Precious metals were mostly higher in thin Monday trading amid easing concerns about possible Greek exit from the Euro Zone after four largest Greece's banks received financial aid amounting 18 billion Euros.Gold was almost unchanged as spiking Spain's costs of borrowing pushed the US Dollar higher against its European counterpart.Silver was the only loser, being weighted down by weakness of
German shares advanced on Tuesday supported by hopes US consumer confidence is improving amid stabilizing property market. Gains were limited on news China are not preparing a large scale monetary accommodation. Car makers led the gains for German benchmark index. Volkswagen surged 3.3% and Daimler added 2.4%. BMW climbed 2.3%. On the downside Deutsche Telekom dropped 1.2%. At the moment
UK FTSE 100 index fluctuated between gains and losses on Tuesday. Financial turmoil in Spain kept weighing on investor sentiment. Traders were also cautious before US consumer confidence data. Positive effect came from speculation China will add monetary stimulus to its economy. Energy companies Tullow Oil and Glencore International surged 2% and 1.9% respectively as oil price climbed. On the
On Tuesday Hellenic Financial Stability Fund announced the way in which temporary aid of EUR18 billion has been allocated among Greece's four major lenders. National Bank of Greece SA got EUR7.43 billion, EFG Eurobank Ergasias SA EUR3.97 billion, Piraeus Bank SA EUR4.7 billion and Alpha Bank AS EUR1.9 billion. These four banks together make up approximately 80% of banking system assets of Greece. The money was
Based on the data provided by Credit Suisse, it is believed that the despite a potential drop of S&P 500 to 1200 in case of Greece's exit from the euro area, the withdrawal may at the same time introduce the needed plan of action that would boost the market by at least 20%. Analysts indicate that in the event if the euro-zone breaks up,
Despite the fact that the recent slump in oil prices has not yet been a drastic concern to the major OPEC countries, it is anticipated that the tension will in fact heat up eventually. According to certain analysts, due to the increase in government expenditures, a number of counties will not be able to manage their spending if the costs of oil drop below
Hong Kong's shares rallied on Tuesday, supported by investor hopes China will implement substantial monetary stimulus. Credit Suisse Group expects Chinese government to inject around 2 trillion Yuan (USD 157.6 billion) in the economy. Hang Seng index jumped 1.35% or 254.47 points to 19,055.46. Property companies was among the main gainers within the index. BOC Hong Kong Holdings added 2.7%
According to Moody's, at least 25% of 254 unrated European LBOs with overall debts of EUR 133 billion risk defaulting on refinancing their debts. Evidence shows that 36 companies have aggregated more than half the total debt with time to maturity through 2015. Each of these companies has liabilities of over EUR 1 billion. Investors expect that many larger companies will try to
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index rallied on Tuesday as China prepared to add more stimulus to the slowing economy. Australian benchmark jumped 1.14% or 46.40 points and closed at 4,114.40 fuelled by miners and energy shares. Fortescue Metals Group rocketed 7.5% and Rio Tinto surged 2.2%. Oil providers Woodside Petroleum and Linc Energy soared 2.7% and 14.9% respectively. The index gained
Spain calendar-adjusted retail sales plunged 9.8 percent in April on annual basis. This is the sharpest decline since March 2011. Spain is in recession since the housing bubble burst. Borrowing rates have surged record high, and banks are especially under pressure, due to their exposure to housing markets and bad loans.
Eased concerns over Greece's exit from the single currency area seemed to stimulate demand for gold and palladium, as well as other precious metals. Gold futures for June delivery added 0.4 percent to USD 1,574.80 per ounce on NYME. The actively-traded contract for August delivery climbed 0.4% to USD 1,577.40 per ounce of gold. These gains follow a loss of 1.4 percent last week. July
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average pared losses on Tuesday session as Chinese government approved measures to boost consumer spending. Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.74% or 63.93 points and closed at 8,657.08. Construction machinery producer Komatsu gained 2.8%. Japanese biggest shipping line Nippon Yusen rallied 4.4% after Credit Suisse upgraded its stocks to outperform. On the downside electricity related companies declined. Kansai
The New Zealand and Australian Dollars weakened against their US peer on Tuesday on worries that European financial uncertainty is curbing region's growth. Aussie and Kiwi declined 0.3% against greenback to USD 0.9827 and USD 0.7598 respectively. Currently AUD/USD is trading at USD 0.9863 and NZD/USD is trading at USD 0.7618.
17-nation currency stayed weak on Monday and was heading for a largest monthly loss since September ahead of upcoming Italian bond auction due tomorrow. The common currency traded almost flat against US Dollar at USD 1.2537 in Asian trade. The Euro has depreciated 5.3% in May. Currently EUR/USD is trading at USD 1.2534.
European equity markets traded higher in the early session on Monday but retreated and erased most of their gains later in the afternoon. The investor sentiment was depressed by concerns over Spanish banks. Therefore major banks across Europe also weighted on stock indices. Stoxx Europe 600 index traded flat, Spanish IBEX 35 plunged 2.2% and German DAX slipped 0.3%. French
Japan's retail sales accelerated 5.8% in April compared with a previous year. It is a smaller improvement than a gain of 6.3% expected by analysts. On monthly basis sales dropped 0.3%. However, retail sales kept advancing relatively rapidly compared with a previous year when they fell sharply in the result of March earthquake.
Japan's jobless level accelerated 4.6% in April compared to a 4.5% in March. Economists predicted the unemployment rate to remain flat at 4.5%. However, the jobs availability in Japan also improved. The amount of new employment offers surged 3.6% from March and rallied 14.2% on yearly basis. Hiring was boosted by increasing demand for workers in construction jobs in region
China is considering pumping two trillion Yuan into economy in an attempt to stimulate slowing economic expansion, reported Credit Suisse. In case the country implements these easing measures, it may face faster expansion in the second half of 2012 that is expected to slide to 7% in Q2, said Tao Dong, analyst at Credit Suisse. However, China's Cabinet has not
Sales of new homes in Australia inched up by 6.9% in April, after facing weak performance in Q1 of 2012, reported the Housing Industry Association. However, despite slight improvement, the volume of new house sales and new building approvals still signal that the real estate sector is far away from robust recovery, said Harley Dale, HIA Chief Economist.
Crude oil futures extended previous gains in Asian session on Tuesday as hopes that Greece will remain a member of the Euro Zone lifted investors' sentiment. Adding to the positive mood of the commodity, supply concerns lingered as world major powers failed to agree with Iran on its nuclear program. Light, sweet crude oil futures for July delivery traded at
Gold futures moved higher in Asian session on Tuesday, extending previous gains as hopes that Greece will stay in the Euro Zone boosted the yellow metal's price. Moreover, low prices create bargain buying opportunities for investors. COMEX gold futures for delivery in August traded at 1,574.15 US Dollars per troy ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange, gaining 0.19%.
China is set to allow direct trade of the China's Yuan and the Japan's Yen in an attempt to promote trade between two countries. The move implies that the trade partners will not use the greenback as intermediary currency any more hence decreasing dependence on the US Dollar, said Dariusz Kowalczyk from Credit Agricole CIB. The direct trading will start
Four largest Greece's banks gained access to the ECB funds, according to the Greece's Ministry of Finance. The capital injection was implemented through bonds from the EFSF bailout fund and is aimed at pumping liquidity into National Bank, Eurobank, Alpha and Piraeus Bank. The banks gained 18 billion Euros for further recapitalization, the Finance Ministry added.
Chinese government has made the decision of increasing stimulus spending in order to strengthen the country's economy. Despite the fact that some analysts believe that the plan is not sufficient to ensure the essential changes in the slowing region, the proposed program encompasses lowering interest rates as well as spending concerned with infrastructure development. Credit Suisse pointed out that the