Invest in Financial derivatives - News

Economic recovery in the West is good news for equities

Baring Asset Management (Barings) has upgraded its position on equities from neutral to positive. The upgrade follows the publication of Barings’ latest research, which suggests there is a strong enough body of evidence showing the economic recovery in the West is well underway, albeit at a more subdued pace compared to past cycles. However, longer term, it remains uncertain about how strong the US and European recoveries might be. Barings’ ca... [more]

Confidence is driving an upswing in all market sectors

At GIL 2009, Frost & Sullivan’s Chairman David Frigstad said: “We’ve the economy bottom out in early May with indicators all around us that the recovery has started, confidence is driving an upswing in all market sectors”. With a positive outlook ahead, he inspired the 120 plus CEOs and their growth teams that gathered in London for the GIL Global event. Mr Frigstad’s view of the current economic climate seemed to be shared by many industry l... [more]

Is the recent bounce in equity markets the start of a new bull run or a bear market rally

In early March, we noticed a curiosity in the equity performance tables: for several months, the average fund had been out-performing a falling market. The only explanation for this was that funds had high cash levels and so were positioned for market weakness. With valuations at extreme lows and pessimism rife, this was the signal we had been looking for. Markets usually make a fool out of consensus positioning and the fact that most investors w... [more]

Major indices continue to slip despite being at multi-year lows

It is worrying that the major indices continue to slip despite being at multi-year lows. The re-emergence of M&A in the large cap pharma sector has failed to reinvigorate the markets, with continued selling in the wider arena. On a more positive notes, we haven’t seen triple digit losses, but it is concerning that we aren’t see bargain hunters dip in to the market at these levels. This morning’s French data has come in at worse than expected leve... [more]

Global bonds still give the best investor returns

According to the latest research by Moneyspider.com, global bonds continue to dominate the best investor returns. The top ten income paying funds are drawn exclusively from the Investment Management Association’s (IMA) Global Bond sector. The figures show that Scottish Widows’ Global Bond Plus is top of the tree, with an original £7k investment having increased by 58 per cent over the past 12 months (to 15/01/09) to £11,095, while M&G’s Intern... [more]

Volatility Trade Buffett Embraced Backfires for Wall Street Hedge Experts

A bullish stock market trade embraced by the smartest money is backfiring. And that has investors wondering if what Warren Buffett and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. know about derivatives is obsolete.

Finance and Banking

On July 21, 2010 (the "Enactment Date"), President Obama signed into law The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Act"). The legislative changes mandated by the Act, which is named after Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), are intended to shield the financial system from ...

Business chiefs pan retirement age plan

Northern Ireland’s business voice today called on the Government to scrap proposals to abolish the retirement age of 65. Related Stories Software provider First Derivatives lands Asian milestone Stelios hits out at easyJet over its slipping standards UK is still not out of the woods says King Cameron’s tough immigration stance will not go unnoticed in India Ambitious bakery is on the move

CME Group Inc. Reports Solid Second-Quarter 2010 Financial Results

CME Group Inc. today reported that second-quarter total revenues increased 26 percent to $814 million and operating income increased 29 percent to $515 million from the year-ago period.Â Second-quarter 2010 operating margin was 63 percent, up from 62 percent in second-quarter 2009. Â Operating margin is defined as operating income as a percentage of total revenues.

U.S. Indicts 3 for Alleged Municipal Bid-Rigging

The U.S. Justice Department Tuesday indicted three former financial services executives as part of a wide-ranging probe into fraud and manipulation of prices for municipal bond derivatives. The ...

Is agriculture the next big investment thing?

As the world's population expands, China switches from rice to meat, and biofuel growth looks set to rocket, City experts think agriculture is the best place to make money in the next decade Hedge funds, with billions of pounds in assets, are recklessly gambling on food prices, with speculators driving massive price volatility that threatens the most vulnerable people on the planet. That's the ...

AltaGas Reports Second Quarter Results

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - July 29, 2010) - AltaGas Ltd. (AltaGas) (TSX:ALA) today reported net income for the three months ended June 30, 2010 of $28.4 million or $0.35 per unit. Funds from operations for the three months ended June 30, 2010 were $44.3 million or $0.54 per unit. Today AltaGas also declared the August monthly dividend of $0.11 per share. "

Regulatory Reform: What Impact Will It Have On Commercial Real Estate?

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed into law by President Obama last week, is a cornerstone of Congress and the Administration’s financial regulatory reform agenda, creating the most sweeping changes in U.S. financial...

Methanex Reports Second Quarter Results

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - July 29, 2010) - For the second quarter of 2010, Methanex (TSX:MX)(NASDAQ:MEOH)(SANTIAGO:Methanex) reported Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $56.6 million and net income of $11.7 million ($0.13 per share on a diluted basis). This compares with Adjusted EBITDA of $81.5 million and net income of $29.3 million ($0.31 per share on a diluted basis) for the first ...