Archive for February, 2011

UK markets, after having a markedly softer tone this morning, have pulled back into positive territory in the afternoon session, despite concerns about Libya and Middle East tensions never too far away. The banking sector has been the main drag on equities in today’s day trading session, on the back of market disappointment with...
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European equities fell on Tuesday dragging down The FTSE 100, DAX and CAC between 0.5% and 1.4% respectively as traders sought defensive safe havens such as the US dollar and left risky asset classes such as mining and banking equities. The reaction in the financial markets is a reaction of uncertainty over how the...
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European Indices fell between 0.3% and 1.2% on Monday as early gains quickly reversed on escalating violence and protests in Libya. Traders hate uncertainty and whilst they appeared to digest the continuing unrest in the Middle East with ease last week, the escalation in both violence and unrest in Libya over the weekend and...
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Despite the fact that global equity markets have been bullish in market activity recently, current market developments might be an early warning. A market trend looks to be developing, and the FTSE 100 might be heading for a move to the downside. Elsewhere in the financial markets, oil prices have also fallen lower. As...
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Sterling swooped lower versus both the Australian and the New Zealand dollars at the start of last week, before reversing the trend. It opened in London this week a cent and a half up on the Kiwi but pretty much unchanged versus the Aussie. The Aussie The day trading markets saw Australia’s economy go rather...
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Sterling ratcheted lower through last week, covering a range of about two cents versus the dollar and losing a net one cent. As the range and change suggest, it was not the most exciting week for sterling. Meaty data were in short supply. The British Retail Consortium opened the batting with a 2.3% monthly increase...
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“The FTSE 100 underperformed wider European indices to fall 0.4% in late trading on Tuesday. Mining companies weighed on the UK index whilst key pieces of economic data also missed market expectations, leaving traders at a point of indecision. The story of the trading day has been one of a battle between the banks and...
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Sterling had a rather inconsistent week last week against the Loonie and the Rand. It started last week lurching 2 cents higher on the Canadian dollar, then dropping last Friday. On a 3 cent range, it opened this Monday just one cent better than the previous week’s open. Sterling zigzagged higher through last week...
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Sterling zigzagged higher versus the yen, adding two yen last Monday and Tuesday then consolidating before climbing to a high last Thursday. A setback on Thursday and Friday cost sterling two yen. It moved higher again into the weekend and opened in London this Monday three yen higher on the week. It was an equally...
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A powerful performance by sterling last Monday was followed by three days of slower upward progress. Topping out last Thursday morning four cents above the week’s starting point, sterling then dropped back by half that distance before finding renewed support on Friday afternoon. It opened in London this week three cents firmer on the...
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