Monthly Archives: December 2009
UK Banks to Boost Mortgages in 2010
Encouraging words from the UK’s Central Bank that could be further proof of the impact of quantitative easing economic policy. Bank of England Banks and other lenders were making more mortgages available to their customers in the final quarter of the year and are expected to further boost their offerings in the new year, the Bank of England said today. In its latest quarterly Credit Conditions Survey, which asks lenders about credit conditions over the past three months, the Bank reported that respondents had said that the situation had become better because of the improved economic outlook and higher house prices. Continue reading
UK Banks to Boost Mortgages in 2010
Encouraging words from the UK’s Central Bank that could be further proof of the impact of quantitative easing economic policy. Continue reading
Greece and other Economies Still Worry Eurozone
The countries that were some time ago, success stories of the Euro zone integration are now one of the biggest worries to the founding members as the economies of Portural, Ireland, Greece, Spain and Italy are facing serious challenges and are not able to keep up with France and Germany. Continue reading
Iceland Approves 3.8bn Payment to UK and Netherlands
Iceland’s parliament has approved plans to repay 3.8bn euros (£3.4bn) to savers in the UK and the Netherlands. The money will go to the British and Dutch governments, who partially compensated savers when the Icesave online bank failed. More than 320,000 savers lost out when the bank collapsed in 2008. Continue reading
Iceland Approves 3.8bn Payment to UK and Netherlands
Iceland’s parliament has approved plans to repay 3.8bn euros (£3.4bn) to savers in the UK and the Netherlands. The money will go to the British and Dutch governments, who partially compensated savers when the Icesave online bank failed. More than 320,000 savers lost out when the bank collapsed in 2008 Continue reading
British Pound Rebound!
Happy New Year! This mornings biggest gainer so far is the British pound (GBP), trading up 1.15% vs. Continue reading
British Pound Rebound!
Happy New Year! This mornings biggest gainer so far is the British pound (GBP), trading up 1.15% vs. Continue reading
Jobless Claims in the U.S. Fall to Lowest Level Since July 2008
Fewer Americans than anticipated filed claims for unemployment benefits last week, pointing to an improvement in the labor market that will help sustain economic growth next year. Initial jobless claims fell by 22,000 to 432,000 in the week ended Dec. Continue reading
In 2010 Beware Of the Keynesian Hangover
2008 and 2009 are the Years never to be forgotten. They nearly brought global financial markets to their knees Continue reading
Dollar/Yen at 3 Month Highs!
The US dollar/Japanese yen (USD/JPY) trade is at a 3-month high as high as 92.5 in today’s session. I’ve been on this trade since early December, when I mentioned in this article about the possible trend reversal that occurred and that the Japanese government was attempting (turns out successfully) to jawbone the yen lower. This also comes about on US dollar strength, which I’ve repeatedly mentioned over the past few trading sessions. Also interesting to note is some weakness in the Canadian dollar, otherwise known as the Loonie (CAD). Its down across the board, most notably against the US dollar, -1.00%. This is due in part to oil price fluctuation as well as a pullback from the recent strength its been showing. Because we are at year -end, I tend not to put as much emphasis on the price charts as volumes are lower so the normal patterns and strength and resistance levels that I usually rely on can be compromised. So while I do see some intriguing set-ups, I’m going to keep the rest of my trades very short-term until we start the New Year. Continue reading