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Fixed Odds Trade – GBP/USD Daily Chart Bear Trade 22nd July 2009

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:20:28 +0000

Pound vs Dollar - Daily Candle Chart 22nd July 2009

It’s been a flat opening for the FTSE, CAC and DAX as the bulls and bears continue to trade punches. There was excitement after the close of US markets last night as Apple smashed its earnings estimates. Unfortunately this excitement has proven to be short lived and there has been a steady decline in optimism overnight. Investors didn’t get anything too bullish from Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and other company announcements such as Yahoo were a muted affair. After such a spectacular run up, a bout of profit taking or buying fatigue is natural. At 08.30 GMT today we have the release of the minutes from the last MPC meeting, followed by Canadian retail sales at 12.30, then at 14.00, Fed Chairman Bernanke continues his testimony. Aside from a number of middle tier economic announcements, these will be today’s main market movers today.

My Fixed Odds Suggested Trade

The pound is getting hammered in early trading, most notably against the dollar where it stands 0.75% down on the day. Investors are taking fright at the size of the UK debt mountain and news that up to 9% of tax revenue could go to debt repayments in the next 5 years. Money is flowing back into the perceived safety of the US dollar and Japanese yen, making the GBP/ USD today’s pair in play. 1.6500 looks like it’s becoming a tricky level to surpass on the GBP/USD. A bear trade predicting that the GBP/USD will be below this over the next few days could be best way to play this.

Good luck with this fixed odds suggestion and remember, you can find all the latest currency trading news, live news, latest prices on the currency charts, latest movements on the index charts or commodity prices, by following the appropriate links. Remember also that if you are looking for a good fx broker or fixed odds broker, then again just click the relevant link and this will take you to a new page on the fixed odds site, and good luck with this one.

Fixed Odds Trading News – Fixed Odds Bet 17th July 2009

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:15:11 +0000

Pound vs Dollar - Daily Candle Chart 17th July 2009

It’s been a good start to the day for the FTSE, CAC and DAX. This is largely down to a final hour surge in US markets last night with the European indices playing catch up this morning. Speculators rushed to take a position in Google last night ahead of their earnings announcement after JP Morgan beat expectations. Although markets are higher this morning, there are reasons to be cautious. Firstly, Google’s results were mixed with their share price plunging in after hours trading, and secondly the overnight bomb blasts in Jakarta have also forced investors on the defensive, putting the brakes on gains in financial markets this morning.

Fixed Odds Bet Today

As we saw in early trading yesterday, investors have reverted to risk averse mode, moving to safer assets overnight. The yen and dollar are in demand with the pound and Aussie dollar particularly out of favour with investors. There is little by the way of economic announcements this morning apart from US building permits at 12.30. The pound vs dollar has been one of the morning’s biggest movers and if US building permits come in better than expected, the pound’s slump could continue. One way to play this might be a one touch trade with the trigger level set at around 1.6100. A One touch trade over three days could return 259% over this period.

Fixed Odds Bets – No Touch On Euro vs Yen Daily Chart 16th July 2009

admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:00:44 +0000

Euro vs Yen - Daily Candle Chart 16th July 2009

It’s a quiet start to the day for the FTSE, CAC and DAX, with investors taking a breather after a tremendous start to the trading week. In just three days, recent fears have been swatted away as investors see reasons to be cheerful in the economy and corporate profits. The recent rally has been sparked by Goldman Sachs and Intel with other companies such as Exxon Mobil and American Express pitching in. There were no major US companies announcing earth shattering earnings after the close last night so sentiment has drifted overnight. Before US markets open, we have earnings from JP Morgan and after the close we have earnings numbers from Google & IBM. If the Californian search giant is able to beat profit estimates, we could have a week to remember with the rally this would spark. It’s a quieter day on the economic news front today with the principle piece of news being US unemployment claims at 12.30 GMT and TIC Long Term Purchases at 13.00.

My Fixed Odds Bet Today

The dollar and yen have been under pressure as investors look to take on more risk. During the wobble in recent weeks, the yen was seen as a safe haven, but with the mega rally we’ve seen this week, traders have been dumping safety in favour of the dollar and other currencies such as the euro. This morning we’re seeing a reversal of that trend with the yen strong across the board, especially against the euro and Aussie dollar. This makes today’s pair in play the EUR/ JPY (euro vs Japanese Yen). If the recent rally falters, we could see further strength in the yen. The best way to play this might be a No Touch trade predicting that the EUR/JPY won’t rise again and touch something like 133.00 over the next 5 days. This currently could yield around 100%.

Fixed Odds Trade Of The Day, Expiry Miss – 15th July 2009

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:20:46 +0000

Euro vs Dollar - Daily Candle Chart 15th July 2009e

It’s been a strong opening for the FTSE, CAC and DAX with the main European indices up between 0.5% and 1.2%. The prospect of higher than expected earnings from US companies is getting traders excited after Intel produced encouraging results late last night. Asian markets kept the momentum going and markets look set for another good day. We’ve a very busy day on the economic news front with UK claimant count change, average earnings and unemployment rate at 08.30 GMT. At 09.00 we get the release of European CPI numbers. At 12.30 we have the first of a stream of US economic announcements starting with US CPI, then various announcements leading up to the release of the last FOMC meeting minutes. Markets seem to be in a bullish mood and any one of these announcements could push shares even higher today.

My Fixed Odds Suggested Trade

The Euro is in play today on the currency markets, rising strongly against the dollar especially. With a steady stream of announcements due today that could impact on the dollar, and the euro vs dollar could be where the main price action is today. A two day expiry miss might be the best way to play this trade. An expiry miss wins if the pair is below your lower target or above your higher target within that time. Basically, as long as it moves out of a trading range and stays there, you win.

Breakout Trade – GBP/USD Daily Candle Chart 14th July 2009

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:59:02 +0000

Pounds To Dollars Daily Candle Chart - GBP/USD 14th July 2009

It’s all a bit flat this morning, but this certainly won’t last. Yesterday, stock markets rallied on rumours that the profits from investment bank Goldman Sachs will tip $2 billion. This was the first positive catalyst that investors have had in a few days and they grabbed it with both hands. This morning we’re seeing the calm before the storm with Goldman’s actual results being released just before the opening of US markets. It could therefore be a volatile open for the Dow Jones depending on how well Goldman’s actual results are received. It’s not just Goldman’s results that could excite today, we have a raft of important economic announcements to come this morning. From 08.30 GMT we have UK CPI and RPI which will give trades an idea of the current inflation expectations for the UK economy. This could have a knock effect on the pound especially with MPC member Posen speaking at the same time. At 09.00 we have German and European ZEW economic sentiment which could impact the euro. Then at 12.30 we get US retails sales and PPI. It’s quiet now, but this really could be the calm before the storm today.

Fixed Odds Suggested Trade

With Goldman Sachs releasing their results from midday, and a raft of important economic announcements, dollar pairs could be in play today with the pound vs dollar potentially the most active of all the pairs. It’s relatively calm until 08.30 GMT so it may be a good time to profit from the coming volatility before it happens. A one day breakout trade could be a good way to play this as the GBP/USD can go in either direction and the trade still winning as long as it goes somewhere fast as it could do today.

Online Trading – Market Outlook 20th April 2009

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:12:27 +0000

Another week goes by, and world markets put more distance between current levels and the lows of March. The broad S&P 500 on the index charts managed to register its sixth positive week on the trot, something that would have seemed impossible just a month ago. Leading the charge has been the resurgent financial sector with major US banks beating analysts’ estimates with their latest earnings announcements. Wells Fargo, Goldman’s, JP Morgan and Citi Group all surprised to the upside, though many have questioned the sustainability of these results, with government bailouts and accounting changes playing a significant role in some of the outperformance. For example, some questioned the ‘orphaned’ month in Goldman’s earnings, as they switched their accounting period from December to January. British banks also performed well, but it was Barclays that stole the show. On the stock charts Lloyds TSB hit its highest level since February, and Barclays pushing above the £2.00 level for the first time since November last year. Barclays has been the strongest performer across the remaining UK banks over the last three months, as speculation mounts that it may be able to sell its entire BGI division including iShares at a more attractive price.

There has been mixed news from the US too, with weekly jobless claims coming in below analysts’ estimates. Continuing claims actually reached 6.02 million, an all time high, but so far markets seem more focused on the headline number. US jobs data is still woeful; it just seems that the contraction is slowing slightly. US housing starts were at near record lows, while foreclosure activity peaked at its highest level since records began in 2005. Despite all this, it has been a relatively good week for the US dollar, clawing back losses made in the early part of the week against the pound. The Euro continues to weaken, falling hard against the dollar and sterling last week. Commodity prices were mixed last week with copper performing well on the back of industrial demand, whilst both gold and spot silver fell, following the good performance in the equity markets and their consequent lack of attraction as a safe haven status. The price of gold fell as economic optimism improved slightly, but at the same time, crude oil prices dipped below $50 a barrel, as China announced that economic activity grew substantially less than the same period last year.

This week is relatively quiet with UK CPI the stand out data point on Tuesday. Wednesday sees the release of the minutes from the last MPC meeting, along with the latest claimant count changed data. At midday all eyes will be on the Alistair Darling’s budget announcement. Higher taxes and lower public spending are expected to announced, to help offset record government borrowing. Thursday is a busy day with a raft of middle tier European announcements and US existing home sales. Friday brings a number of upper tier announcements; including UK GDP & retails sales, as well as US durable goods orders, and new home sales.

The rally over the last few weeks has lasted longer than many thought it would. The debate now rages as to whether this is the start of a meaningful recovery or simply a ‘bear market rally’. In either case, it is perhaps unlikely markets will be able to maintain this momentum for the rest of the year without some sort of pull back in the meantime. This could be the start of the recovery, but it may take longer than many people hope.

If you would like further details on the latest currency trading news, live stock prices, commodity prices, or the latest fundamental news on the economic calendar, then just follow the appropriate link. If you are looking for a good fx broker or fixed odds broker then again just click on the link.

Trading Week Ahead – 30th March 2009

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:22:35 +0000

After a volatile 5 days, world stock prices just managed to close the last 5 days in the black. It was a week of two halves with the good work from the start of the week being undone in the second half as traders slipped into reverse gear on Thursday and Friday. At least markets managed to hold the gains from the previous week which in the context of the bear market is no mean feat.

Markets shot out of the gates last Monday, and more importantly, managed to hold those gains for most of the week. The news flow continued to be mixed, but investors chose to take a ‘glass half full’ rather than a ‘glass half empty’ philosophy. For example on Wednesday, markets were buoyed by the better than expected US durable goods orders. Traders chose to focus on the short term improvement in these figures, rather than the fact that prices were down 22% since February 2008, registering their second largest year on year fall. When confidence is shot to pieces, this positive spin would not happen, but now the bulls have a spring in their step and are willing to take some risks.

There was no positive spin to put on the failure of the UK government gilt last week though. The gilt auction failure causes a volatility spike in government bonds and across currency markets.

Ironically it is the financial sector that provided some stability within the FTSE last week, with the momentum still behind a resurgent Barclays. Lloyds, RBS, HSBC and Barclays finished the week up 27%, 5%, 5% and 52% respectively. Barclays launched higher on the news that it is putting IShares up for sale, and the buying continued when it was reported the Barclays had passed the MPC’s stress test, which means it may not have to return to the market for new funds.

Commodity prices had a mixed week with oil dropping around $1.50 on Friday, erasing most of the gains made earlier in the week. Aside from economic factors, President Obama’s fuel efficiency plans appeared to hit crude and gasoline prices. Amongst other things, Obama has set a minimum requirement of 30.2 miles per gallon for passenger cars. The annual vehicle distance travelled by US drivers was increasing at an almost parabolic rate until 2008, when the total vehicle miles travelled dropped by 3.7% year on year. A continuation of this trend, and US government support for greater fuel efficiency, could put further pressure on crude’s nascent recovery.

On the currency trading news, there was a big reversal of sentiment against the euro, which closed down hard against the yen, dollar and even the pound. Fears over the European economy intensified last week, increasing speculation that the ECB will cut to 1% this coming week. Rumours of the ECB planning to follow the MPC and FOMC in quantitative easing also hit the currency.

As usual with the first week of the month, the hot trading ticket this week is the US Non Farm Payroll report on Friday, preceded by the ADP employment change report on Wednesday. Aside from this, there is the ECB rate decision on Thursday, and US pending home sales on Wednesday. The nationwide House Price Index and Halifax House Price Index are both due sometime throughout the week, and the G20 meeting on Wednesday could spring some surprises, so check with your fx broker for all the latest details.

Last week, the so called “Dr Doom”, Nouriel Roubini stated that markets had got ahead of themselves, with analysts starting to underestimate how bad company earnings announcements will be in the coming months, suggesting that what we are seeing in the markets at present is nothing more than a dead cat bounce!

No Touch Trade – Apple Shares

admin — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:18:21 +0000

Last week it was announced that Apple talisman Steve Jobs would be taking a medical leave of absence. The announcement rattled the share price, but it did not collapse as many believe it could have done. The share price held above the $80 level last week, and there is a chance that it could continue to hold above this level if investors buy the story that there is more to Apple than Steve Jobs.

A no touch trade predicting that Apple won’t touch $77 over the next 30 days could return 126% return if proved correct.

One Touch Trade – Marks and Spencer

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:24:35 +0000

The FTSE started the week with a rally on the back of better than expected numbers from major retailers; Next and Debenhams. Their figures were generally in line with expectations, but this was enough to spark a rally across the UK retailing sector, with Marks & Spencer also up ahead of its earnings announcement the following day. While last week’s Christmas trading numbers have been described as robust, Next in particular has warned that 2009 will be a very difficult year. There is a very real possibility that 2009 earnings will fall significantly below consensus estimates. Companies such as Marks & Spencer held off making redundancies until the New Year, and 2009 could see many other companies following suit. It appears that shoppers didn’t entirely ditch their spending habit last year, but with the jobs market set to worsen in 2009, Christmas 2008 could be seen as the shoppers’ last hurrah for a good few years.By placing a one touch trade predicting that Marks and Spencer will reverse last week’s rally and hit £2.00 within the next 40 days could return 116%.

No Touch Trade – BP Shares

admin — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:24:22 +0000

Oil prices are now close to their historical average and have been falling steadily since their peak this year. If a bottom were to be found, it could be around the $30 marker based on historical price action. Despite the dramatic drop in the price of oil, oil majors such as BP have held up reasonably well of late. If oil were to steady no lower than $30, BPs share price could hold above the Â£5.00 level for some time. A no touch trade predicting that BP wont touch Â£4.60 at any time in the next 60 days could return 108%.