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December 19, 2006
by Elaine Frei
A new Ifo survey of business confidence in German sent the euro higher versus both the US dollar and the yen. The Ifo index was at 108.7 in December, up from 106.8 in November and despite a prediction that the December figures would be same as the previous month’s. Analysts said that they increase meant that the German economy ...
December 18, 2006
by Elaine Frei
Prices for crude oil dropped Monday as heating oil demand remained low due to mild weather in both the United States and Europe. Brent crude February contracts wee $1.02 lower to $62.48 per barrel late in the afternoon in London, while early afternoon trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange saw West Texas Intermediate crude for January delivery ...
by Elaine Frei
The London equities markets were mixed on Monday on slow trade in the run-up to Christmas. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.2 percent to 6,257.4, while the FTSE 250 was up a bare 1.7 points to 11,087.7, with less than 2.5 billion shares trading hands.
In the leisure sector, cruise ship operator Carnival added 2.2 percent to £25.04 as oil ...
by Elaine Frei
The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 0.1 percent to 1,487.41 on Monday, its first losing session after ten consecutive gains. In Norway, however, the Oslo All-Share index added 1.8 percent after Norsk Hydro saw big gains on the session.
The gain for Norsk Hydro, 20.6 percent to NKr188.50, came after rival Statoil said the two will merge their oil ...
by Elaine Frei
The Nikkei 225 managed to add 0.3 percent to 16,962.11 on Monday, its highest close in seven months, and the Topix index gained 0.5 percent to 1,665.32 on Monday as investors waited for Tuesday’s decision by the Bank of Japan on interest rates.
In the utilities sector, Tokyo Electric Power was 2.1 percent higher to ¥3,800 as investors used it ...
by Elaine Frei
The US dollar strengthened Monday on profit-taking from both the euro and sterling. The greenback added 0.1 percent versus the euro to $1.3062, while it gained 0.4 percent to $1.9449 in relation to sterling. Analysts explained the moves as a result of traders abandoning short positions, wagers that the dollar would move lower. Data showed that short positions ...
December 15, 2006
by Elaine Frei
The New York equities markets were up at midday on Friday and looked ready to close the week out with gains as well. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.4 percent higher to 12,466.99, a gain of 1.3 percent on the week. Earlier in the session, the Dow was as high as 12,486.30, a new high. ...
by Elaine Frei
The FTSE 100 closed at its highest level in nearly six years on Friday, ending at 6,260, a gain of 0.5 percent on the day and 1.7 percent higher than it began the week. The FTSE 250 added 0.3 percent on the day to close at a record high of 11,086, a gain of 1.1 percent on the week.
Defense ...
by Elaine Frei
The FTSE Eurofirst 300 closed Friday at its highest level in five and a half years, adding 0.6 percent on the session and 2.8 percent higher on the week at 1,489.09. The Eurofirst has gone up 16.7 percent since the beginning of the year.
Banks were big gainers during the week. Nordea added 6.3 percent to SKr106.2 ...
by Elaine Frei
After a new Tankan report on business sentiment from the Bank of Japan came out about as expected, the Tokyo equities markets were up on Friday. The Nikkei 225 added 0.5 percent to 16,914.31, while the Topix index gained 0.3 percent to 1,657.40. Even though the Tankan figures were seen as positive, analysts are still convinced that the ...
by Elaine Frei
Crude oil prices rose on Friday after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to cut oil production by another 500,000 barrels per day. The cuts will not take effect until February 1. Some analysts saw the cut as overdone, with Barclays Capital saying that the new cut holds the risk of tightening the market ...
December 14, 2006
by Elaine Frei
The New York equities markets were higher at noon on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new record high at one point in morning trade. The Dow dropped back a bit but was still 0.5 percent higher to 12,394.25 at midday. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite was up 1 percent to 2,456.69 and the S&P ...
by Elaine Frei
The FTSE Eurofirst 300 ended the day at a five-year high as it closed 0.6 percent higher to 1,480.76. The gains came as analysts at Standard & Poor’s said that the active year in mergers and acquisitions could be topped by next year’s activity.
The airlines sector saw gains as investors looked for more consolidation in the sector after the ...
by Elaine Frei
Export-related stocks were higher on Thursday in Tokyo as the yen continued to stay weak and as new data was released in the United States that showed retail sales rose 1 percent in November. The Nikkei 225 was 0.8 percent higher to 16,829.20, its highest close in seven months, while the Topix index also ended with a gain of 0.8 ...
by Elaine Frei
The US dollar was stronger on Thursday as unemployment data was much better than expected. Initial figures showed that even though 304,000 people filed new jobless claims, new claims dropped by 20,000 last week. It was the second straight week of big declines, with the previous week seeing a drop of 34,000 in new claims. The ...
by Elaine Frei
Prices on US Treasury bonds dropped and yields rose on Thursday after unemployment claims were reported to be down last week and as import prices were up. Prices on imported goods were up 0.2 percent in November, the first rise in three months. Meanwhile, new jobless claims were down by 20,000 in the week ending December 9, a drop ...
December 13, 2006
by Elaine Frei
Wall Street was slightly higher at mid-session on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had added 0.1 percent to 12,329.28 but was well down from the new record high of 12,368.61 it reached earlier in the day. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite was up a bare 0.02 percent to 2,432.03 and the S&P 500 had gained 0.2 percent to ...
by Elaine Frei
European equities markets were higher on Wednesday as the banking sector was mixed but mostly higher. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 closed at 1,471.57, a gain of 0.6 percent and just below a five-year high. In Germany, meanwhile, the Xetra Dax ended the session at 6,520.77, its highest closing level since February 2001.
French publisher Lagardere added 2.5 percent ...
by Elaine Frei
The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index both saw gains on Wednesday as export-focused stocks were up, but gains were limited by declines in utilities and in the consumer finance sector. The Nikkei added 0.3 percent to 16,692.93, while the Topix gained 0.2 percent to 1,639.19. Meanwhile, the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks dropped 1.1 percent ...
by Elaine Frei
After a decline early in the day on reports that OPEC will not implement further cuts in oil production as they had been expected to do, crude oil prices were up on Wednesday on lower US inventory levels. Brent crude January deliveries were 14 cents higher to $61.66 per barrel late in the afternoon in London, while West ...
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A new Ifo survey of business confidence in German sent the euro higher versus both the US dollar and the yen. The Ifo index was at 108.7 in December, up from 106.8 in November and despite a prediction that the December figures would be same as the previous month’s. Analysts said that they increase meant that the German economy ...
Prices for crude oil dropped Monday as heating oil demand remained low due to mild weather in both the United States and Europe. Brent crude February contracts wee $1.02 lower to $62.48 per barrel late in the afternoon in London, while early afternoon trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange saw West Texas Intermediate crude for January delivery ...
The New York equities markets were up at midday on Friday and looked ready to close the week out with gains as well. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.4 percent higher to 12,466.99, a gain of 1.3 percent on the week. Earlier in the session, the Dow was as high as 12,486.30, a new high. ...
