Falling Markets and Euro Problems
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The spread betting companies all offer something different. We are not authorised to provide financial advice, arrangements or investments and for that reason we cannot say which is the best spread betting company.
Below we compare the spreads for markets such as the FTSE 100, GBP/USD, Gold and Oil.
We also compare services such as new account offers, 24 hour trading and automatic stop loss orders.
Each of the firms listed below is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
This list is not meant to be inclusive; spread betting services are also available with companies not listed here.
Spread Betting Companies - Indices Comparison
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| FTSE 100 Daily - Spread Size |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| FTSE 100 Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| FTSE 100 Future - Spread Size |
4 |
4-8 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
| FTSE 100 Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Wall St Daily - Spread Size |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2-4 |
2 |
2 |
| Wall St Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| DAX 30 Daily - Spread Size |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| DAX 30 Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| S&P 500 Daily - Spread Size |
4 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
| S&P 500 Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Nasdaq 100 Future - Spread Size |
3 |
4-10 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
| Nasdaq 100 Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£4 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
Comparison Notes
Spread Betting Companies - Forex Comparison
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| GBP / USD Daily - Spread Size |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
0.8 |
2 |
2 |
| GBP / USD Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£0.50 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| GBP / USD Future - Spread Size |
8 |
8 |
12 |
8 |
8 |
- |
8 |
8 |
| GBP / USD Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
$0.60 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
- |
£1 |
£1 |
| EUR / GBP Daily - Spread Size |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| EUR / GBP Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£0.50 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| EUR / GBP Future - Spread Size |
6 |
8 |
10 |
6 |
6 |
- |
6 |
6 |
| EUR / GBP Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
$0.60 |
£1 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
- |
£1 |
£1 |
| EUR / USD Daily - Spread Size |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0.8 |
1 |
1 |
| EUR / USD Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£0.50 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| EUR / USD Future - Spread Size |
8 |
8 |
12 |
8 |
8 |
3 |
8 |
8 |
| EUR / USD Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
$0.60 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| USD / JPY Daily - Spread Size |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0.8 |
1 |
1 |
| USD / JPY Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£0.50 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| USD / JPY Future - Spread Size |
8 |
8 |
12 |
8 |
10 |
- |
8 |
8 |
| USD / JPY Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
¥100 |
£1 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
- |
£1 |
£1 |
Comparison Notes
Spread Betting Companies - Commodities Comparison
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| Gold Daily - Spread Size |
4 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
| Gold Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
$0.60 |
£1 |
£1 |
£0.1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Gold Future - Spread Size |
6 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
| Gold Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
$0.60 |
£1 |
£1 |
£0.1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Brent Crude Daily - Spread Size |
5† |
6† |
5 |
5† |
4 |
5† |
5† |
5† |
| Brent Crude Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
$2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Brent Crude Future - Spread Size |
5 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
| Brent Crude Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
$2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| US Crude Oil Daily - Spread Size |
5† |
4 |
5 |
5† |
4 |
5† |
5† |
5† |
| US Crude Oil Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
$0.70 |
£1 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| US Crude Oil Future - Spread Size |
5 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
| US Crude Oil Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
$2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£0.5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
Comparison Notes
Spread Betting Companies - Account Services Comparison
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| Online Application |
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| Credit Account |
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| Deposit Account |
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| Stop Loss Available |
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| Automatic Stop Loss |
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| 24 Hour Trading |
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| FSA Authorised and Regulated |
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| Candlestick Charts |
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Comparison Notes
Spread Betting - New Account Offers Comparison
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Note: New Accounts and New Account Offers are subject to Status, Terms and Conditions. For details click on the >>
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Spread Betting Companies - Bonds Comparison
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| BOBL - Spread Size |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| BOBL - Min Stake |
£1 |
€0.70 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Bund - Spread Size |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Bund - Min Stake |
£1 |
€0.70 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Gilt - Spread Size |
3 |
- |
2 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Gilt - Min Stake |
£1 |
- |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Schatz - Spread Size |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| Schatz - Min Stake |
£1 |
€0.70 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| US T Bond 10 Yr - Spread Size |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
| US T Bond 10 Yr - Min Stake |
£1 |
$1.10 |
£3 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| US T Bond 30 Yr - Spread Size |
6 |
3 |
- |
6 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
| US T Bond 30 Yr - Min Stake |
£1 |
$1.10 |
- |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
Comparison Notes
Spread Betting Companies - Interest Rates Comparison
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| Euribor - Spread Size |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| Euribor - Min Stake |
£1 |
€0.50 |
£5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Eurodollar - Spread Size |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| Eurodollar - Min Stake |
£1 |
$1.10 |
$5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Euroswiss - Spread Size |
2 |
- |
1 |
2 |
3 |
- |
2 |
2 |
| Euroswiss - Min Stake |
£1 |
- |
£5 |
£1 |
£1 |
- |
£1 |
£1 |
| Short Sterling - Spread Size |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| Short Sterling - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£5 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
Comparison Notes
Spread Betting Companies Comparison Notes
- The typical spread size is quoted. Note that spread sizes tend to vary under a number of circumstances including:
- when betting outside of normal market hours
- when you use guaranteed stop losses
- the first 30-60 minutes of the day
- as you get closer / further away from the settlement date
- The spreads are quoted in tic, pip or point size
- † No Daily Market available - the Futures Spread and Stake have been quoted instead
- ‡ Some markets are only available in the reverse spread eg JPY/USD rather than USD/JPY
- ^ Minimum £10 stake for phone trades
- Where minimum stakes are quoted in the format £1/£10 then this refers to the 'minimum online stakes' / 'minimum phone stakes'
- New Accounts are subject to Status, Suitability and Identity checks
- New Account Offers are subject to Terms and Conditions
- 24 hour trading refers to trading hours of "late on Sunday night to Friday evening". Exact hours are also subject to public holidays and will vary from firm to firm
- Credit Accounts are subject to proof of liquid funds and terms and conditions will vary from firm to firm
- If Credit Accounts are not available, that means only Deposit Accounts are offered
- 'FSA' refers to whether the firm is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority
- Click here for details of the last Spread / Price / Market Information update
- The comparison tables are not meant to be inclusive, spread betting services are also available with other companies
- The above data is subject to change without notice or warning and given without warranty. Please also see our terms and conditions.
Risk Warning: 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.
'Falling Markets and Euro Problems' by SD, updated 07-Oct-08
For related pages also see:
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Spread Betting Prices, updated 24-May-12
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Spread Betting Guide, updated 21-May-12
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Spread Betting Guide to Making a Trade, updated 21-May-12
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Stock Market Opening and Closing Times, updated 21-May-12
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Spread Betting v Share Trading, updated 21-May-12
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Sectors Spread Betting, updated 21-May-12
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Trailing Stop Orders, updated 21-May-12
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Spread Betting on House Prices, updated 27-Aug-08
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Differential Spread Betting, updated 30-Apr-12
Differential Spread Betting - the complete guide to differential spread betting, where to trade differentials, what is differential spread betting, how to spread bet on FTSE vs Dow and...read article: Differential Spread Betting.
FTSE Dow Jones Differential, updated 30-Apr-12
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FTSE DAX Differential, updated 30-Apr-12
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Crude Oil Differential, updated 30-Apr-12
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Nadex, updated 11-Oct-10
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Spread Betting Tips: 5 Proverbs to Help Your Trading, updated 09-Nov-10
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Spread Betting Tips: Remove Four Flawed Emotions, updated 08-Nov-10
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Spread Betting Tips: Why Women Are Better at Spread Betting Than Men, updated 05-Nov-10
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Spread Betting Tips: Using Your Losses to Make You a Better Trader, updated 04-Nov-10
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Spread Betting Myths, updated 20-Oct-10
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UK Shares Spread Betting: Declining M&S Sales Weigh on FTSE Retailers, updated 17-Apr-12
The UK shares spread betting market is focusing on the retail sector this morning. High Street bellwether Marks and Spencer may not be the biggest retailer in the UK but today's numbers have come as rather a shock. For a stock that...read article: UK Shares Spread Betting: Declining M&S Sales Weigh on FTSE Retailers.
Bullish FOMC Tone Boosts Dow Jones Spread Betting Market to Pre-Lehman Levels, updated 14-Mar-12
The shorter FOMC meeting last night struck a bullish tone and fuelled the rally in the Dow Jones spread betting market which took it beyond the 13000 mark, to its highest level since 2007. This takes us back to pre-Lehman times and...read article: Bullish FOMC Tone Boosts Dow Jones Spread Betting Market to Pre-Lehman Levels.
EUR/USD Spread Betting Market Surges Ahead of Second ECB LTRO, updated 28-Feb-12
On the forex spread betting markets, the EUR/USD spread betting market surged in anticipation of the ECB's second LTRO. Round one of the LTRO was a success as far as the ECB is concerned as...read article: EUR/USD Spread Betting Market Surges Ahead of Second ECB LTRO.
FTSE Spread Betting Market Rises as Final Greek Deadline Approaches, updated 08-Feb-12
The FTSE spread betting market is above the 5900 level as risk continues to remain attractive to investors who seem to feel that a deal on Greek debt is imminent. As negotiation deadlines slip once again, the final deadline continues to...read article: FTSE Spread Betting Market Rises as Final Greek Deadline Approaches.
EUR/USD Spread Betting Market Rises Despite Struggling Greek Debt Talks, updated 23-Jan-12
The deadline for the struggling Greek debt talks continues to be pushed back and the Greek situation wasn't looking good going into the weekend. However, the creditors' offer this morning has seen the EUR/USD spread betting market rise despite...read article: EUR/USD Spread Betting Market Rises Despite Struggling Greek Debt Talks.
Bullish Indices Spread Betting Markets Rally on Strong European Bond Auctions, updated 20-Jan-12
The indices spread betting saw a glimmer of hope for the Eurozone yesterday on some strong bond auctions. The FTSE 100 index has opened firmly above its 200 day moving average with US indices also...read article: Bullish Indices Spread Betting Markets Rally on Strong European Bond Auctions.
Indices Spread Betting Markets Rally Ahead of EU Summit on Fiscal Integration, updated 07-Dec-11
Ahead of the EU summit on fiscal integration, ten year European bond yields have tumbled significantly. This has improved investor sentiment and seen the indices spread betting markets rally with the FTSE up...read article: Indices Spread Betting Markets Rally Ahead of EU Summit on Fiscal Integration.
Indices Spread Betting: FTSE Falls as Confidence and Growth Struggle, updated 23-Nov-11
Asian indices spread betting markets have plunged to new lows and this has fed through to the FTSE index. Economies are slowing around the globe and politicians seem unable to stop the confidence ebbing away from...read article: Indices Spread Betting: FTSE Falls as Confidence and Growth Struggle.
FX Spread Betting: EUR/USD Tumbles as EU Leaders Discuss Eurozone Break Up, updated 10-Nov-11
The EUR/USD tumbled on the FX spread betting markets as the Eurozone debt crisis continues to seem out of control. The reality is that European leaders are now talking about the possibility of a break up of the Eurozone and...read article: FX Spread Betting: EUR/USD Tumbles as EU Leaders Discuss Eurozone Break Up.
Dow Jones Spread Betting: Will Indices See a Year End Bull Run?, updated 09-Nov-11
The tentative buying on the indices spread betting markets has raised the question of whether this is the start of a year end bull run. The Dow Jones spread betting market usually leads the charge higher and we saw evidence of this as...read article: Dow Jones Spread Betting: Will Indices See a Year End Bull Run?.
Indices Spread Betting Markets Stabilise After Greek Referendum Inspires Volatility, updated 02-Nov-11
The Greek referendum inspired blood bath on the indices spread betting markets appears to have come to a halt this morning. However, Italian bond yields are comfortably back above 6% and this instability is just going to cause more volatility in...read article: Indices Spread Betting Markets Stabilise After Greek Referendum Inspires Volatility.
EUR/USD Spread Betting Market Tumbles as Greece Announces Bailout Referendum, updated 01-Nov-11
The EUR/USD spread betting market is trading in a freefall after half of a month long rally against the dollar was lost in a day. This came as the Greek PM announced a referendum on whether they should accept the bailout or...read article: EUR/USD Spread Betting Market Tumbles as Greece Announces Bailout Referendum.
Stock Market Spread Betting: FTSE 100 Consolidates Ahead of Key EU Debt Summit, updated 26-Oct-11
Stock Market Spread Betting: All eyes will be on Europe today and the outcome of the debt summit. Concerns that we may only see temporary measures caused a sell off for US shares that filtered through to the FTSE 100 this morning but...read article: Stock Market Spread Betting: FTSE 100 Consolidates Ahead of Key EU Debt Summit.
Indices Spread Betting: FTSE 100 Rises on Hopes of Eurozone Solution, updated 24-Oct-11
The indices spread betting markets seem to be remaining hopeful that European politicians will provide a long term solution to the crisis on Wednesday. The discussions are likely to continue but the FTSE 100 seems...read article: Indices Spread Betting: FTSE 100 Rises on Hopes of Eurozone Solution.
UK 100 Struggles as Corporate Data Fails to Distract from Eurozone Crisis, updated 19-Oct-11
The UK 100 spread betting market is finding it difficult to make gains and the focus remains on the overall European picture. The problem is that the economic and corporate data isn't exactly excelling either so...read article: UK 100 Struggles as Corporate Data Fails to Distract from Eurozone Crisis.
FTSE 100 Shrugs Off Weakening UK Unemployment Figures to Test Resistance, updated 13-Oct-11
The FTSE 100 spread betting market has shrugged off the dire UK unemployment figures but the story is a sorry one for the UK economy. The economy is flat lining, confidence is being shattered and the result is...read article: FTSE 100 Shrugs Off Weakening UK Unemployment Figures to Test Resistance.
UK 100 Rises Despite Further Banking Bailouts Ahead of Greek Debt Decision, updated 11-Oct-11
The UK 100 spread betting market has risen as investors remain heavily focused on Europe. Now not only Dexia, but also a Danish bank and a Greek bank have gone cap in hand to their government. This comes ahead of the troika's assessment of Greek finances and...read article: UK 100 Rises Despite Further Banking Bailouts Ahead of Greek Debt Decision.
Financial Spread Betting Markets Rise as BoE Adds £75bn Quantitative Easing, updated 07-Oct-11
The Bank of Englad has announced £75bn of additional quantitative easing which is designed to prevent a dip back into recession. The financial spread betting markets considered that the first round of QE back in...read article: Financial Spread Betting Markets Rise as BoE Adds £75bn Quantitative Easing.
FTSE 100 Spread Betting Market Falls as Greece Prepares to Miss Deficit Targets, updated 03-Oct-11
The FTSE 100 spread betting market isn't in the best of shape after Greece said that despite their austerity program they will miss their deficit targets this year and next. This means that the troika shouldn't grant them their...read article: FTSE 100 Spread Betting Market Falls as Greece Prepares to Miss Deficit Targets.
Gold Spreads Plummet as EU Leaders Discuss Leveraging European Bailout, updated 26-Sep-11
It's all about the gold spread betting market this morning which has not just fallen but absolutely plummeted some 12% overnight as there is a realisation from politicians that the situation in Europe is...read article: Gold Spreads Plummet as EU Leaders Discuss Leveraging European Bailout.
European Banking Stocks See Bullish Recovery After Turbulent Session, updated 14-Sep-11
To say stock markets have been turbulent would be an understatement. Many European banking stocks, which had earlier in the day been nursing very heavy losses, made a very impressive recovery. In fact, several formed bullish...read article: European Banking Stocks See Bullish Recovery After Turbulent Session.
French Banking Stocks Tumble on Expectations of Downgrades and Greek Default, updated 12-Sep-11
It's not a pretty start as France's Cac index has breached its August lows and we can expect a Moody's downgrade of French banking stocks this week. Their banking sector is one of the most exposed to Greek debt and...read article: French Banking Stocks Tumble on Expectations of Downgrades and Greek Default.
Indices Fall as US Announces $200bn Lawsuit Against Banking Sector, updated 05-Sep-11
Even though it's a bank holiday in the US, things are frantic in the indices spread betting markets. The US decided to drop a bombshell on the banking sector by announcing a $200 billion lawsuit across the whole industry for...read article: Indices Fall as US Announces $200bn Lawsuit Against Banking Sector.
Spread Betting Indices Continue to See Volatility on Speculation of QE3, updated 24-Aug-11
Rallies and falls are becoming the name of the game for the spread betting indices markets at the moment. Investors have been speculating about the potential for QE3 to be announced in Bernanke's statement from Jackson Hole which...read article: Spread Betting Indices Continue to See Volatility on Speculation of QE3.
Day Trading and Technical Analysis, updated 17-Aug-11
A day trader is someone who generally prefers to buy an asset and sell it again the same day. As a result, many day trading investors prefer to use 'technical analysis' to guide their trading. The underlying principle behind any technical analysis is...read article: Day Trading and Technical Analysis.
German Dax Struggles as GDP Data Inspires Fear of a Slowdown, updated 16-Aug-11
German growth data has put a bit of a spanner in the works with the announcement of an anaemic 0.1% performance. All the indices are working in tandem, with the German Dax worse off thanks to the GDP data and...read article: German Dax Struggles as GDP Data Inspires Fear of a Slowdown.
EUR/USD Trades in a Tight Range Ahead of Franco-German Discussion on EU Bonds, updated 15-Aug-11
The financial spread betting markets are entering yet another period of tense expectation as Sarkozy and Merkel meet to decide the future of EU Bonds. On the forex markets so far this month, the Euro - Dollar forex market has been...read article: EUR/USD Trades in a Tight Range Ahead of Franco-German Discussion on EU Bonds.
Crude Oil Spread Betting Tools, updated 04-Aug-11
In order to trade crude oil successfully, you need the right tools for the job. Here we briefly look at some of the available crude oil spread betting tools. One of the most important tools for newcomers to financial spread betting is a...read article: Crude Oil Spread Betting Tools.
FTSE 100 Tumbles as Global Economies Slow and Eurozone Crisis Persists, updated 03-Aug-11
Financial markets are not enjoying themselves at the moment as the FTSE 100 plunges to new lows. Not only do economic measures point to economies around the globe slowing more than was hoped, but the Eurozone crisis is...read article: FTSE 100 Tumbles as Global Economies Slow and Eurozone Crisis Persists.
The Risks of Stock Market Spread Betting, updated 01-Aug-11
There are very real stock market trading risks involved in every single trade. Here we will outline what those risks are and how a trader can minimise their effects. The biggest risk facing a stock market trader is...read article: The Risks of Stock Market Spread Betting.
Stock Market Trading Strategies, updated 19-Jul-11
Many inexperienced traders make the mistake of venturing into the world of trading without first researching stock market trading strategies. The end result is that when they lose they do not really understand why and when...read article: Stock Market Trading Strategies.
Indices Weaken on Uncertainty Ahead of European Banking Stress Test Results, updated 15-Jul-11
A lot of analysts across the finance industry are going to pore over the results of the European Banking Authority's stress tests due out today. Until we see the results of these tests the indices markets are going to remain unsettled and...read article: Indices Weaken on Uncertainty Ahead of European Banking Stress Test Results.
Euro Rallies as ECB Raises Rates and Waives Collateral Rules for Portuguese Debt, updated 08-Jul-11
The Euro/Dollar enjoyed a decent rally after the ECB raised interest rates to 1.5% yesterday. Trichet's announcement to allow Portuguese bonds to be used as collateral was another catalyst for...read article: Euro Rallies as ECB Raises Rates and Waives Collateral Rules for Portuguese Debt.
FX Trading, updated 04-Jul-11
When FX trading the price of a foreign currency, such as the Euro, is always quoted in relation to that of another currency, often the US dollar or the British pound. In forex spread betting, you do not have to pay any commission to...read article: FX Trading.
Stock Market Trading Explained, updated 01-Jul-11
Historically, stock markets were places where buyers and sellers physically got together to trade in shares. Today, most stock markets function electronically, though if you want to buy shares, you still have to...read article: Stock Market Trading Explained.
Forex Trading Tools, updated 30-Jun-11
When spread betting on the forex markets, you need the tools of the trade. Let us have a brief look at what you need to begin forex trading and where to get it. First and foremost you need...read article: Forex Trading Tools.
Euro - Dollar Forex Pair Weakens as Debt Concerns Conflict With Carry Trade Support, updated 13-Jun-11
Inflamed fears that the Greek debt crisis will spread to its European members made a significant sell off quite apparent in the single currency. With all the negative information circling through the Eurozone we...read article: Euro - Dollar Forex Pair Weakens as Debt Concerns Conflict With Carry Trade Support.
Stock Market Sentiment Improves and Fundamentals Remain Strong, updated 09-Jun-11
Listening to the comments from analysts this morning there seems to be almost a sea change in opinion with a much more bullish tone emerging for stock market indices and equities. Our spread betting clients were...read article: Stock Market Sentiment Improves and Fundamentals Remain Strong.
Shares Remain Supported by Euro Strength on Efforts to Avoid Greek Default, updated 08-Jun-11
The strength of equity markets, or at least their lack of pronounced weakness, is being put down to the recent surge in the Euro which has made its way back above the $1.4600 level. The basic...read article: Shares Remain Supported by Euro Strength on Efforts to Avoid Greek Default.
Indices Spread Betting Markets Fall Sharply on Weak Global PMI Data, updated 02-Jun-11
Worry is creeping in amongst the ranks of investors as the raft of economic data set alarms bells over the state of the global economy ringing across the indices spread betting markets. Not only did the...read article: Indices Spread Betting Markets Fall Sharply on Weak Global PMI Data.
FX Spread Betting: Euro Falls on Further Eurozone Downgrades, updated 23-May-11
Once again it's the Eurozone debt issue that is at the forefront with a downgrade to Italy's debt this morning following Greece's downgrade last Friday. Add it all together and you get a sell off for the Euro on the...read article: FX Spread Betting: Euro Falls on Further Eurozone Downgrades.
Alpari, updated 19-Apr-11
Alpari (UK) Limited ('Alpari (UK)'), one of the fastest-growing providers of forex, precious metals and contracts for difference ('CFDs') online trading services, is delighted to announce that the company has won ...read article: Alpari.
UK Retail Shares Spread Betting Markets Rise on M&S Results, updated 06-Apr-11
Recent weeks have been a struggle for retailers in particular and this morning the UK shares spread betting market is focusing on high street bellwether Marks & Spencer...read article: UK Retail Shares Spread Betting Markets Rise on M&S Results.
Spread Betting Market Review: Q1 2011, updated 01-Apr-11
For many people, the first quarter of 2011 was a quarter they would rather forget. The re-emergence of the Eurozone debt crisis got us...read article: Spread Betting Market Review: Q1 2011.
Fitzdares Spread Betting, updated 21-Mar-11
Mayfair-based bespoke bookies Fitzdares is to become the latest bookmaker to enter the financial spread betting market. The London-based bookmaker has...read article: Fitzdares Spread Betting.
G7 Causes Yen to Spike, updated 18-Mar-11
G7 intervention in the currency spread betting markets led to a huge spike in USD/JPY and we're now back well above the ¥80 mark. The rate is at...read article: G7 Causes Yen to Spike.
ODL, updated 12-Oct-10
According to ODL, ''ODL Markets is powered by FXCM and only makes a profit from the spread. Our No Dealing Desk technology...read article: ODL.
Day Trading, updated 16-Mar-11
One of the major advantages of day trading is that you are in control and able to quickly execute your trading strategy, often without a middleman. Spread betting companies tend offer live prices on...read article: Day Trading.
Clean Financial Launches a Range of Improvements to Celebrate its Birthday, updated 18-Feb-11
CleanFinancial.com, is celebrating its fifth birthday by launching a range of improvements to their site. The service, which was set up five years ago this month...read article: Clean Financial Launches a Range of Improvements to Celebrate its Birthday.
Trading the Global Oil Markets in 2011, updated 15-Feb-11
World-wide oil supplies will peak around 2035 when oil prices should be in excess of $200, the IEA stated in a recent report, as the emerging markets, and particularly China...read article: Trading the Global Oil Markets in 2011.
Spread Betting Markets Await Upcoming Inflation Data, updated 14-Feb-11
The focus of the spread betting markets will very much be on inflation this week with CPI numbers being released from China and the UK tomorrow, then the US...read article: Spread Betting Markets Await Upcoming Inflation Data.
An Introduction to Trading the FX Markets, updated 10-Feb-11
The foreign currency exchange market, also known as the forex or FX market, is the single most traded financial market in the world. Forex trading is the buying of...read article: An Introduction to Trading the FX Markets.
Sterling Spread Betting Market Jumps on Possible Interest Rate Hikes, updated 02-Feb-11
You wouldn't have thought that many people would be calling for interest rate hikes following last weeks dismal UK GDP numbers. Nevertheless, NIESR...read article: Sterling Spread Betting Market Jumps on Possible Interest Rate Hikes.
The Gold Market in December 2010, updated 06-Dec-10
The two month highs of the US dollar have weighed on the price of gold. Despite the fact that gold prices usually rally in times of economic uncertainty, such as the...read article: The Gold Market in December 2010.
FTSE 100 Spread Betting and European Sovereign Debt, updated 01-Dec-10
The world stock markets and the euro have slumped on concerns that the European sovereign debt crisis will spread across the continent. Further clouding the...read article: FTSE 100 Spread Betting and European Sovereign Debt.
Korea, Ireland and the Spread Betting Markets, updated 23-Nov-10
Given their safe haven status, the dollar and gold markets have rallied a bit from the pre-news levels but it is unlikely that much more will happen unless...read article: Korea, Ireland and the Spread Betting Markets.
US Quantitative Easing and the Forex Spread Betting Markets, updated 22-Nov-10
Whilst the US Dollar will often benefit from turmoil in the markets the US Federal Reserve's second round of quantitative easing will most likely...read article: US Quantitative Easing and the Forex Spread Betting Markets.
Where Next for the UK and US Spread Betting Markets?, updated 19-Nov-10
Investors had few places to hide recently as commodities, bonds and stocks fell on fears that China may raise interest rates. However it's been a double dose of...read article: Where Next for the UK and US Spread Betting Markets?.
Up or Down for Spread Betting Indices?, updated 12-Nov-10
At the beginning of November 2010, in an attempt to boost the anaemic US economy, the US Federal Reserve announced that it would buy $600bn of government bonds by...read article: Up or Down for Spread Betting Indices?.
What's Affecting the Forex Spread Betting Markets?, updated 11-Nov-10
Whilst the dollar remains weak against the high-yielding and emerging market currencies, it has been looking stronger versus the euro and the yen after...read article: What's Affecting the Forex Spread Betting Markets?.
BoE Inflation Report Aids Sterling Spreads, updated 10-Nov-10
The fact that UK growth prospects are looking reasonable means that the BoE may well have to look at higher rates at the back end of 2011. As a result we a seeing a rise in Sterling...read article: BoE Inflation Report Aids Sterling Spreads.
Spread Betting, Quantitative Easing and the FX Markets, updated 08-Nov-10
The decision by the US Federal Reserve to inject the US economy with an additional $600bn over the next few months caused asset prices to surge with stock market prices...read article: Spread Betting, Quantitative Easing and the FX Markets.
Spread Betting on the Housing Market, updated 29-Oct-10
It's interesting to see that you can now speculate on house prices with some of the larger spread betting firms. According to a recent Financial Spreads report, the latest UK data has shown that...read article: Spread Betting on the Housing Market.
Are The Global Commodities Set to Rise Further?, updated 27-Oct-10
The rise in commodity prices caused by the falling US dollar since early September appears to be waning as a decision on a potential second...read article: Are The Global Commodities Set to Rise Further?.
Up or Down for the Crude Oil Market?, updated 27-Oct-10
Secretary General of OPEC Abdullah al-Badri said that oil prices of $75-$85 a barrel wouldn't hold back the global economy, despite some...read article: Up or Down for the Crude Oil Market?.
Bond Spreads Weaken on Further Stimulus Talk, updated 06-Oct-10
Fortunately none of the woes over state debt are impacting the spread betting markets at the moment as indications that Central Banks intend to be even more...read article: Bond Spreads Weaken on Further Stimulus Talk.
Where Next for the Crude Oil Spread Betting Market?, updated 28-Sep-10
Every Wednesday the US government releases the latest oil inventory numbers and the recent figures have not been good for those speculating on a rise...read article: Where Next for the Crude Oil Spread Betting Market?.
Where Next for Sterling?, updated 27-Sep-10
The Pound is suffering again in the currency markets and it has fallen to its lowest levels against the Euro currency since July 2010. It briefly pushed through the...read article: Where Next for Sterling?.
Gold Spread Betting Market Hits All Time High, updated 24-Sep-10
In the commodities markets, Gold has again reached an all time high of $1,296.10 per troy ounce. It may only be a temporary shift, however the equities markets are...read article: Gold Spread Betting Market Hits All Time High.
BoJ Intervenes in the Yen Spread Betting Market, updated 15-Sep-10
The Bank of Japan finally decided enough was enough last night and came in buying around $3bn versus the Yen. In the long run it is difficult to...read article: BoJ Intervenes in the Yen Spread Betting Market.
Spread Trading on the Gold Markets, updated 01-Sep-10
The gold market is constantly hitting new highs. Yes after hitting the next high it may drop as much as $75 or even $100 but the metal soon finds its way again and looks to...read article: Spread Trading on the Gold Markets.
Bond Spread Betting Markets and the Recovery, updated 25-Aug-10
Much as it might surprise readers the biggest investment market in the world is not equities, it's the bond markets. This market, if it is correct, is now telling us a worrying story...read article: Bond Spread Betting Markets and the Recovery.
Trading on the Crude Oil Markets, updated 13-Aug-10
With the risk of a double dip recession and therefore lower demand for energy products, crude oil prices have been rather deflated of late. If you are looking to trade the oil markets then...read article: Trading on the Crude Oil Markets.
Indices Spreads Remain Subdued on Low Volumes, updated 06-Aug-10
Recently I was in discussion with a top analyst from one of the major investment banks and the general thrust of the conversation was how...read article: Indices Spreads Remain Subdued on Low Volumes.
How to Trade the FX Markets, updated 30-Jul-10
The FX markets are often an interesting if not a confusing place to trade. The Japanese Yen is still seen as the strong man of the major currencies yet that is ...read article: How to Trade the FX Markets.
Spread Betting Markets Under Pressure, updated 30-Jul-10
The old saying of 'Sell in May and go away' has rarely seemed quite so appropriate as in the current climate. The markets are certainly spooked...read article: Spread Betting Markets Under Pressure.
Spread Betting and Money Supply Data, updated 26-Jul-10
So we have seen the M4 money supply numbers come out from the UK Treasury and the numbers are broadly steady but limited. This state of affairs is not good enough for...read article: Spread Betting and Money Supply Data.
Reducing Your Risk When Spread Betting, updated 13-Jul-10
We have seen the same pattern repeating itself for some time now. This sort of price action though has its positives especially for day traders. Nevertheless when trading the stock market there are some risks...read article: Reducing Your Risk When Spread Betting.
Spread Betting on the BP Share Price, updated 01-Jul-10
The problems for BP are mounting and this has really been holding back the FTSE 100. As the FTSE 100's largest company, a drop of...read article: Spread Betting on the BP Share Price.
Banking Oversight to be Handed to BoE in FSA Break Up, updated 17-Jun-10
As the Captain decides to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, the BoE has been tasked with taking over much of the FSA's remit. Overall we are left wondering...read article: Banking Oversight to be Handed to BoE in FSA Break Up.
Spread Betting on the Falling Euro/Dollar Market, updated 23-May-10
Until recently, all of the Euro-is-in-trouble stories were in the future tense. The problem now is that the articles have, to a greater or less degree, changed to the present tense. The Euro has been drifting against...read article: Spread Betting on the Falling Euro/Dollar Market.
Spread Trading the Dow Jones, updated 19-May-10
Over the last couple of years we have seen increased market volatility as the credit crunch and hesitant recovery have changed the face of the financial landscape. Nowhere has this been more obvious than the Dow Jones. Many investors have ...read article: Spread Trading the Dow Jones.
Spread Betting and the Gold Markets, updated 19-May-10
Gold has broken through to yet another record high. The previous high of $1226 per troy ounce was set in November 2009. Since then the gold market has dropped as low as...read article: Spread Betting and the Gold Markets.
Tips for Trading Stock Market Indices, updated 10-May-10
Many traders and investors have trading rules and tips to help guide their investments. To me too many tips are on a particular trade and do not focus on strategies. At the same time too few tips...read article: Tips for Trading Stock Market Indices.
Sterling Spreads Continue to Struggle, updated 02-Mar-10
When the forex markets don't like you they really don't like you. Sterling continues to weaken as the prospect of either a renewed Labour administration or a weakened...read article: Sterling Spreads Continue to Struggle.
Greek Bailout and Forex Tax News, updated 10-Feb-10
Yesterday our early morning comment emphasised that the Northern European States would eventually fall into line and prop up the PIGS. The thinking was that the...read article: Greek Bailout and Forex Tax News.
Spread Trading the Oil Markets, updated 06-Feb-10
So far in 2010 the crude oil market has been rather unspectacular. The only people who seem to be making money, apart from the gents who own the wells, are those who have been ...read article: Spread Trading the Oil Markets.
Gold Futures and China, updated 26-Jan-10
The gold futures market has been fascinating to watch over the last few years - although it has not always been the easiest market to call. With the Chinese economy doing so well there must be increasing amounts of pressure to float the Yuan. This pressure is underpinning the price of gold. A stronger Yuan translates...read article: Gold Futures and China.
Financial Spread Trading UK, updated 14-Jan-10
Financial Spread Trading does have its risks but there are a good number of benefits. Financial spread trading is Tax Free*, it is also...read article: Financial Spread Trading UK.
Spread Betting Markets for 2010, updated 13-Jan-10
What can we expect this year? Stock markets are quite well valued at the moment but equities continue to give better returns than...read article: Spread Betting Markets for 2010.
Inflation and Weak Pound Pressure Retailers, updated 26-Oct-09
I am less than convinced about the inflation data that we are now getting. I am now seeing across the board increases in food, fuel and...read article: Inflation and Weak Pound Pressure Retailers.
Jobs and Banking, updated 03-Jul-09
The Bank of England expects that house prices have seen the worst and that there are enough independent signals to indicate that the economy is in a position to grow in...read article: Jobs and Banking.
Rising UK Unemployment, updated 29-Jun-09
Unemployment levels are becoming an *Elephant in the room* subject as economists forever talk of Job losses as being yesterday's...read article: Rising UK Unemployment.
UK Taxes and Stronger Banks, updated 24-Jun-09
There is a small sense of medium sized to large corporations finally starting to baulk at various new business tax burdens being continually levied in the UK. In separate stories...read article: UK Taxes and Stronger Banks.
Goldmans Sets Crude Oil Target at $75, updated 05-Jun-09
Energy shares rose after Goldman Sachs lifted its price target on light sweet crude oil from $52 to $75 a barrel...read article: Goldmans Sets Crude Oil Target at $75.
Political Quotes, updated 19-May-10
To celebrate the comedy of politics we have put together some of our favourite politics quotes, including audio and video clips....read article: Political Quotes.
The Budget and The Markets, updated 22-Apr-09
The betting is on a spread of £175-£200bn of borrowing requirements this year. That means that, just for 2009, the state will be overspending by...read article: The Budget and The Markets.
Is it Time to be More Positive?, updated 14-Apr-09
For most of the Major indices we are now in the constricted trading area which defined the mid Jan to mid Feb volume trading range. Reading the analysts comments we can see a sharp divide in opinion arising. Half appear to think that...read article: Is it Time to be More Positive?.
Trading Financial Fixed Odds, updated 13-Apr-09
In case you haven't noticed we have now added a new Financial Fixed-Odds section. So if you are looking to trade the ranges you now know you need a 'Barrier Range Trade' or...read article: Trading Financial Fixed Odds.
The Problem of Throwing More Money at The Recession, updated 03-Apr-09
It is nice to see that the politician's favourite method of *problem solution* is being used once again. The huge sums being proposed to prop up...read article: The Problem of Throwing More Money at The Recession.
Gordon Brown Resigns, updated 01-Apr-09
Gordon Brown has unexpectedly stepped down as Prime Minister. In an emotional farewell he praised...read article: Gordon Brown Resigns.
Risks of Over Regulation, updated 18-Mar-09
So the regulators are about to release their pearls of wisdom to a breathless audience and already the sound of incredulity is being heard across the city. Huge limitations, restrictions...read article: Risks of Over Regulation.
More Regulation, Overdue Recession and the Blame Game, updated 17-Mar-09
Whilst I would not seek to defend this government there is a certain amount of truth in the fact that much of the huge banking losses...read article: More Regulation, Overdue Recession and the Blame Game.
Scaling In and Out of Positions, updated 15-Mar-09
I don't like change and that's getting worse. However, I know that to survive one has to adapt. It's time to start accumulating positions in good companies. Lately I've been scaling in and out of spread betting positions, and that is the plan for...read article: Scaling In and Out of Positions.
New Short Selling Argument, updated 10-Mar-09
Nice to see the argument over short selling is rearing its head again. The FD of Aviva describing it as...read article: New Short Selling Argument.
UK Government Robs Peter to Pay Paul, updated 23-Feb-09
Banning 100% mortgages sounds great when making populist laws but in reality not many banks are offering them now anyway. The 100% (and more) mortgage always sounded odd but there were clear reasons for...read article: UK Government Robs Peter to Pay Paul.
Gordon Brown, Failures and Selling Gold, updated 17-Feb-09
It seems to me that there is very little actually going on out there on the political front. Nobody seems to be coming up with any wonderful new ideas about getting us out of the current mess. No rewards for failure...at what price did Gordon sell gold?...read article: Gordon Brown, Failures and Selling Gold.
Lloyds, HBOS and Deflation, updated 16-Feb-09
It is not clear whether the losses in HBOS are actually 'toxic' debt or whether they are real loans to real businesses in the UK that have gone belly up. HBOS was a big lender to...read article: Lloyds, HBOS and Deflation.
US Stimulus and Weak Foreign Markets, updated 11-Feb-09
So the senate has passed the stimulus bill and we must now await with bated breath for its effects to take place. Of course, with the economy in the US bleeding jobs at an ever increasing rate any form of fire wall must be considered. However spending over...read article: US Stimulus and Weak Foreign Markets.
Banking, Bonds and Interest Rates, updated 09-Feb-09
The huge issuance required by the various state agencies across the globe may now be matched by the refinancing demands of the private sector. Debt to Equity levels may become ever...read article: Banking, Bonds and Interest Rates.
Interest Rates and Green Shoots, updated 06-Feb-09
Whilst the Bank did what the market expected there is now a large contingent who believe that more cuts and any move lower towards 0% interest rates will be a huge over reaction by...read article: Interest Rates and Green Shoots.
How Low Should Interest Rates Go?, updated 05-Feb-09
Japan has had ultra low rates for almost 20 years and much good it has done them. Their State debt levels are now so high that they could never...read article: How Low Should Interest Rates Go?.
Will we see a FTSE 100 Breakout?, updated 23-Jan-09
The FTSE and Dow are swinging wildly during each session. This type of trading activity is generally an indication that we are about to break out from the current range but...read article: Will we see a FTSE 100 Breakout?.
The End of the Short Selling Ban, updated 18-Jan-09
It could be a big day in the markets today, the FSA have lifted their short selling ban on Financial...read article: The End of the Short Selling Ban.
Pressure on the European Banking Sector, updated 11-Jan-09
The German government finally succumbed to the pressure of the credit crunch and banking crisis yesterday by plunging €10bn into Commerzbank. The bank is a major...read article: Pressure on the European Banking Sector.
Should We Have More Interest Rate Cuts?, updated 08-Jan-09
The FTSE's 6 day winning streak has come to an abrupt end after yesterday's 2.8% decline and the market dipping another 1% so far this morning. There is clearly nervousness surrounding the interest rate decision from the BoE...read article: Should We Have More Interest Rate Cuts?.
Sterling, Europe and Redemptions, updated 02-Jan-09
While we can see no real reasons for buying Sterling it has to be admitted that the precipitous fall of the last month might be rather an over reaction to...read article: Sterling, Europe and Redemptions.
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.
Short Selling Ban and Spread Betting, updated 16-Jan-09
So how are the various short selling bans affecting spread betting? What can you do / what can't you do?...read article: Short Selling Ban and Spread Betting.
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.
More Spread Betting Markets Compared, updated 09-Feb-09
We have now added more markets to our spread betting comparison tables and also made a few further improvements. You can now see which companies provide candlestick charts. In the indices comparison tables we have now added DAX 30 and...read article: More Spread Betting Markets Compared.
Spread Betting Strategies, updated 24-May-12
A range of features from industry professionals discussing various market opportunities, financial outlooks, sector trading, spread betting growth areas and...read article: Spread Betting Strategies.
Interesting Quotes and Live Financial Quotes, updated 24-May-12
Interesting Quotes and Live Financial Quotes: quote of the day and the last 5 political quotes, funny quotes and topical quotes. Plus where to get free financial real time prices and quotes...read article: Interesting Quotes and Live Financial Quotes.
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