MARKETS look range-bound still. Global stocks, credit and commodities have rallied since February's swoon, but have yet to reach new highs; meanwhile, "safe haven" Treasury yields are up from their lows.Read
IN recent weeks, worries about Greece and some other Euro- area economies, as well as news of moves to restrict loan growth in China, have both caused the markets particular concern.Read
OFFICIAL interest rates were cut to very low levels during the financial crisis. With the world economy now starting to get back on its feet, the big question is when the world’s monetary authorities will start raising interest rates back to normal levels again.Read
EUROPEAN government debt markets have had a rough time of late; fears about Greece’s financial health and worries that "contagion" could spread to other economies such as Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain have both played their part in the recent volatility.Read
MARKETS’ concerns over Wood Group’s exposure to the US and the slowdown of its engineering activities have led the shares to underperform the energy sector by 12% over the past three months.Read
NEW investors will need reminding that cash deposit rates are still at very low levels by historical standards. But a renewed recession - something which could help trigger renewed "safe haven" demand for cash - looks unlikely. Read
STOCKS were hit by a double whammy last week - namely fears that China's monetary tightening will slow global growth and concerns relating to President Obama’s proposed reforms of the US financial sector. Read
WE are initiating coverage of Aberdeen Asset Management with an outperform recommendation. The asset managers have performed well in 2009, on the back of rallying markets.Read
LAST week, the European Central Bank (ECB) kept its base rate on hold at 1%, much as markets had expected, with the accompanying statement indicating that the economic recovery would be "uneven".Read
GOVERNMENT bonds proved a popular safe haven in 2008-09 as investors, frightened by market traumas, plumped for the security government debt seemed to give - despite low, or even negative, real yields that were on offer for this asset class.Read
AS what has been one of the most volatile years for equity markets in living memory draws to a close, it is time to start thinking about the likely direction that markets will take as we enter the next stage of the recovery.Read
AFTER a stellar run since March, equity markets ran out off of puff in October. Since then, stock markets have failed to perform at anything like their pre-October pace.Read
DEBENHAMS – We have upgraded our recommendation on Debenhams to buy. The retailer, which has 144 stores and £2.3bn in revenue, has some of the cheapest stock in our coverage, with a 10.2x 1-year forward P/E on our 8p estimate.Read
Indeed, import numbers for most commodities continue to significantly exceed the most optimistic expectations, while currency effects – notably the weak US dollar – have added to upward price trends for many commodities.Read
CORPORATE bonds have enjoyed a strong rally since markets found their feet in early March. However, just like ordinary Government bonds, fixed-rate corporate bonds should look less attractive when interest rates eventually rise.Read
THE equity market rally ran out of steam in October, with the MSCI World index posting its first negative monthly return since February. To see markets hit by profit taking following the long and strong rally from March's lows perhaps comes as little surprise to many investors.Read
OVER the past year the leisure sector has taken a battering. It should come as no surprise that consumers have curbed their discretionary spending – but is it all doom and gloom and 2-for-1 offers for the leisure sector for the foreseeable future?Read
Andrew Miller is regional office head of Barclays Wealth and formerly worked for Gerard Investments. He writes regular opinion pieces in The Journal where he analyses the North Eastýs listed companies.
