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17. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
The yield on 10 year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) fell into negative territory for only the third time in history. A recent U.S. government sale of $13 billion in 10 year TIPS sold at a negative yield of 0.391%. The safety of US Treasuries and the possibility of another round of quantitative easing drew investors. Yields rose for ten year bonds from Spain and Italy. Ten year yields for Spain touched 6.288% in trading and Italian yields rose to slightly over 5.8%.
To read a related Wall Street Journal, please click here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120517-711941.html
James Sutliff
Posted in Interest Rates, Trading, Federal Reserve, Treasury, Options & Futures, Investments, Bonds, Economic News, General, Banking | No Comments »
15. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
The Euro traded at $1.2752 which is the lowest mark since January 18th. The Euro has fallen in five of the last six trading sessions. Ten year yields on Italian and Spanish debt rose to 6% in trading. GDP in France remained flat and the Italian economy contracted .08%.
To read a related Fox Business article, please click here:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2012/05/15/euro-slides-to-four-month-low/
Jim Sutliff
Posted in Options & Futures, Trading, Euro, Investments, General, Currency, Economic News, Banking | No Comments »
9. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
Gasoline inventories declined 2.6 million barrels and distillate inventories fell 3.3 million barrels. The Energy Information Administration also indicated that crude oil increased 3.7 million barrels which was greater than the 2 million barrel increase expected by analysts. Inventories of crude oil at Cushing Oklahoma rose to 44.1 million barrels.
To read a related Nasdaq article, please click here:
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/oil-futures-crude-pares-losses-following-inventory-data-20120509-01176
James Sutliff
Posted in Oil, Options & Futures, Trading, Investments, General, Economic News, Gasoline, Banking | No Comments »
7. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
Elections in France and Greece may impact the Euro in the near term. France elected Francois Hollande of the Socialist party by a slim margin over President Nicholas Sarkozy. Hollande is not expected to support austerity measures. Hollande is the first Socialist President elected in France in 17 years. Francois Mitterand was the last Socialist President and he served from 1981-1995.
To read a related Wall Street Journal article, please click here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120507-705469.html
Jim Sutliff
Posted in Political News, Interest Rates, Euro, Investments, General, Bonds, Currency, Economic News, Banking | No Comments »
1. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
According to the Institute of Supply Management, U.S. manufacturing for April increased the most in ten months. The data sent crude oil prices higher in trading on Tuesday. Crude oil prices rose above the 50 day moving average of $105.21 a barrel. Technical trading gave prices a slight increase and crude settled at $106.20 a barrel.
To read a related Fox Business article, please click here:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2012/05/01/ism-data-lift-oil-prices/
Jim Sutliff
Posted in Options & Futures, Trading, Earnings, Oil, Investments, Economic News, General, Banking | No Comments »
26. April 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
Standard & Poor’s lowered the credit rating of Spain to BBB+ from A. The two notch downgrade is partially due to the risks associated with the government debt. In addition, Standard & Poor’s discusses concerns relating to budget projections and the banking sector. The ratings downgrade also mentions scenarios that could lower the ratings or improve the outlook.
To visit the Standard & Poor’s site, please click here:
http://www.standardandpoors.com/ratings/articles/en/us/?articleType=HTML&assetID=1245332673209
Jim Sutliff
Posted in Investments, Trading, General, Economic News, Bonds, Banking | No Comments »
29. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, crude oil inventories rose 7.1 million barrels. The inventory increase worked to drive crude oil prices lower in trading. The increase exceeded analyst expectations of a much lower 2.2 million barrel rise in inventory levels. Gasoline inventories went in the opposite direction and fell 3.5 million barrels. Analysts had expected a decrease of only 1.5 million barrels.
To read a related Wall Street Journal article, please click here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120328-711709.html
Jim Sutliff
Posted in Oil, Options & Futures, Trading, Investments, General, Economic News, Gasoline, Banking | No Comments »
3. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
The U.S. Treasury may start to offer negative yield auctions. The safety and security of U.S. Treasuries have already led to them being traded at negative yields on secondary markets. According to Reuters, the one month Treasury bill traded on a secondary market at a negative yield in December. The Treasury Departments systems would have to be modified to handle the trading of Treasuries at a premium.
To read a related Fox Business article, please click here:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/investing/2012/02/01/treasury-may-let-investors-pay-to-hold-us-debt/
Jim Sutliff
Posted in Trading, Treasury, Interest Rates, General, Bonds, Economic News, Banking | No Comments »
27. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
Germany voted to support a second Greek bailout of approximately $174 billion. The Finland parliament is expected to vote on the Greek bailout this week. Also, European leaders will discuss the Euro zone bailout fund at their next meeting in Brussels on March 1st and 2nd.
To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:
Jim Sutliff
Posted in Regulatory, Interest Rates, Trading, Euro, Investments, General, Bonds, Currency, Economic News, Banking | No Comments »
21. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
Gold prices rose to over $1,755 an ounce after European Union finance ministers agreed to another Greek bailout. The second Greek bailout provided by the Euro zone is approximately $172 billion. In Tuesday trading, gold hit the highest mark since February 3rd. Silver also traded higher and rose to $34.13 an ounce.
To read a related Reuters article, please click here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/21/us-markets-precious-idUSTRE80T1QZ20120221
James Sutliff
Posted in Metals, Options & Futures, Trading, Investments, General, Bonds, Economic News, Banking | No Comments »
27. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
Fitch lowered the credit ratings for the sovereign debt of five Euro region nations. The five nations included Italy, Spain, Belgium, Cyprus, and Slovenia. The credit rating for Italy was cut to A- and the rating for Spain fell to A. Italy has the third largest European Union economy.
To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:
James Sutliff
Posted in Investments, Trading, General, Economic News, Bonds, Banking | No Comments »
14. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
Standard & Poor’s downgraded the sovereign debt of nine European nations on Friday. France and Austria lost their AAA ratings and were lowered to AA+. In addition, the sovereign debt was downgraded for Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Four European nations that still have a AAA rating are Germany. Finland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Borrowing costs could rise for the nations that had their sovereign debt downgraded. U.S. Treasuries rose in trading on Friday and forced yields down to 1.87%.
To read a related Wall Street Journal article, please click here:
Jim Sutliff
Posted in Investments, Treasury, General, Economic News, Bonds, Banking | No Comments »
6. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
The European debt crisis has forced the Euro lower in trading over the last few months. Recent weeks have shown a steeper decline as recessionary concerns mounted and the debt crisis remained unresolved. The Euro fell below $1.27 in Friday trading before climbing back above that mark. Recently, the Euro showed weakness against the Yen as well as other currencies.
To read a related Wall Street Journal article, please click here:
James Sutliff
Posted in Trading, Euro, Investments, General, Currency, Economic News, Banking | No Comments »
4. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.
The Federal Reserve has announced that they will release their forecasts for the Federal funds rate. The move will increase transparency at the Federal Reserve at may help with financial planning for businesses and investors. Monetary policy expectations should be released at the next meeting on January 24th and 25th. The Fed funds rate is expected to remain low for the remainder of 2012.
To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:
James Sutliff
Posted in Stocks, Interest Rates, Federal Reserve, Treasury, Regulatory, Investments, Bonds, Economic News, General, Banking | No Comments »
23. December 2011 by Jim Sutliff.
Oil futures rose to their highest close since December 15th and settled at $99.68. The increase capped a weekly gain of 6.6% for crude oil. Positive economic data and tensions in Iran were two factors driving the price of crude higher.
To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:
Jim Sutliff
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