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Market Preview: Focus on German GDP and Ifo sentiment indices | Tradingfloor.com

UK Stocks: Expected to open firmer

The FTSE 100 is likely to open 33 points stronger.

No key economic releases are slated for today.

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (MLC) is scheduled to report its results today.

BP (BP/) has won a ruling to exclude certain documents related to the company’s criminal plea and indictments of its employees in a trial scheduled on 25 February 2013 over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The Economic Times has reported that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is expected to lay off around 25.0 percent of its workforce and shut 22 branches in India.

via www.tradingfloor.com

Market Preview: EU industrial prod. and US retail sales in focus | Tradingfloor.com

UK Stocks: Likely to open lower

The FTSE 100 is expected to open 23 to 25 points in negative territory.

No major economic indicators are slated for release today. Markets are keeping an eye on the BoE's Quarterly Inflation Report and governor Mervyn King’s speech, scheduled for later today.

Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB), Tullow Oil (TLW), Telecity Group (TCY), African Barrick Gold (ABG), Pan African Resources (PAF), Anglo Pacific Group (APF) and Town Centre Securities (TCSC) are scheduled to report their results today.

Shell Oil, the US subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA), has stated that a fire at its refinery in Deer Park, Texas, was quickly isolated and controlled to one unit.

A Republican lawmaker has urged US authorities not to rush in settling the case with BP (BP/) over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Rio Tinto (RIO) has agreed to keep its Gove alumina refinery in Australia open following government efforts to find a cheaper source of energy for the plant.

According to Reuters, Bumi (BUMI) has agreed on a deal that would allow Indonesia’s Bakrie Group to divest its 23.8 percent stake in the company in exchange for a 10.3 percent stake in Bumi’s PT Bumi Resources.

via www.tradingfloor.com

German GDP could disappoint ahead of UK inflation numbers | CMC Markets UK

With concerns about growth in Europe, or rather the lack of it, at the forefront of investors’ minds, markets are likely to get the first indications of the extent of how badly the German economy has been affected by the recession in the rest of Europe with the publication of its annualised GDP numbers for 2012 this morning.

Monday’s disappointing November industrial production numbers don’t augur well for this GDP number and it’s hard to be too optimistic about a significant bounce back in December. The GDP numbers are expected to show a sharp drop from last year’s 3% growth to a much lower 0.8% for 2012, which would equate to a significant contraction in Q4.

If recent economic data is anything to go by you would be right in thinking that the UK economy is having a pretty tough time of it in light of recent data that suggests that Q4 could well have seen the UK economy drop back into contraction.

Last week the NIESR warned that the UK economy contracted 0.3% in the final quarter, however it would appear that the OECD has a different view with the organisation suggesting that of all the G7 nations the UK’s performance over the last 12 months has been the best of all, with its composite leading indicator coming in above 100 for the past three months.

Be that as it may it seems unlikely that this week’s economic data will reinforce that view, with the publication of the latest December CPI and RPI inflation numbers expected to show an increase of 0.5% and 0.4% respectively, driven by increases in energy prices.

This is expected to translate into an annualised increase of 2.7% and 3% respectively, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the annual rate push up even higher to 2.8%. Factory gate producer prices are also expected to edge higher as well.

If prices do remain elevated which seems likely with higher rail and transport prices set to come in the January numbers and potentially higher food prices in the coming months, it seems much less likely that the Bank of England will be restarting its asset purchase program anytime soon, and will more than likely pinning their hopes on the funding for lending scheme.

Last night’s speech and Q&A session by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke didn’t shed any further light on the divisions that came out of last week’s FOMC minutes, though the Fed chairman was at pains to point out that the US was still in a “relatively fragile recovery” and that the debt ceiling needed to be raised swiftly.

Today’s US economic data is expected to confirm that consumers remain cautious into the Christmas period with retail sales for December expected to show only a small rise of 0.2%, down from November’s 0.3% rise.

The manufacturing recovery continues to look patchy with Empire Manufacturing for January expected to recover after the -8.1 in December, expected to show a recovery into positive territory, coming in at 1.

via www.cmcmarkets.co.uk

Market Preview - 29 October 2012; Eyes on German CPI | Tradingfloor.com

UK Stocks: Likely to open lower
The FTSE 100 is expected to open 2 to 7 points in the red.

Halifax House Prices, Mortgage Approvals, M4 Money Supply, Net Consumer Credit and Net Lending Secured on Dwellings are the key economic indicators slated for release today.

Great Eastern Energy Corporation and Volex are scheduled to report their results later today.

Vodafone Group has announced that its Australian unit would cut around 500 jobs as a part of the company’s restructuring programme.

Japan’s Shionogi & Co. has announced that it would acquire a 10.0 percent stake in Viiv Healthcare, an AIDS drug joint venture between GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer.

The Sunday Times has reported that Christopher Gent, the Chairman of GlaxoSmithKline, plans to step down from his position within the next two to three years.

According to Bloomberg, BT Group may be forced to lower its sales guidance for the fiscal year 2013 due to an unfavourable regulatory pricing decision.

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UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Friday Sept 28 | Reuters

Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening up 22 to 27 points, or 0.5 percent on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, looking to end a bullish third-quarter on a high.

All Eyes on Bernanke as FOMC Meeting Nears Conclusion

By Spreadbet Magazine

 

An announcement is expected from the Federal Reserve’s FOMC (Federal open market committee) at 2.30 pm EST or 5.30 pm GMT after two days of deliberations on whether the Fed should intervene further to prop up the US economy.

The Fed is also committed to an environment of ultra low interest rates until at least 2015, but recent comments from Chairman Ben Bernanke seems he is ready to add to the current monetary easing measures and pump in further stimulus if needed, potentially even more quantitative easing (QE).

After two rounds of QE to date, where the Fed buys Treasury bonds, investors are waiting to see if today is the day for QE3 to be announced. Good news for equities and gold in this scenario. The assumption being that more money printing will both stimulate the economy and add to the risks of inflation in the future. 

With the US property market starting to show signs of life but with employment still looking patchy at best, it may be a case of the FOMC adopting a wait and see policy to see if its existing bond buying programme, including Operation Twist (swapping long term bonds for short term) is actually working before burdening the Fed balance sheet with even more debt.

This is one of the most closely watched meetings for global investors and now more than ever, stimulus fever is rife!

Research provided by Spreadbet Magazine

UK Stocks-Factors to watch on July 18 | Reuters

* The UK blue chip index closed down 0.6 percent, or 33.34 points, at 5,629.09 points on Tuesday, hit by falls in several heavyweight banks and miners, but is expected to remain technically rangebound in the near term.

via uk.reuters.com

UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Thursday July 5 | Reuters

* The UK blue chip index closed down 3.26 points, or 0.1 percent on Wednesday at 5,684.47, snapping a three-session 0.2 percent rally as investors cautiously awaited Thursday's central bank meetings.

via uk.reuters.com

UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Thursday June 21 | Reuters

LONDON, June 21 (Reuters) - * Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening down 21 to 26 points, or 0.38 to 0.47 percent lower on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, click on

via uk.reuters.com

UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Friday June 15 | Reuters

* In Britain, the government and central bank will flood the banking system with more than 100 billion pounds ($155 billion), seeking to pump credit through an economy struggling to escape recession under the "black cloud" of the euro zone crisis.

via uk.reuters.com