Daily Investment Market News from London
Tuesday 13th of May 2008
May 31, 2005

Bond yields down across board

Permalink: Bond yields down across board by Brian Turner
Bond yields in the UK, the eurozone, and the US were all down on Tuesday. Yields in the UK fell on news of weak retail numbers. The 2-year gilt was down 7.8 basis points to a yield of 4.305 percent, while 10-year yields fell 9.6 basis points to a 4.307 percent. In the eurozone, negative data concerning the ...

May 30, 2005

India to open retail sector to investors

Permalink: India to open retail sector to investors by Brian Turner
Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has announced that India will soon allow direct foreign investment in the nation’s retail sector. His comments came while officials of US retail giant Wal-Mart were in India to discuss the company’s plans and gave the company an indication that they will soon be allowed to participate in the country’s $180 billion retail market. Some ...

May 27, 2005

European bond market prepares for French referendum

Permalink: European bond market prepares for French referendum by Brian Turner
In the UK on Friday, yields on 2-year gilts were down 1.1 basis points to a yeild of 4.352 percent. Yields on longer-dated issues, however, were higher. The new 50-year gilt had a yield of 4.259 percent, up 2.8 basis points, the 30-year gilt advanced 3 basis points to 4.326 percent, and the 10-year gilt rose 3.6 basis points ...

May 26, 2005

UK bonds create market demand

Permalink: UK bonds create market demand by Brian Turner
Yields on US Treasury bonds were mixed on Thursday, with the 2-year bond up 1.2 basis points to 3.635 percent, while yields on the 10-year bond fell 0.6 basis points to 4.084 percent. Meanwhile in London, the first auction in forty years of 50-year gilts in the UK worth Ł2.5 billion, received 1.6 times the bids for the ...

May 25, 2005

Eurozone bonds volatile as bond market yields fall

Permalink: Eurozone bonds volatile as bond market yields fall by Brian Turner
US Treasury bonds saw prices fall and yields move higher on 10- and 30-year bonds on Wednesday, while the 2-year bond remained at its previous level of 3.603 percent. The 10-year bond rose 1 basis point to 4.046 percent and the 30-year bond yielded 4.386 percent. In Japan, the opposite was true as prices were up and yields ...

Europe’s elections impact Turkish economy

Permalink: Europe’s elections impact Turkish economy by Brian Turner
Turkey’s economy had entered a rough patch brought on by uncertainties over its bid to become a member of the European Union. These uncertainties have affected both the stock market and bond prices. Turkey’s stock index fell 4.5 percent on Monday after the announcement of early elections in Germany and fell a further .77 percent on Tuesday. Prices on ...

May 24, 2005

Bond yields down on economy fears

Permalink: Bond yields down on economy fears by Brian Turner
Bond prices were generally up and yields down on Tuesday in Europe, the United States, and in Japan. In the UK, the 2-year gilt lost 2.2 basis points to yield 4.346 percent, and the 10-year gilt stood at a yield of 4.326 percent, down 3 basis points. Meanwhile, a sale of Ł4.25 million in index-linked bonds did well. Yields ...

May 23, 2005

Eurozeon bonds suffer as Bund hits record low

Permalink: Eurozeon bonds suffer as Bund hits record low by Brian Turner
Yields were down and prices up on eurozone bonds on Monday. Yields dropped on the 2-year Schatz, which fell 2.3 basis points to 2.243 percent. The 10-year Bund saw yields drop 4 basis points to 3.333 percent, and the 30-year Bund fell 4.1 basis points to a yield of 3.795 at the close of trade. Earlier in the day,yields on the ...

May 20, 2005

Australian government seeks to increase foreign ownership on Telstra

Permalink: Australian government seeks to increase foreign ownership on Telstra by Brian Turner
The Australian government is said to be thinking about raising the limit of foreign ownership in Telstra, the former Australian telecommunications monopoly that is currently in process of being privatized. With the current foreign participation level set at 35 percent, there is talk that this might be raised to 49 percent. The country’s finance minister, Nick Minchin, has ...

Russian steel company to list

Permalink: Russian steel company to list by Brian Turner
Evraz, the Russian steel company is making plans to offer shares on the London Stock Exchange. It becomes the latest Russian company to launch an initial public offering in London. Conglomerate Sistema completed a listing in February, and Russia’s largest grocery retailer, Pyaterochka, listed earlier this month. The listing, which is expected to begin trading shortly after the beginning ...

London markets up as US gives strong performance

Permalink: London markets up as US gives strong performance by Brian Turner
London equities markets ended both the day and the week up on Friday. The FTSE 100 was up 0.2 percent, closing at 4,971.8 for the day, with an overall rise of 1.8 percent for the week. The FTSE 250 was up 0.1 percent to 6,934.3 on the day, to bring the week’s gain to 2.1 percent. 2.7 ...

May 19, 2005

Gains on treasury bonds continues

Permalink: Gains on treasury bonds continues by Brian Turner
An unexpected rise in retail sales in the UK sent yields on gilts up on Thursday. The 2-year gilt yielded 4.372 percent, a rise of 2.4 basis points, while the yields on 20-year gilts rose 2.1 basis points to 4.365. Yields rose in the eurozone as well, with the 2-year Schatz rising 0.9 basis points to yield 2.244 ...

May 18, 2005

Government bonds down on economic concerns

Permalink: Government bonds down on economic concerns by Brian Turner
Yields on government bonds were generally down around the world on Wednesday. For example, yields were lower on Japanese government bonds on Wednesday as investors became more interested in long-dated issues. However, activity was fairly slow as investors awaited the results of a scheduled Bank of Japan policy meeting. Ten-year government bonds fell 2.5 basis points to yield ...

May 17, 2005

Warning on European investments if France says “Non”

Permalink: Warning on European investments if France says “Non” by Brian Turner
When France votes next week to accept or reject the European Constitution, the outcome could have wide ranging effects on European economics. In the event that the French reject the constitution, experts believe that there would be negative fallout for the euro, for eurozone equities and bonds, and even for Turkish assets. 72 percent of fund managers who ...

UK 50-year gilt to open on bond markets

Permalink: UK 50-year gilt to open on bond markets by Brian Turner
The UK saw mixed yields in short-dated gilts but firmly lower yields on longer-dated issues on Tuesday after it was announced that a new 50-year gilt would be sold next week for the first time since 1960. The 2-year gilt was up 1.6 basis points to yield 4.354 percent, while the 10-year gilt was yielding 4.32 percent, down 2.8 basis ...

May 16, 2005

Oil production slides Mynex prices

Permalink: Oil production slides Mynex prices by Brian Turner
Commodities prices continued their slide on Monday, as gold hit a three-month low of $418.25 before rebounding to $419.00/9.70 after a Friday close of $420.00/420.80. Copper prices fell too, with production accelerating even as demand is slowing. Three-month copper was down $11, to $2993 a tonne. And, in undoubtedly the most-watched commodity, crude oil prices fell again ...

UK gilt market waits on reports

Permalink: UK gilt market waits on reports by Brian Turner
In the UK, the gilt market was waiting for several reports Monday. Consumer prices data and details concerning on the upcoming issue of a 50-year bond were due to be reported on Monday, and retail sales figures were expected to be released Thursday. Additionally, the central bank will meet on Tuesday. Consequently, yields moved very little if at all. ...

Chinese expands foreign investment opportunities

Permalink: Chinese expands foreign investment opportunities by Brian Turner
A report in the China Securities Journal indicates that the nation will raise the amount of money foreign investors will be permitted to invest in China’s primary markets. Already this year, China has given its permission for 26 foreign entities invest a total of $4 billion in over 1,300 Chinese companies, treasuries, and corporate bonds. That amount is ...

May 13, 2005

Russia attempts to buy-back European debt

Permalink: Russia attempts to buy-back European debt by Brian Turner
Russia may soon reach an agreement with the Paris Club to repurchase some of its bilateral debt. Comments from the Kremlin have recently suggested that the Russian government would agree to an at-par buyback. This comes at a time when one of Russia’s largest creditors agreed in principle last month to an at-par buyback (100 percent of the debt’s ...

Pension fund investment to substantially return to Asia

Permalink: Pension fund investment to substantially return to Asia by Brian Turner
As part of a general return of US capital to Asia after a withdrawal after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, Calpers, one of the largest pension funds in the United States, is said to be close to making a substantial investment in Asian hedge funds. Calpers is the $181 billion pension fund that manages money for the California ...