Weak US dollar impacts global perspective - January 18, 2008 10:11

The US dollar has remained somewhat range bound against the Euro and Pound as of late.  It currently (January 17) takes $1.4628 to by one Euro, still holding a couple pips under recent record highs.  The dollar remains relatively strong against the Pound with $1.97 fetching one Pound.  The dollar is currently ten pips stronger [...]

Recovery in the Commercial Paper Markets? - January 17, 2008 9:40

Over the past few years I have been watching Commercial Paper (CP) with interest. It’s the lifeblood of the credit markets and responsible for the ability to create the financial innovations in derivatives.The issue of various types of CP, i.e short term lending, allowed the channelling of funds into SIVs  and Conduits to purchase longer [...]

European stocks lower on growth fears (FT.com) - January 17, 2008 0:41

European stocks lower on growth fears (FT.com) FT.com – European equity markets closed off session lows on Wednesday, but small gains in the US during morning trade were not enough to take them higher. Source: news.yahoo.com

Commodities see explosive growth - January 17, 2008 0:41

ETF Securities has experienced explosive growth as investors look for alternatives to the equity markets ETF Securities, which specialises in exchange traded funds tracking commodities, has seen total assets under management grow in the past 5 weeks by Read More… NEW YORK – Energy futures dropped below US$90 a barrel Wednesday after the U.S. government [...]

Gold flies high above $900 - January 16, 2008 11:54

Gold prices soared this week to new record highs against the dollar at an amazing $914 before falling back to current levels just above $900.  The strong surge in the last week left the previous record against the dollar in its wake.  The new mark established a new high since gold first floated against the [...]

Decoupling? - January 15, 2008 9:48

The buzz words keep changing, from  2005 to mid 2007, the word was Goldilocks, or how everything in the financial world was perfect and even if the economy slowed, the landing would be gentle. So gentle that the feather filled pillows of interest rate cuts would be hardly used to cushion the slight brush with [...]

Mortgage refinancing a viable option for many US home owners - January 11, 2008 9:42

With Bankrate.com showing average 30-year fixed mortgage rates at 5.53% in their weekly survey for today (January 10), there has never been a better time for many Americans to refinance their mortgages.  Even home owners that have purchased at the high end of rates in the last few years with rates steadily hovering between 5.75-6.5% [...]