The Pre-Budget Report and the FTSE 100.
VAT Budget Cuts and the UK Economy, updated 24-Nov-08
The madness of an ever greater public sector funded, in an ever increasing proportion, by a booming service sector at the expense of a weakening manufacturing division had been pointed out ad-nauseam by various commentators over the past ten years. The huge tax revenues created by...read article:
VAT Budget Cuts and the UK Economy.
High UK Interest Rate Problems, updated 14-Nov-08
The Sterling / Euro spread is now at €1.1649 - €1.1653. That means that against our major trading partner, whose currency has also dropped alarmingly, we are over 20%...read article:
High UK Interest Rate Problems.
Market Liquidity, Sainsbury and British Land, updated 12-Nov-08
For all of my bearishness over the past year or so the fact that bad news is now not being acted on would seem to indicate that, for the moment, a base has been reached. Markets have a habit of building up for...read article:
Market Liquidity, Sainsbury and British Land.
The November Interest Rate Cut, updated 07-Nov-08
So now we look to see what the effect of 3% (and maybe more to come) will have on the general economy. Initially the immediate winners will be those in debt (of whatever form) and whilst the banks may not be able to pass the full 1.5% on immediately the long term prognosis...read article:
The November Interest Rate Cut.
Where to Spread Bet During the Credit Crunch, updated 06-Nov-08
For the investors across the world there are further important considerations: Am I trading on a stable platform? Are my funds safe? What happens if I trade on...read article:
Where to Spread Bet During the Credit Crunch.
The Financial Markets and Barack Obama, updated 05-Nov-08
So, the US election is finally out of the way and Barak has confounded the sceptics. He passed the finishing line first and starts his new job in Jan. Congratulations Barack. Unfortunately for the new leader...read article:
The Financial Markets and Barack Obama.
Volatile Markets and Vanilla Trading Products, updated 23-Oct-08
After such a huge sell off yesterday we can expect the opening levels to be attracting buyers hunting for the 'bottom'. Yesterday's late evening action saw the FTSE being quoted down at...read article:
Volatile Markets and Vanilla Trading Products.
The Markets, RBS and Tax Bills, updated 21-Oct-08
RBS seem to have bounced from the lows of last week when the share price seemed to indicate that it was touch or go whether the company would survive. With the stock closing last night at 85p and the Government underwriting the right issue at 65p this might...read article:
The Markets, RBS and Tax Bills.
Have the Markets Been Rescued?, updated 15-Oct-08
The markets seem to believe the hype so I suppose that is the main thing. The entire problem, sorry, the majority of the problem, has been the lack of confidence in the interbank lending markets. There have been huge...read article:
Have the Markets Been Rescued?.
The Gold and US Dollar Trading Relationship, updated 10-Oct-08
What will happen to the US Dollar, Gold and other Precious Metals as countries around the world enter recessions? What are the rules that investors should know?...read article:
The Gold and US Dollar Trading Relationship.
Spread Bets and Banking Valuations, updated 07-Oct-08
With a ban on shorting most financial stocks are there any buying opportunities? Should investors be buying banking shares and spread betting on banking stocks to increase in value?...read article:
Spread Bets and Banking Valuations.
Spread Betting on Banking, updated 07-Oct-08
Should we be buying banking shares? Share prices react to news and information, but price alone is not always an accurate reflection of a company's value in the short-term, as information gaps, market sentiment and rumours can cause price to deviate from a company's intrinsic value...read article:
Spread Betting on Banking.
Falling Markets and Euro Problems, updated 07-Oct-08
In spite of my repeated advice to clients to sit on their hands a steady stream of buyers was seen throughout yesterday's sessions as punters tried to "bottom pick". The steady destruction throughout...read article:
Falling Markets and Euro Problems.
Freaky Friday, Payroll and Lloyds HBOS, updated 03-Oct-08
The wild swings in markets over the past few weeks have not been conducive to sensible decision taking and the advise continues to be 'sit on your hands and do nothing'. It is all very well for the Sage of Omaha to be entering the market but not many people can have his time horizon. Nearly all hedge funds get...read article:
Freaky Friday, Payroll and Lloyds HBOS.
Strange FTSE Move and Bank Deposits, updated 02-Oct-08
Off to the races again and the going does not look like easing one jot for the time being. The late rally in the FTSE futures after the close of the cash markets seems to have been one of those strange...read article:
Strange FTSE Move and Bank Deposits.
Where to Invest, updated 25-Sep-08
Yesterday I was asked what people should be investing in at the moment. This is a difficult question as investors are supposed to take reasoned decisions over events, as they see them, combined with the future prospects for the actions that they take. I had to say in all honesty that how can anyone possibly make a...read article:
Where to Invest.
US Markets and the Poulson Bad Bank Strategy, updated 24-Sep-08
We still await the US Congress's ratification of the framework of Mr Poulson's Bad Bank strategy but law-makers are understandably a...read article:
US Markets and the Poulson Bad Bank Strategy.
The Run on Banks and the Credit Crunch, updated 18-Sep-08
Everyone slams Northern Rock for its reliance on the money markets for its business model. Well we can now see that HBOS, BB, Alliance and Leicester, Lehman, Merrill, Bear Stearns etc etc had (effectively) the same model. And let us not stop there...read article:
The Run on Banks and the Credit Crunch.
Gold Prices and the US Dollar, updated 18-Sep-08
It is plausible to assume that a weakening in the Dollar, coupled with an increase in global income, especially from emerging market economies, may have contributed to a boost in demand for...read article:
Gold Prices and the US Dollar.
Spread Bet on UK Banks, updated 16-Sep-08
Of the FTSE 100 banks it is HSBC, RBS, HBOS and Barclays were the worst casualties in terms of writedowns and credit losses. Although the sector has incurred a large amount of writedowns, there remains a view that further losses are in the pipeline: analysts recently stated that...read article:
Spread Bet on UK Banks.
Precious Metals Spread Trading Trends, updated 12-Sep-08
Gold may be at its lowest point for 2008 and other metals may be on the way down too but what were the five key influences on their meteoric price rise? Over the past five years the price of...read article:
Precious Metals Spread Trading Trends.
World Economies, Tax and Inflation, updated 13-Aug-08
As the FTSE struggles to maintain the rallies of the last week traders try to add in the effects of 4.4% inflation. On the face of it Sterlings decline and the prospect of high interest rates for longer will drag on returns and clients are...read article:
World Economies, Tax and Inflation.
Government Guarantees and Mortgages, updated 31-Jul-08
The headlines in the newspapers today will almost certainly focus on the 1.7% monthly drop in house prices which will be adding further pain onto an already hurting building sector. The net fall on the year is now over 8% and if you add in...read article:
Government Guarantees and Mortgages.
Market Reaction can be a Fickle Mistress, updated 22-Jul-08
With virtually every piece of nasty medicine now consigned to the back of the dispensary the country can look forward to two or three years of drift as the incumbent administration looks to mitigate its current disastrous low in the polls. Out of the window has gone the...read article:
Market Reaction can be a Fickle Mistress.
Trading the Banking Sector, updated 17-Jul-08
An exceptionally strange day with European markets pluming the depths in the morning only for the US to come in and completely alter the sentiment. Markets are expected to open substantially to the good this morning with financials especially favoured (for once). RBS hit 144p during the morning session with the board presumably thankful to have the rights issue out of the way already. No such luck for the underwriter of...read article:
Trading the Banking Sector.
Banking Sector Problems Continue, updated 15-Jul-08
The belief that the good times would go on forever has now cost us two banks with a third clinging on for grim life. Santanders audacious bid for Alliance and Leicester looks to be going through on the nod to the relief of all concerned (shareholders, Treasury, BOE and FSA) and little will be made of the fact that they are paying a valuation that was...read article:
Banking Sector Problems Continue.
Taylor Wimpey, M&S and US Data, updated 03-Jul-08
And the pain continues. M&S and Taylor Wimpey produced a real shocker yesterday morning but initially, somehow, the FTSE actually managed to shrug off the disastrous news and at one point was trading 80 points up on Tuesdays close. It was not until the US joined the fray that a bit of sense seemed to drift into proceedings and down we came once more to close 53 lower. This morning the opening level is forecast to be another 30 points lower at around 5390 having been as low as 5365 in late Futures ...read article:
Taylor Wimpey, M&S and US Data.
Employment and Major Construction, updated 02-Jul-08
A grim day on the exchanges yesterday as virtually everyone decided at the same moment that discretion was the better part of valour. At one point in after hours dealing the FTSE was being called 200 point...read article:
Employment and Major Construction.
Spread Betting on Banking Sector, updated 01-Jul-08
Banks took yet another battering yesterday even though the FTSE rallied some 96 points and the steady selling seems to now be almost masochistic (yields on Barclays are almost 12%) and the feeling spreads that...read article:
Spread Betting on Banking Sector.
Investing in Construction Companies, updated 26-Jun-08
Looking at the disaster which has been the UK centric portion of the FTSE 350 it is tempting to wonder if the whole thing has been rather overdone. Yes we know that people are feeling the pinch, that retail sales are down, that banks were sucked into the huge mortgage fraud over in the States, that petrol is now almost as expensive as...read article:
Investing in Construction Companies.
Weakened Banks and House Price Forecasts, updated 25-Jun-08
The 'vulture funds' appear to be sniffing around the smaller banks and weakened Boards are struggling to justify not talking to them. Bradford and Bingley's curious attitude to their shareholders over the past month coupled with their outright rejection of a deal that seems, on the face of it, to be rather better than...read article:
Weakened Banks and House Price Forecasts.
Reality Retail Sales Figures, updated 20-Jun-08
Retailers, like farmers, are always pessimistic and will describe any situation as a 'tough trading environment' but the idea that spending was up a rather ludicrous 8% had many coughing into their tea. I did wonder if...read article:
Reality Retail Sales Figures.
Credit Cards, Personal Debt and Missing Targets, updated 19-Jun-08
Not a very hopeful day yesterday with the FTSE taking its cue from an RBS analyst's doom laden prognosis followed by Sainsbury missing targets, Tate and Lyle worrying about commodity prices and Woolworth ousting their CEO. Last night Mervyn King gave the startling news tha...read article:
Credit Cards, Personal Debt and Missing Targets.
The Great Short Selling Debate, updated 17-Jun-08
For all of the fireworks over the last two or three months who have been the ones proved to be a) correct and b) truthful? Firstly, most of the Banks denied point blank that they would need capital injections and then (it would appear) deliberately mislead on the size of the cash call required before...read article:
The Great Short Selling Debate.
Who is Right: BoE, ECB, The Fed?, updated 13-Jun-08
With the three major Western currency blocs acting in different ways to the current financial, growth and inflationary problems (one slashing rates, one holding steady and the third looking to tighten) it will be educational in a few years time to...read article:
Who is Right: BoE, ECB, The Fed?.
Investing in Brewing, Gambling and The Other, updated 12-Jun-08
Many years ago I was reliably informed that, aside from utilities, the best performing sectors in a recession were brewing, gambling and ***. The first seems to be being brought home in the only takeover interest of note for some time with the $46bn bid for Anheuser-Busch. The second is...read article:
Investing in Brewing, Gambling and The Other.
Building Companies and Land Valuations, updated 11-Jun-08
The drip, drip, drip of bad news was replaced by a veritable deluge yesterday. The building and property sectors plumbed to new lows on figures showing that house viewings and sales for the last three months were actually significantly lower than the worst period of the last house price slump back in the early nineties. The really worrying fact about this is that...read article:
Building Companies and Land Valuations.
ECB, Inflation and US Markets, updated 06-Jun-08
Mr Berlusconi in particular, never a fan of the EC experiment, must be seriously tempted to publicly voice disapproval with ECB policy and to once again shake the weapon of disengagement from...read article:
ECB, Inflation and US Markets.
Bank of England and Interest Rates v Inflation, updated 05-Jun-08
Reams will be written about what the Bank of England should do, would do, will do and wants to do. A bit will be written about what various vested interests want them do (generally cut rates) but not much will be written about the whole 'independent bank' experiment and whether it is in fact working...read article:
Bank of England and Interest Rates v Inflation.
Employment Data, Interest Rates and Growth, updated 04-Jun-08
Employment prospects are finally moving in the direction that the events of the last six to nine months would have led us to expect. Hiring in May was the lowest for five years as companies...read article:
Employment Data, Interest Rates and Growth.
UK Recession To Be or Not To Be, updated 30-May-08
US preliminary GDP for Q1 duly came in at plus 0.9% which rather makes a mockery of all that talk of recession over the past six months or so. Whilst the rise in energy and fall in house prices since the end of March will...read article:
UK Recession To Be or Not To Be.
Crude Oil Prices and Tax, updated 29-May-08
Crude Oil is on everyones lips these days and politicians across the globe are falling over themselves blaming just about everyone under the sun for the dramatic rises. Traders, producers, terrorists, refiners, OPEC, the Oil companies...pick a name, any name...of course the real reasons...read article:
Crude Oil Prices and Tax.
UK Government Taxes and US Housing, updated 28-May-08
US housing numbers were also on the lips of most commentators after the Shiler home price index came in at minus 14.4% and we think things are bad here after property values 'slumped' by all of 1.5% in the past twelve months. This brings out a major factor in...read article:
UK Government Taxes and US Housing.
Banking Stocks and Market Review, updated 20-May-08
Banking stocks are becoming very worrying indeed. Since B&B announced their ?300m call and Barclays stated a kind of 'we will wait and see' banking stocks have been in ...read article:
Banking Stocks and Market Review.
Commodity Prices and Interest Rates, updated 17-May-08
Anyone hoping for a cut in interest rates next month can think again as this surprise news would have done nothing for the doves who expect inflation to be capped by a slowing British economy. Whether the economy slows by more than...read article:
Commodity Prices and Interest Rates.
Time to Spread Bet on Tesco?, updated 13-May-08
Tesco seems to have suddenly decided that enough is enough and is vigorously defending itself across the globe against perceived malicious journalistic falsehoods. For many years the British propensity to denigrate any...read article:
Time to Spread Bet on Tesco?.
The FTSE 100 and the Credit Crunch, updated 12-May-08
Oil is the word on everyones lips at the moment with economists trying to add in the braking effects of the move from $90 to $126. It is very difficult to be anything other than majorly pessimistic as the US was rumoured to be in recession and Europe and the UK slowing sharply even before the recent price spike. What, you might quite reasonably ask, will be the overall economic impact of ...read article:
The FTSE 100 and the Credit Crunch.
Spread Betting on the Retail Sector, updated 09-May-08
There is finally a sense of spring in the air from shell shocked investors as the feeling continues to permeate through that the worst is possibly over. Strange as it might sound, from the view point of the stock exchange, this is not as weird...read article:
Spread Betting on the Retail Sector.
Interest Rates and Commodities Spread Betting, updated 08-May-08
Pushing up interest rates is hardly going to make much impact on the price of Crude Oil, Wheat or Rice. These, and others, are globally competed for commodities and are going to...read article:
Interest Rates and Commodities Spread Betting.
Spread Betting on Crude Oil Prices and UBS, updated 07-May-08
The unexpected loss reported by Carlsberg this morning might have rather more long term visionary practicality than the Goldmans Oil statement. The company was expected to report a profit of some 37m DKr but actually came in with a 129m loss. The reason given was...read article:
Spread Betting on Crude Oil Prices and UBS.
High Crude Oil and Energy Prices, updated 06-May-08
With Oil showing no signs of wishing to fall back to a more reasonable level investors must now be wondering what the effect of increased energy bills will be on bottom line numbers. It is easy to criticise companies for not taking adequate hedging risk against...read article:
High Crude Oil and Energy Prices.
Spread Betting on Unchanged Markets, updated 02-May-08
At the moment our Capital Spreads clients who are following this simple strategy are doing very well indeed just at the moment. Sellers of everything above 6100 and buyers below 6050 have seen six separate opportunities in the last five...read article:
Spread Betting on Unchanged Markets.
US Interest Rates and Lending, updated 30-Apr-08
I am not sure that the current woes in the US economy can be easily solved with further interest rate cuts as you have the feeling that if you cannot afford a loan at 2.25% what makes you think that 2% will be any better and there is always the...read article:
US Interest Rates and Lending.
Improving Markets and UK Housing, updated 28-Apr-08
The financial sector seems to be taking the (expected) HBOS rights issue in its stride. With only Barclays to come, and even that is not certain, this is likely to be amongst the last of the big calls. Punters are now trying to look...read article:
Improving Markets and UK Housing.
Spread Betting Indices and Equities, updated 25-Apr-08
Finally the Capital Spreads Accounts are tiring of Mining and Oil stock and we have seen some lightening of positions and even a few brave shorts. The strength of the main indices across the globe would seem to fly in the face of...read article:
Spread Betting Indices and Equities.
Credit Suisse Losses and RBS Shares, updated 24-Apr-08
Credit Suisse has managed to hammer the market down this morning after coming with a loss of $2.1bn against estimates of around $600m. Analysts will be sharpening their knives as there...read article:
Credit Suisse Losses and RBS Shares.
Retailers, UK Centric Stock and the FTSE 100, updated 23-Apr-08
The performance of UK centric stock has been pretty abysmal over the past year or so with many frontline stock virtually halving (RBS, Barclays, Marks etc) whilst the FTSE 100 has actually...read article:
Retailers, UK Centric Stock and the FTSE 100.
Mortgage Swaps and High Commodities Prices, updated 22-Apr-08
It is difficult to get excited about buying something when you know that there may be more along the way. The Bank of England ?50bn cash for mortgages swap is all very well and at least has the prospect of longer term availability than the ECB or Fed...read article:
Mortgage Swaps and High Commodities Prices.
Bank Stocks and House Prices, updated 21-Apr-08
The next banking brick to drop remains the prospects in the property markets. Whilst I do not actually envisage a house-price fallout we may get into the equivalent situation but 'in reverse'...read article:
Bank Stocks and House Prices.
The Bank of England and the Failure of Mark to Market, updated 17-Apr-08
The actions of the BOE may loosen the credit markets temporarily but they are unlikely to make much difference to the levels of suspicion prevalent between the major lenders. Official announcements that there are possibly almost a trillion dollars of poor credit to...read article:
The Bank of England and the Failure of Mark to Market.
Spread Betting Margins, updated 16-Apr-08
We have been in touch with a number of spread betting companies to see what affect the current credit crunch is having. So far it looks like business as usual and with the operators keen to keep margin requirements...read article:
Spread Betting Margins.
Is the FTSE 250 outperforming the FTSE 100?, updated 15-Apr-08
When we focus on UK centric FTSE 100 stock the picture is much less positive. The retail and banking sectors are performing pretty poorly with many valuations languishing at a 50% discount compared to just eight months ago. The FTSE 250 is off almost...read article:
Is the FTSE 250 outperforming the FTSE 100?.
High Commodity Prices, Margins and Weak Government, updated 10-Apr-08
With Crude Oil and other essential commodities continuing to rise as the pound continues to depreciate it is tempting to suggest that the markets seem to be rather sanguine as to the profits expected from many...read article:
High Commodity Prices, Margins and Weak Government.
Fear and the Falling Housing Market, updated 07-Apr-08
It is difficult to not to think of the current situation as a sort of phoney war on the economic front line. After the initial bursts of activity over the past seven or eight months as the banks have been pummeled you could be forgiven for thinking...read article:
Fear and the Falling Housing Market.
The Federal Reserve and the Bear Market, updated 04-Apr-08
The Federal Reserve still seems to be, to some extent, in the pocket of Wall Street as virtually every move is designed to bolster equity prices and to keep the dream...read article:
The Federal Reserve and the Bear Market.
The Federal Reserves Triple Pronged Barrage, updated 03-Apr-08
As the US Federal Reserve does its impersonation of some sheriff in a Glen Ford western riding to the rescue of all that capitalism stands for there are some slightly worrying things that still remain to be...read article:
The Federal Reserves Triple Pronged Barrage.
Time to Sell Commodities?, updated 01-Apr-08
Big falls in Oil, Silver and Gold over the past few days come after all three failed to regain their highs after the initial sell off of a few weeks ago. For the first time in quite a while the downside looks more probable ...read article:
Time to Sell Commodities?.
The Capitalist Share Holder, updated 31-Mar-08
The capitalist share holder requirements demand better growth patterns than this and whilst it may weaken companies in times of crisis it also creates far more...read article:
The Capitalist Share Holder.
Cash and the Hunt for Safety, updated 29-Mar-08
The hunt for safety is becoming ever more problematic. The recent fallout in commodity values has reminded those who had forgotten that, as the adverts say, prices may also fall and past performance gives no certainty of future returns. Government treasuries from the US to Germany and the UK have had a pretty grim week as...read article:
Cash and the Hunt for Safety.
European Markets and Lower Interest Rates, updated 27-Mar-08
A mishmash of numbers out yesterday and today will leave investors rather fogged as to what is actually happening on the high street in the UK and on the global economy as a whole. Over in Europe the picture is even more confused as business leaders in Germany and France express...read article:
European Markets and Lower Interest Rates.
Interest Rates and the Property Market, updated 26-Mar-08
It was also nice to see that Citigroup and Barclays Capital are also bringing into question the Bank of England's handling of its role over the past months. The squeeze on liquidity is getting worse, not better, and yesterdays 3 month Libor fixing was at 6% showing that even the small rate cut that we have seen from the central bank has...read article:
Interest Rates and the Property Market.
Stock Market Rally vs Bank of England Commitment, updated 25-Mar-08
I see that the papers are still full of the *search for the abominable rumourman* but it is difficult to see what, if anything, this will achieve. What if the *culprit* is not an ...read article:
Stock Market Rally vs Bank of England Commitment.
Forex, Job Losses and Taxes, updated 21-Mar-08
Markets continue to wing all over the place. As I mentioned on Wednesday, if you discounted the moves induced on the days of Fed action the story has been pretty dire since the start of the year and yesterday was a classic case in point. Tuesdays rate cut caused a...read article:
Forex, Job Losses and Taxes.
The Fed Rally and Active Investors, updated 20-Mar-08
Markets continue to whistle around as we digest the latest Fed led rally in the States. Since mid January we have had five Fed initiative rallies (two liquidity injections and three rate cuts) which have all caused major moves to the upside on their respective announcements. In between times the direction has been, as you would expect, singularly grim. If we remove the...read article:
The Fed Rally and Active Investors.
Banking Sector Value Shares, updated 18-Mar-08
Rumours that Lehman might be the next in line for implosion after DB Singapore apparently refused their name in the money markets were quickly quashed. The stock was at one point some 50pc down on the day at around $20.50 but later bounced as investment banks...read article:
Banking Sector Value Shares.
Job Cuts, School Finance and Career Politicians, updated 13-Mar-08
Cowardice in high places is not a new phenomena but this administrations spinelessness is now beginning to show as bright yellow streak across the finance of UK plc. Yet another Budget long on raising revenue but short on...read article:
Job Cuts, School Finance and Career Politicians.
Finance Lesson from Japan, updated 12-Mar-08
So, the Fed and the ECB are now both taking dodgy mortgage debt as collateral against loans. One wonders how closely these deposits will be checked for value or will the western banks end up in the same boat as the Japanese financial institutions from the early nineties sitting with huge unrealised losses on 20-30 year loans being...read article:
Finance Lesson from Japan.
Recession or Value Shares, updated 11-Mar-08
As markets get tougher so the wolves begin to strike. Bear Stearns and Lehman were forced into swift denunciations after rumours circulated about possible Chapter 11 situations. Whilst the security of the companies is not reasonably in doubt the mere mention of weakness will have its negative effect. Twitchy depositors, fearful of losing substantial sums will...read article:
Recession or Value Shares.
AAA Rated Government Insurance, updated 10-Mar-08
Most people reading this article will be of the 40% paying slice of the population, the bit that the government is relying on, to an increasing extent, to balance its books. The taxes on virtually everything we do are now getting to...read article:
AAA Rated Government Insurance.
Slow Down, Interest Rates and Goodbye London, updated 09-Mar-08
We saw the knee jerk US political reaction to the Enron collapse seriously damage their financial industry by its implementation of the Sarbannes Oxley requirements and it is beginning to look as though the UK authorities are going to make the same mistake. What is the betting on...read article:
Slow Down, Interest Rates and Goodbye London.
Commodities Price Correction, updated 06-Mar-08
Other commodities are, likewise, not exactly *running out* (although copper is reputed to be looking a tad thin on the ground) and *softs* are an accident waiting to happen. As one product becomes ever more expensive so our food...read article:
Commodities Price Correction.
Second Class Financial Ticket, updated 04-Mar-08
With a snarling up of basic transport lines business will look elsewhere to invest. We might pride ourselves on the power of the financial sector in the city of London but finance is probably the most portable business on the planet. The logistics of moving money around could not be simpler. HSBC yesterday showed that some 50% of revenue...read article:
Second Class Financial Ticket.
Credit Crunch Finance, updated 04-Mar-08
Is this the second leg of the credit crunch? The rush into *secure* havens has accelerated over the past few weeks as US Treasury Bond yields slip below 2% and Gold and other Precious metals reach for the sky. Borrowing spreads for even high quality corporate names are at, what appear to be, ridiculous levels as banks scrabble to cover lending exposures in the money markets. Whilst the sharp point of this...read article:
Credit Crunch Finance.
Private Equity Trading, updated 29-Feb-08
If the credit crunch continues for much longer, many of the deals that companies had been expecting to offload via stock market floats could start to experience certain problems. Given that a number of them will now be coming up for rollover of their initial financing deals, in a dog eat dog environment it does...read article:
Private Equity Trading.
Private Equity Markets, updated 28-Feb-08
Guy Hands has put up his err...hands and admitted that turning round the entrenched philosophy at EMI was proving rather harder than he expected. When a major private equity house gets involved too heavily in a project of dubious return, especially one as high profile as EMI, investors may begin to...read article:
Private Equity Markets.
Strong Commodities and Weak Sectors, updated 28-Feb-08
With the economies of the world sucking in ever greater quantities of critical commodities we are now experiencing the classic effects of the first lesson for economics students. Supply and Demand. In places this producing odd results. Whereas a slight...read article:
Strong Commodities and Weak Sectors.
Long-term Financial Markets Slowdown, updated 26-Feb-08
Official numbers last week showed that, for all the woe, doom, disaster etc discussed in the last few months, there is still an economy out there doing well enough to hold its head above water. The biggest eye-opener was the January tax receipt numbers. In hindsight we should not...read article:
Long-term Financial Markets Slowdown.
Taxes, Rumour and Finance Directors, updated 25-Feb-08
Both BAE and Tomkins showed weaker numbers but better than might have been feared. Much of market movement can be attributed not to what the actual figure is but what as been *indicated* to the markets...read article:
Taxes, Rumour and Finance Directors.
High Commodities Prices, updated 21-Feb-08
Markets were in a bearish mood last night as the price of commodities surges virtually across the board from metals to energy and softs. Looking at the data this morning the only sector that seems not to have moved strongly higher is...read article:
High Commodities Prices.
Credit Crunch Markets, updated 19-Feb-08
Just because the BOE says base rates are at 'x' does not mean that banks can get hold of money at this level. As it happens, yesterday, I had a meeting with one of my oldest contacts who works as a broker with one of the big Money Houses in the...read article:
Credit Crunch Markets.
Bank Sector Trading, updated 18-Feb-08
For companies that are likely to be around for a very long time, these look (when compared to even their own issued paper let alone UK Gilts) to be very tempting indeed. Punters have been...read article:
Bank Sector Trading.
Credit Crunch Trading, updated 16-Feb-08
The US is suffering because house prices became a get rich quick route in a country that has one major product in abundance 'Land'. In the UK (although there are a few 100% plus mortgages) most loans are well covered and the value of the asset, the house, will almost certainly cover most...read article:
Credit Crunch Trading.
Banking Sector Shares, updated 15-Feb-08
The only real option open to Capt'n Darling became his final decision. Offloading the whole kit and caboodle into the private sector with a big government guarantee was never going to fly. The political fall out from...read article:
Banking Sector Shares.
World Market Trading, updated 14-Feb-08
An entire economy is like a massive super-tanker whose momentum takes an enormous amount of time and space to turn in another direction. Alterations of this magnitude should have shown up in shipping volumes, credit facility increases or just...read article:
World Market Trading.
The Bear Market, updated 12-Feb-08
The problem has not so much been any particular new piece of information on the UK economy but from the almost universally gloomy statements from the meeting of the 'great and the good' at the G7 Finance ministers get...read article:
The Bear Market.
Rogue Trader, updated 31-Jan-08
Jerome Kerviel, Rogue Trader. We can assume that an audit team, as is normal practice, requested a list of open deals from a counterparty bank and discovered that the counterparty had a series of...read article:
Rogue Trader.
Financial Spread Betting June 2008, updated 06-Jun-08
Spread Betting market trading update: The banking sector took it on the nose once again yesterday and HBOS is now 55p below the LOWEST point on the day of the bear rumour which caused so many headlines back in March. Barclays has experienced nineteen negative trading sessions in the last twenty and you could now pick up...read article:
Financial Spread Betting June 2008.
Financial Spread Bet May 2008, updated 23-May-08
Spread Betting market trading update: This is likely to result in a double squeeze on retail spending through the remainder of this year. That, I fear, is likely to leave those retailers on highly leveraged debt levels in something of a pickle. Banks are not exactly...read article:
Financial Spread Bet May 2008.
Financial Trading May 2008, updated 09-May-08
Spread Betting market trading update: As mentioned several times over the past few days the FTSE is struggling to overcome the 6250 resistance. Although we have closed at or around the level several times traders have shied away from buying above the line. The pressure still appears to be very much on the upside but we are vulnerable at the current level to some bad piece of news. Mind you, markets do seem to have finally got shot of the...read article:
Financial Trading May 2008.
Financial Trading April 2008, updated 25-Apr-08
Spread Betting market trading update: We are still stuck just under the 6100 level this morning but the bulls seem to have the best of it at the moment. Every time we get up to this level it seems as though the break out is imminent only for traders to run...read article:
Financial Trading April 2008.
Financial Spread Bets April 2008, updated 11-Apr-08
Spread Betting market news: FinancialSpreads.com clients have been building up short positions in indices over the past few days so they will be glad to see the market dipping back below the 6000 level this morning. This morning the market has wiped out only half of the gain it made yesterday and whilst this cannot be considered as profit taking, it indicates the ...read article:
Financial Spread Bets April 2008.
Markets March Spread Trading, updated 28-Mar-08
Spread Betting markets: Markets went up down sideways etc but in the end closed pretty much mixed. Europe up about a percent and the US and Americas down a percent. Asia has joined Europe but not enough to influence the open this...read article:
Markets March Spread Trading.
Markets March Spread Betting, updated 14-Mar-08
Spread Betting market information: If the moves by the US do in fact work then this should help across the board. Many punters will be shy of getting too enthusiastic as we have seen these rallies too often over the past few...read article:
Markets March Spread Betting.
Markets February Spread Trading, updated 29-Feb-08
Spread Betting market information: Today we are looking at further opening falls with early the FTSE spread trading at 5945 - 5946 another 15 points lower. The volumes on the exchanges remains weak which is causing such heavy moves as market makers swiftly adjust prices. In conversation with some of the quoting brokers it appears that they are running...read article:
Markets February Spread Trading.
Real-time Spread Betting Prices and Charts, updated 15-Feb-08
Spread Betting pricing information: The banking sector, which has been pretty hard hit anyway, took a triple whammy this week: UBS reported almost unbelievable sub prime/credit losses, Bradford and Bingley reminded us that there are...read article:
Real-time Spread Betting Prices and Charts.
UK Markets Spread Trading, updated 01-Feb-08
UK Markets Spread Trading : When the going gets tough the blame game begins and one of the easy targets in every period of uncertainty is the banks. You can hardly open a newspaper today without reading some journalistic outpouring, railing against the evil conspiracy of global money. It might be a good moment to point out that...read article:
UK Markets Spread Trading.
Spread Betting on Markets, updated 18-Jan-08
We answer your Spread Betting questions, plus offer tips on getting free Spread Betting charts, real time prices and...read article:
Spread Betting on Markets.
Spread Betting Trading Online, updated 21-Dec-07
Find out where you can Spread Trade online for free, plus your Spread trading questions answered, tips on getting free Spread Betting charts, real time prices and...read article:
Spread Betting Trading Online.
Spread Betting Futures Trading, updated 07-Dec-07
Where to trade plus updated Spread Betting trading news and the most popular Spread Betting questions answered....read article:
Spread Betting Futures Trading.
Spread Betting Broker, updated 23-Nov-07
Where to find free Spread Betting Brokers plus regular Spread Betting financial trading news as well as the most popular Spread Betting questions answered....read article:
Spread Betting Broker.
Spread Betting Platform, updated 09-Nov-07
Where to find free Spread Betting Platforms plus updated Spread Betting trading news as well as the most popular Spread Betting queries answered....read article:
Spread Betting Platform.
Spread Betting Software, updated 26-Oct-07
Where to find free Spread Betting Software information plus updated Spread Betting trading news as well as the most popular Spread Betting queries answered....read article:
Spread Betting Software.
What is Financial Spread Betting, updated 23-Nov-08
It is a relatively simple way of allowing you to bet on shares / markets without owning any stocks. Financial spread betting is predicated on...read article:
What is Financial Spread Betting.
Get Tips on Financial Spread Betting, updated 06-Dec-08
Financial spread betting combines an element of gambling with a heady mix of intelligence, understanding and instinct. At least that's what many beginners think. If you are financial spread spreading then...read article:
Get Tips on Financial Spread Betting.
Compare Spread Betting Companies in the UK, updated 27-Jul-07
We provide you free online information on the UK financial spread betting market. Financial spread betting allows you to bet on the key financial markets. Spread betting can give you an edge because the profits that you make from financial spread betting...read article:
Compare Spread Betting Companies in the UK.
Financial Spread Betting Accounts, updated 05-Dec-08
Financial Spread Betting Account options and Spread Betting Company information. There are several companies that...read article:
Financial Spread Betting Accounts.
Compare UK Spread Betting Companies, updated 05-Dec-08
Compare the width of the key spreads offered by the spread betting companies. Does your company offer the narrowest spreads?...read article:
Compare UK Spread Betting Companies.
Financial Spread Betting Account Information, updated 01-Dec-08
Financial spread betting account profits are tax free*. Profits from financial spread betting are not subject to income tax, capital gains tax or stamp duty. What's yours is yours. There is no commission when you trade online using your spread betting account. Unlike many online share dealing services there is no...read article:
Financial Spread Betting Account Information.
July Spread Trading Hours, updated 04-Jul-08
July Trading Hours, make sure you don't get caught out with the changes to trading hours on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 July...read article:
July Spread Trading Hours.
