BetOnMarkets Morning Update

The FTSE is currently indicating a sharply lower opening, while traders are awaiting the release of the Manufacturing Purchasing index. Analysts are expecting another decline this month, as the economy has been suffering from high energy prices and the squeeze from not being able to pass all the costs to the consumer. Look for the manufacturing sector to be trading in the red this morning.

Gold will be receiving plenty of attention this morning, especially at 14.30GMT when US releases its employment numbers, traders are expecting a seventh straight month of job losses, and if the unemployment rate comes out worse then expected look for gold to jump possibly hitting the 925 dollar mark before the end of the day.

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BetOnMarkets Morning Update

The FTSE is currently indicating a higher opening, while traders are disseminating the worse then expected UK consumer confidence which came out while most traders were sleeping. The confidence index dropped to a record low in July, slipping below the level reached on the eve of the 1990 recession, as house prices slumped and inflation accelerated. We believe that traders believe that these figures will force the Bank of Englands hand and lower interest rates, which would be positive for the FTSE.

Oil found its footing yesterday as a surprise inventory number out of the US gave some traders reasons to believe that crude's slide was overblown and that the drop in gas supplies means prices have fallen enough to nudge Americans back onto the roads. While oil is trading at 126 dollars a barrel, it is still on the lower end of Julys trading range. We believe that oil prices will trade in a tight range until the US GDP figures come out, if the number is lower then expected, we can see oil prices fall below 120 dollars per barrel.

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BetOnMarkets Afternoon Update

The large earnings miss from Lloyds TSB is getting most of the headlines today, but for all the “this is another Northern Rock!” warnings, Lloyds share price is still above the £2.70 low registered earlier in the month. RBS and Barclays are actually enjoying gains of around 4% today as investors cycle back into financials. There has been a lot of uncertainty over bank’s earnings from the likes of Merrill Lynch in the US to Lloyds TSB in the UK. Traders tend to hate uncertainty more than they hate bad news, and although the news from Merrill or Lloyds has been dire, at least market participants can now price in the bad news and start to be able to compute downside risk. This is much more preferable than the unknown and stocks often rise as a consequence.

The release of the news helps to foster the belief that the worst of the credit crunch is behind us, at least from the point of view of being able to estimate future earnings more accurately. The logic behind this can of course be questioned, but it is evident that investors are getting more confident in their bullish positions.

The better than expected US ADP employment report helped boost US markets earlier today as has the continued weakening the price of oil. It is debateable whether we have bottomed or not, but for now the bulls seem in control …… At least until the next big news item.

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BetOnMarkets Morning Update

The FTSE is currently indicating a sharply higher opening, as traders are trying to get their positions in before the release of the UK consumer confidence numbers which are released at 11pm GMT tonight. There are rumours circulating that the number will be higher then expected. Traders are proving that the old saying buy on rumours sell on the news works. Look for the FTSE to stay in the green the whole day.

Gold and oil keep taking it on the chin as both were losers yesterday, oil is on the verge of heading below 120, technicals are indicating that a break of that level opens a move to 110. This could be helped with the employment data from the US which is due on Friday of this week. Gold is giving back all the gains made last week, as the US dollar strengthens against the major currencies especially the commodity pairs (Australian and Canadian dollar). Both have lost ground as gold fell from its 975$ peak. Look for the strength of the US dollar to continue unless economic data shows otherwise

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BetOnMarkets Afternoon Update

Stocks are soaring as oil falls further towards $120 on speculation that a slowing global economy will check demand. It will be further bad news for hedge funds who recently endured their worse month for many years as the leveraged oil trades unwound with falling prices. Stalling oil prices are also not helping BP as it pulls back further from the days opening highs. The previous results were impressive, but a significant proportion of those profits come from their Russian joint venture which looks like it will be torn apart over the coming months.

Financials are a mixed bag today with Barclays and RBS falling heavily at the open and struggling to catch up. The US financial sector as whole isn’t having too bad a day despite Merrill Lynch’s write down and plans to raise capital. Merrill is being punished for releasing their announcement less than a fortnight after their earnings figures. Elsewhere the US house price collapse continues to accelerate. The S&P/Case-Schiller Index shows annual declines in prices of existing single family homes of 15.8%. With UK politicians discussing plans to help out mortgage lenders, they would be well served to use the US housing market as an advanced proxy of what could happen in the UK.

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