Is The Economy Starting To Pick Up?
Jan0
With the demise of Lehman Brothers stock markets around the world have taken another major nosedive, it was not quite another Black Monday however it was not far off. The credit crunch is now in over drive with many people asking just how much lower can and will the stock markets go?
I do not work within the investment industry; I am actually involved with business cost cutting, training for foster carers and I also help people to obtain cheap holidays.
Even today as stocks and shares from around the world continue to plummet there are many people talking up the state of the markets. These will be financial advisers, stock brokers, people who are not wanting to lose face. They do not want to be seen to have given any form of bad of advice. In reality it is not their fault that the markets have fallen in this way and it can be quite difficult to second guess which way the markets are going to go. As long as people are being given full advice as to the fact that stocks can fall as well as rise then there should be no problem. In fact people who are investing on a regular basis rather than in lump sums may well actually do very nicely out of the current climate as the lower the stock markets go the more units or shares your money will buy. This becomes of benefit to you when the stock markets start to rise again.
The main players in the financial sector are fully aware that we may not have seen the worst of this credit crunch as yet and that stock markets could well have much further to fall. If a major bank in the US or the UK was to go bump then the major falls of 2008 could return with a new intensity? I hope you are not laughing as this could well happen.
I personally think that we have a long way to go before we do reach the bottom of the market. I am however a speculator and am currently investing on a monthly basis into some very dicey waters, that being the Russian, Indian and Chinese stock markets. Am I brave or rather foolish? Well we will have to wait and see. It is all a bit of a gamble at the end of the day.
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How Will Stock Markets Perform In 2010?
Jan0
So the US government has bailed out the countries two major mortgage lenders, will this be the catalyst to some new found confidence and stability in these hardened times? The major stock markets from around the world staged a major rally on the news, the London stock exchange even broke down as it could not cope with the demand, so will this become a sustained rise and are these stock markets set for a very good 2010?
I am by no means a financial adviser myself; I personally work within the training for foster carers, cheap holidays and composite doors sectors.
Experts are still suggesting that we have not seen the back of this credit crunch. Many people believe that there are a lot of shares which are undervalued at the current time when you look at the fundamentals. I for one am currently investing on a monthly basis to take advantage of what is called pound cost averaging, this is where you able to purchase additional shares/units when the price falls which in turn will benefit you when the price rises. Various things, such as a major terrorist attack, could of course put the mockers on any major stock market uplift.
The US President has already taken a tough stance on his countries banks; this however did little to help the markets. He could either breathe new life into the markets or could make some major blunders. Our PM, here in the UK, could have a major role to play. He is seemingly losing his grip on the country and people are already writing him off. He is unlikely to lay down and die, to coin a phrase - he may even formulate his own economic recovery plan. Ensuring that we are able to pay less for petrol plus some tax reforms could be a start.
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How Will The Stock Markets Perform In The Second Half Of 2009?
Dec0
The main stock markets from around the world have had quite a good start to the year. I have to say that this, in my opinion, is quite a surprise as the overall economy is still in dire straits – it was only a couple of months ago that General Motors went into administration for example. I am asked on a regular basis whether I think that the stock markets will continue to rise in the second half of 2009.
Now I have to say that I am more than happy that the main stock markets from around the world have been performing so well. I love to invest on the markets, or gamble as my family like to call it.
I should mention however at this stage that I am not a financial adviser and that I am merely a novice investor who is hoping that the “gamble” will pay off. Please therefore do not take any of what you read in this article as financial advice as I am not authorised to give advice etc. I actually work on various projects including offering a stop stammering course, training for foster carers and also assisting a business cost reduction specialist.
The professional investors are waiting for the markets to bottom out and are searching for any signs of a recovery in the current credit crisis. I am not sure about you but I certainly have not seen any green shoots so far!
Over the last few months we have seen some dramatic gains on more of a hope that the recovery has started. So just how will the markets react when it sees some “real evidence” that the credit crunch is starting to ease? Well they should, in my humble opinion, have a major rally. With interest rates at historical lows people are seeking an investment which offers a much greater return than the measly three percent offered on the high street.
I personally believe that there are going to be some rocky roads ahead but that the bottom of the market may have been reached.
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A short guide to Investing in the Oil Market with Online Spread Betting
Oct0
The last century has shown that many have made their fortune and generated great wealth just as the late great billionaire J. Paul Getty did from black gold.
The ever increasing demands on oil supply to power today’s energy needing consumer, continues to grow globally for oil as the energy source of choice for cars, heating, machinery etc. Countries experiencing significant growth cycles such as Russia, Brazil, India and China continue with their increased consumption to fuel their growth ambitions, placing even more high demand on the finite oil resources.
While there are still significant oil resources that lay untapped in areas such as Canada/Alaska as extraction of the oil in these areas is only economically viable at the much higher oil prices seen in the past few years.
The impact in 2008 for the retail consumer was very well covered by the world media and felt hard by us all globally as the price of oil soared from $85.42 as of Janurary 22nd 2008 to $147.27 in July 11th 2008, at that time many industry experts thought oil would continue the established trend and trade at $200 a barrel. The credit crunch and resulting cycle of wealth destruction globally during the second half of 2008 impacted demand for black gold with the price per barrel falling to $32.40 as from 19th December 2008. 2008 showed one thing and that was that oil had been through one big roller coaster of a ride.But it’s an opportunity for those in the know – the speculative investor – to make significant gains from trading, or of course to have made big losses.
Whilst media interest has waned in recent months to focus market attention on the demise of the banking sector, Oil has been making a spectacular recovery from the $32 December lows to hit $70 in recent weeks, the industry experts are now calling for $85 dollars a barrel whilst others suggest a short term correction may be in order. Whatever the future may throw at it, the oil trader and speculator has the opportunity to profit from such moves if their opinion on the direction proves to be correct.
For the retail investor gaining exposure to either NYMEX Crude or BRENT Crude at first may not seem that straight forward, whilst the opportunity to trade Oil Company stocks or purchase Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (which can provide exposure to oil prices) has traditionally been the only obvious route through your online stockbroker, Financial spreadbetting and Contracts for Difference (CFD) trading makes accessing these commodity markets relatively straightforward. Investors can then take either long or short positions via the spread bet or CFD and trade the fluctuations in price in this and many other markets. Spread Betting firms and CFD trading providers also provide a wide range of market information, charting resources and trading technology which gives the retail investor access to a wide range of information. Some will even provide real time market information for relevant trading data such as the weekly Crude Oil Inventories Update.
Once a week, every week the Energy Information Administration (EIA) releases a small glimpse into what the demand for oil is likely to be in the future by usuing its Crude Oil Inventory numbers. Traders will take a look at this information because the amount of oil that commerical firms have within their inventory in turn impacts the price of oil in predictable way when taken into account with other factors in determining the future oil prices.
The Crude Oil Inventories number reports the number of barrels of crude oil commercial firms have in inventory. Although commercial firms will report their inventory levels to the EIA on a weekly basis the EIA must still make some estimates to arrive at the final number.
One of the other organisations that has a significant impact on the price of oil is OPEC- the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries.The OPEC is a group of twelve different countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. The cartel is headquartered in Vienna and hosts regular meetings among the oil ministers of its many different Member Countries.
According to its statutes, one of the principal goals is the determination of the best means for safeguarding the cartel’s interests, individually and collectively. On top of this it also pursues different ways of ensuring the stabilisation of the prices in international oil markets, with the view of exterminating harmful and unnecesary fluctuations; at the same time giving regard at all times to the interests of the nations producing and to the necessity of securing a steady income to the producing countries; an efficient and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations, and of course a fair return on their capital to those investing within the peroleum industry itself.
OPEC issues a Monthly Oil Market Report and various other bulletins which again impact market pricing and are keenly awaited by oil traders globally.
Whilst trading oil may seem the preserve of an elite group of traders in London, Chicago or elsewhere in the globe, the price of petrol or gasoline has and always will directly impact everyone in the developed world. It impacts the cost of transporting goods and services to every area of the globe and as we saw in 2008, this can have a negative impact both on the price we pay for personal transportation at the pump, but also the cost of basic food and services we rely on in our day to day lives. While we sat back and saw very little pull back in pump prices during the past 6 months these same experts predict a return to higher pump prices in the not too distant future which could impact us all.
Some have therefore turned to spread betting and CFDs to hedge their exposure to rising fuel costs by placing medium to longer term trades which pay out if oil prices rise across the globe. This approach can also be made relevant for small as well as medium sized businesses exposed to the oil price moves- from hauliers, farmers and fisherman to practically any business that can be impacted by rising fuel costs. The large businesses have done this for many years, airlines hedging fuel costs to ensure any unexpected sharp rises in crude do not impact their budgetary plans in any fiscal year. In 2008 many haulier firms folded due to the rising cost of fuel but also due to fuel taxes in the UK remaining high – approximately 61% of the cost paid at the pump is tax revenue for the UK government, European haulier firms subject to lower fuel taxation were able to generate a significant competitive advantage against the UK haulage business at this time who were left unable to pass the full cost of rising fuel onto their customers.
Beyond hedging, spread betting and CFDs also allow investors the opportunity to trade on oil companies’ stock prices – from the Exxons, Shells and BPs of this world to the smaller exploration outfits, drilling as Getty did over half a century ago for that next 20,000-barrels-a-day oilfield and the opportunity to make serious money.
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How Will The Major Stock Markets Perform In 2009?
Jul0
The main stock markets from around the world have had quite a good start to the year. I have to say that this, in my opinion, is quite a surprise as the overall economy is still in dire straits – it was only a couple of months ago that General Motors went into administration for example. I am asked on a regular basis whether I think that the stock markets will continue to rise in the second half of 2009.
Now I have to say that I am more than happy that the main stock markets from around the world have been performing so well. I am a keen investor, or gambler as many of friends see it.
I should mention however at this stage that I am not a financial adviser and that I am merely a novice investor who is hoping that the “gamble” will pay off. You should therefore not take what you read in this article as financial advice. I actually work on various projects including offering a DVD duplication service, offering restaurant advertising accessories and also assisting a business cost reduction specialist.
Investors are hoping to see some green sheets of recovery and are eager to enter the market at the right time; or at “the bottom” as they call it. I am not sure about you but I certainly have not seen any green shoots so far!
Over the last few months we have seen some dramatic gains on more of a hope that the recovery has started. So just how will the markets react when it sees some “real evidence” that the credit crunch is starting to ease? Well I would very much expect them to rally in a major way. With interest rates at historical lows people are seeking an investment which offers a much greater return than the measly three percent offered on the high street.
I personally believe that there are going to be some rocky roads ahead but that the bottom of the market may have been reached.
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