Tuesday opens what investors hope will be the eighth consecutive monthly increase for the Dow, as risky asset classes have continued to tack higher in recent weeks despite some Euro zone jitters and concerns about slowing job growth in the U.S. As May Day rallies were carried out across Europe in a new era of austerity, market remained relatively flat throughout the day there.
Australian stocks and the Aussie dollar saw significant activity on Tuesday after the Australian central bank announced a hefty half point rate cut for the struggling Australian economy, which has seen its currency surge against major rivals in recent months. The iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund (EWA) was up slightly on the news, with the exchange rate impact preventing a more substantial gain. The CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust (FXA) plummeted by more than 1% on news of the large rate cut. FXA is still well into positive territory for the year, with the underlying currency having appreciated materially against the greenback.
The IQ Australia Small Cap ETF (KROO), which holds smaller Australian stocks and makes a bigger allocation to commodity producing stocks, slid by about 0.8% to open the day. [click to continue…]
For anyone that has been asleep the last few weeks, bullish momentum has without a doubt been the dominant force on Wall Street since the start of 2012. Encouraging economic data releases on the home front have helped to bolster equity markets higher thanks to improving growth expectations. With the bull-train firing strong on all [...]
Domestic equity indexes staged an impressive comeback on Thursday as stocks climbed out of a hole in the final hours of trading. Mixed economic reports played a key part in paving the way for back-and-forth trading throughout most of yesterday. Weekly jobless claims were encouraging, although the figure ultimately missed estimates; 359,000 people filed for [...]
Exchange-traded funds offering exposure to Commodity Producers Equities have become a popular tool for those looking to make an indirect play on natural resource prices. These funds offer investors the ability to easily tap into the lucrative commodities market through a diversified basket of companies, while still reaping the cost efficiency benefits associated with the exchange-traded [...]
Stocks broadly ended the trading session on a sour note as less-than-stellar data paved the way for profit taking pressures. Major indexes on the home front ended up in red territory after consumer confidence came in worse-than-expected; the figure came in at 70.2, falling short of analyst estimates and dipping below last month’s reading of 71.6. Surprisingly, gold [...]
The bull train continues to roll full steam ahead as broad equity indexes managed to finish the trading session in green territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average extended gains for the 7th consecutive session; the blue chip index gained 0.44% on the day, while the S&P 500 Index came out slightly ahead, tacking on a [...]
The bulls ran will on Wall Street as fairly upbeat commentary from the Fed coupled with better-than-expected retail sales data paved the way higher for stocks across the board. The Nasdaq led the way higher, gaining 1.88% on the day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged behind, although not by much, inching higher by [...]
For many investors, March 9, 2009 was a major turning point; on that day the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed below 6,550, capping a disastrous stretch that had erased billions of dollars from portfolios around the world. Fortunately, that proved to be the low point of the recent recession; the next day markets rallied, and [...]
Stocks got off to a fairly uneventful start on Monday as investors decided to “play it safe” ahead of tomorrows key FOMC decision. Interest rates aren’t expected to go anywhere this time around, although investors will play close attention to the economic commentary issued after the rate announcement itself. Mixed trading on Wall Street kicked-off [...]
Resurfacing fears surrounding the Greek bailout tipped markets south early in the week, although an optimistic outlook for Friday’s U.S. unemployment report has helped to ease uncertainties. Nevertheless, tumultuous trading throughout the week hasn’t been able to slow down activity on the product development front. Industry giants ProShares and iShares have laid out plans to launch a slew of [...]
Bullish euphoria continues to permeate Wall Street as major indexes finished the day in bright green territory, settling above key resistance levels. The Nasdaq led the way higher, gaining 0.7% on the day, bolstered by Apple, which hit an all-time high of $535.38 a share [see also How An Apple Dividend Would Impact ETFs]. The [...]
