ASX200 Stock and CFD 30-09-09

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The SFE Futures down 12 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 0.30% and RIO up 0.21%. BHP was down 0.58% and RIO down 0.60% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3781c, down 18c on last night’s close. Metals mostly up on LME Copper down 0.57%, Nickel up 2.37%, Zinc up 0.27%, Aluminium up 1.06%, Lead up 1.24% Oil price down 13c to $66.71 Gold up 30c to $994 Bonds up 10 year yield at 3.292% down from 3.302%  A$ down 87.12c versus 87.27c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 0.08% VIX Volatility Index up 1.25%

 Market trades in narrow range on light volumes. Fourth fall in five sessions. Better-than-expected S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Report for July. The report’s 20 City Composite Index showed a 13.3% year on year decline, which was not as bad as the 14.2% decline that was expected. US house prices increased by 1.2% in July from June, above expectations and the indicator’s largest intermonth gain since October 2005. Seventeen of the 20 cities surveyed for the index reported increased prices in July, led by a 3.1% jump in Minneapolis and a 2.9% gain in San Francisco.  Larger-than-expected decline in Consumer confidence. September Consumer Confidence Index fell to 53.1 from 54.5 in August. Market was looking for a reading of 57.0. Market sold off on news. Home Depot fell 1.6%. MBIA down 4.7% after S&P cut the credit ratings of the world’s biggest bond insurer.  Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said corporate information-technology budgets will remain at their current relatively low levels. Intel down 1.3%, Dell down 3.2% and Microsoft down 0.3%. On the positive side drug retailer Walgreen up 9.2%. Best single-session percentage advance in six months after the company posted better than expected quarterly earnings. Boosted other consumer staples stocks.

 The market is down 11. The SFE Futures were down 12 this morning.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 29-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 56 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 2.37% and RIO up 2.09%. BHP was up 2.30% and RIO up 2.15% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3764c, up 54c on last night’s close. Metals mixed on LME Copper up 0.35%, Nickel down 0.90%, Zinc down 0.11%, Aluminium up 0.95%, Lead up 1.02% Oil price up $0.79 to $66.84 Gold up $2.50 to $994 Bonds up 10 year yield at 3.302% down from 3.329% A$ up 87.27c versus 86.62c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 0.57% VIX Volatility Index down 2.85%

Market bounces back from three days of falls. Trading volumes were light with the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday - just 0.979 shares were exchanged on the day, down 21% on the three-month average. M&A activity in Healthcare and Technology sectors boosts market. All 10 sectors of the S&P500 were up. Index now up 57% from March lows. Financials posted best gains up 3.4%. Sectors best gains in two months. Morgan Stanley forecast declining credit losses for banks over next 12-18 months; Citigroup was up 4.3%; Insurers also up. Hartford Financial up 11%. On the takeovers front, Affiliated Computer Services was up 14% after Xerox acquired the company for US$6.4B. American Securities announced it will acquire GenTek for $38.00 per share, which represents nearly a 40% premium over the last closing price. Bloomberg data, M&A activity involving US companies in the month of September to date has totaled US$49.1B, well up on the figures for the preceding two months (August: US$26.6B; July: US$36.8B). 

The market is up 83. The SFE Futures were up 56 this morning.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 28-09-09

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The SFE Futures down 20 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 0.14% and RIO down 1.89%. BHP was up 1.40% and RIO down 0.28% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3703c, down 52c on last night’s close. Metals mixed on LME Copper up 0.52%, Nickel down 1.18%, Zinc up 0.82%, Aluminium down 1.33%, Lead up 0.65% Oil price up $0.26 to $66.02 Gold down $7.30 to $992 Bonds up 10 year yield at 3.329% down from 3.381% A$ up 86.62c versus 86.53c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 0.30% VIX Volatility Index up 2.65%

Market closes down for third straight session. New home sales and August durable goods numbers were below expectations. Durable Goods fell 2.4% in August, the biggest intermonth decline since January. The aircraft segment fell 42% in August, following a 98% surge in July. Automobile orders increased by 0.4%, after a 1.6% gain in July. New orders for non-defence capital goods, excluding aircraft- a proxy for business investment declined 0.4% following a 1.3% fall in July. Some economists trimmed their September quarter GDP growth projections.  US new home sales also disappointed, rising by a less than expected 0.7% to 0.429M annualised in August Volumes were lighter for the week ahead of the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday on 28 September - 1.19B shares traded down 47% on that for the preceding week

The market is down 55. The SFE Futures were down 50 this morning.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 25-09-09

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The SFE Futures down 50 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP down 2.35% and RIO down 3.00%. BHP was down 0.87% and RIO down 0.52% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3703c, down69c on last night’s close. Metals much weaker on LME Copper down 2.69%, Nickel down 4.41%, Zinc down 2.08%, Aluminium down 1.85%, Lead down 3.12% Oil price down $2.91 to $65.79 Gold down $15.50 to $999  Bonds up 10 year yield at 3.381% down from 3.418% A$ down 86.53c versus 86.84c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 2.05%  VIX Volatility Index up 6.22%

• Market closes down for second day in a row. Existing home sales worse than expected – down 2.7% in August to 5.1m annualized compared with a 7.2% increase July. Economists had been expecting a fifth straight increase. Was first intra month decline since March. Homebuilders weaker on the news. Labor Department Initial jobless claims slightly better than expected. Down for a third week in a row. Down by 21,000 last week to 530,000. Continuing claims better than expected. Down 123,000 to 6.138m (consensus 6.183m). All ten of S&P 500 sectors were down Major stocks Alcoa, General Electric and Caterpillar all down by over 2%on the day. Copper back to one moth lows on LME as higher inventories raise concerns Gold price fell the most in two months. Below $US1000 for first time Since September 10. Hewlett-Packard reported in-line FY10 earnings and revenue guidance after hours. Stock 1% lower after hours.

The market is down 55. The SFE Futures were down 50 this morning.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 24-09-09

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The SFE Futures down 28 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP down 2.00% and RIO down 1.52%. BHP was down 1.02% and RIO up 0.97% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3779c, down 56c on last night’s close. Metals mainly weaker on LME Copper down 2.26%, Nickel up 0.73%, Zinc down 2.24%, Aluminium down 0.81%, Lead down 2.21% Oil price down $2.85 to $68.70 Gold down $1.10 to $1014 Bonds up - 10 year yield at 3.418% down from 3.456%. A$ down 86.84c versus 87.36c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 1.01% VIX Volatility Index up 1.78%

• Market finished close to its intra-day low. Interest Rates remain unchanged. Following a two day policy meeting, the FOMC left rates unchanged at 0.00-0.25% and added they would keep short-term interest rates at historically low levels near zero “for an extended period”. FOMC policy statement indicated that economic activity has ‘picked up’ since their last meeting in August but added unemployment is likely to influence consumer spending, to add to lower household wealth and tight credit solutions. FOMC went on to say that it will purchase $1.25 trillion of agency mortgage backed securities and $200 billion agency debt, but it will gradually slow the pace of purchases to promote a smooth transition in markets. Financials - down 2.1% – led the market lower. JP Morgan down 3.0% and Citigroup down 2.8% Moody’s down 8% on reports that US state regulators were reviewing whether to create an organization for grading insurers’ bond holdings, potentially negatively impacting Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s revenue streams.Materials down 2.0%

The market is down 11. The SFE Futures suggested a 28 point fall.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 23-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 19 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 2.12% and RIO up 2.82%. BHP was up 1% and RIO up 2.4% in the UK. Metals stronger on LME Copper up 1.36%, Nickel up 2.06%, Zinc up 1.43%, Aluminium up 0.27%, Lead up 3.48%. Oil price up $1.84 to $71.55. Gold up $10.60 to $1015. Bonds up - 10 year yield at 3.456% down from 3.487%. A$ up 87.36c versus 86.34c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 1.90%VIX Volatility Index down 4.07% 

Financial best sector up 2.3%. Highest level since November. JPMorgan Chase up 4.3% and was the best performer in the Dow index. Macy’s up 5.5%, Hewlett-Packard up 1.4% and Bank of America up 2.1% boosted by some analyst upgrades Energy sector up 1.4%, Materials sector up 1.2% on higher oil and commodity prices Newmont Mining up 1.8% and Exxon Mobil up 0.4% Caterpillar up 3.6% on speculation demand for commodities will boost sales. Utilities, Health Care and Telecoms down. Oil up for first time in 4 days. Chinese oil imports increased by 18% in August.

 US$ fell to its lowest level against the euro in more than a year. US$43bn Note Auction. Results for 2-year Treasuries strongest support in twoyears (the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.23). News that the Asian Development Bank has upgraded its GDP forecasts for majorAsian economies boosted sentiment on the global economic outlook. Predicted Asia,excluding Japan, will grow 3.9% in 2009. FOMC make their interest rate decision tonight.

The market is down 5. The SFE Futures suggested a 15 point fall.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 22-09-09

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The SFE Futures down 15 points overnight.BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP down 2.06% and RIO down 2.69%. BHP was down 1.19% and RIO down 3.43% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3800c, down 8c on last night’s close. Metals stronger on LME Copper up 0.26%, Nickel up 1.42%, Zinc up 0.37%, Aluminium down 1.80%, Lead up 1.39% Oil price down $2.33 to $69.71 Gold down $5.40 to $1005 Bonds down - 10 year yield at 3.487% up from 3.474%. A$ weaker 86.34c versus 86.57c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 2.18% VIX Volatility Index up 0.59%

Dell plans to buy information-technology company Perot Systems Corp (up 65%) for $3.9bn drove some buying in tech stocks. Nasdaq rose 0.2% Financials down 0.91% led by decline in Bank of America Energy sector stocks like Exxon Mobil Corp, ConocoPhillips and Halliburton Co down in the face of a lower oil price Gold down for third day in a row. Takes shine off gold stocks Homebuilder Lennar Corp fell by 3% after announcing that a doubling in its quarterly loss in the three months to August The Conference Board Index of leading economic indicators increased 0.6% in August, Post their fifth successive gain. Near consensus forecasts of up 0.7% US$ stronger weighs on oil and gold Some profit taking ahead of key government meetings this week, including the Federal Reserve’s two-day rate-setting meeting.

The market is down 5. The SFE Futures suggested a 15 point fall.

ASX Stock and CFD Report 21-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 7 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP down 1.60% and RIO down 0.58%. BHP was down 0.91% and RIO down 0.07% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3864c, down 6c on last night’s close. Metals weaker on LME Copper down 3.32%, Nickel down 4.05%, Zinc down 2.53%, Aluminium down 2.53%, Lead down 2.43% Oil price down 43c to $72.04 Gold down $3.20 to $1010 Bonds down - 10 year yield at 3.474% up from 3.398%. A$ weaker86.57c versus 87.22c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 0.74% VIX Volatility Index up 1.14%

Market up nine of the past eleven days. Up 2.2% for the week. For the week All ten sectors of the S&P 500 were up, led by Materials +4.7% and Financials +4.5%. S&P 500 now up 58% from its lows in March Telecom, Consumer Goods, Consumer Services, Utilities and Technology sectors led the market up on Friday. The Other five sectors were down. Other Consumer products stocks up included gains for Sara Lee up 5.7% and Home Depot.1.1%  Texas Instruments rallied after unveiling plans to raise its quarterly dividend by 1 US cent to 12 US cents A new economic forecast by Barclay’s Capital for GDP raised its projection for growth for the first three months of next year to 5% from 3% boosted sentiment Reports are circulating that international investors, headed by the Chinese, are boosting their holdings of US Treasuries, on a view that US inflation will remain subdued.

The market is down 18. The SFE Futures suggested a 7 point rise.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 18-9-09

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The SFE Futures down 21 points overnight.BHP and RIO down 1.22% and 1.39% in ADR form overnight. BHP was up 0.23% and RIO up 0.61% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3907c, up 3c on last night’s close. Metals mixed on LME Copper down 0.53%, Nickel down 0.71%, Zinc up 1.20%, Aluminium up 2.11%, Lead up 1.60% Oil price up 13c to $72.47. Gold down $6.70 to $1013.5. Bonds up - 10 year yield at 3.398% down from 3.471%.  A$ touch weaker 87.07c versus 87.29c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 0.37% overnight. VIX Volatility Index down 0.17% to 23.65.

Dow breaks a three day rally. Nasdaq down for just the 2nd time in 10 days.  9 out of 10 sectors down. Weekly jobless claims fell by 12,000 against expectations for a flat number. Second fall on the trot.  Housing starts up 1.5% – less than expected but up thanks to the 25% rise in the multi-family dwellings segment – still the highest level in nine months. The singlefamily dwelling sector fell by 3.0%.  Better than expected September Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index number. Highest level since June 2007.  Telecoms down. Oracle down 2.8% on results and a fall in Q1 sales. Verizon down 3%.  Citigroup up 5.2%. Caterpillar up 2.4%. Fedex down 2% on weak sales numbers.  American Airlines up 20% after raising $2.9bn.  Energy sector down on lower gas prices.

The market is down 35. The SFE Futures were down 21 this morning.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 17-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 53 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 3.05% and RIO up 3.33%. BHP was up 2.67% and RIO up 2.85% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3946c, up 46c on last night’s close. Metals stronger again on LME Copper up 3.82%, Nickel up 3.23%, Zinc up 4.25%, Aluminium up 3.95%, Lead up 5.89%  Oil price up $1.41 to $72.34 Gold continues to rally up $13.90 to $1020 Bonds down - 10 year yield at 3.471% up from 3.452%. A$ up 87.29c versus 86.33c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 1.84% VIX Volatility Index up 1.15% to 23.69

Broad based rally continues. Eighth gain in past nine sessions For the month, it is up 3.1%.  Nine of the Ten sectors were up. The telecom sector (-0.77%) was the only sector down. Financials up 3.4%. Led by American Express, up 3.4%. General Electric, up 6.3% and JP Morgan Chase, up 3.4%. Insurers were the hottest sector, Hartford Financial up 11%. Energy sector up 2.3%. Stronger than expected growth in US industrial production boosted sentiment. Consumer price index rose 0.4% in August a touch higher than expected. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, increased 0.1%, as expected. US Current Account Deficit narrowed slightly. Oil prices higher. Boosted by a larger than expected decline in US crude inventories. After the close Oracle down 2.17% following Q1 earnings which were in line with consensus.

Another good day for the market. It is up 48. The SFE Futures were up 53 this morning.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 16-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 21 points overnight.  BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 1.15% and RIO up 1.83%. BHP was up 0.56% and RIO down 0.04% in the UK.  Metals stronger on LME Copper up 0.98%, Nickel up 0.66%, Zinc up 1.55%, Aluminium up 1.17%, Lead up 2.89% Oil price up $2.07 to $70.93 Gold up $5.20 to $1006 Bonds down - 10 year yield at 3.452% up from 3.406%. A$ up 86.33c versus 86.16c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index unchanged VIX Volatility Index down 1.84% to 23.42 

Up for seventh time in eight days Eight of ten sectors up. Consumer Goods and Healthcare down. Retail sales numbers much better than expected. Strongest growth rate since early 2006. New York manufacturing Index also better than expected. Fastest growth rate in 2 years. August US PPI numbers were higher than expected. Boosted by higher energy prices. Caterpillar rose 6%, General Electric +4.2%, DuPont +2.7%; Alcoa up 8%. Energy and Materials stocks like Exxon Mobil and Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold also up in the wake of higher oil and metal prices. Citigroup Inc fell by nearly 9% on reports that the bank and the US Treasury Department had begun discussing how to sell the government’s 34% stake. Sentiment boosted by Warren Buffet saying his company Berkshire Hathaway was buying equities.

The market is up 95. The SFE Futures were up 21 this morning. After falling 14c to 311c yesterday on the government invitation to separate their businesses the Telstra research is

actually not too bad this morning and the price is up 8c to 319c.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 15-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 46 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP down 0.72% and RIO down 0.41%. BHP was down 0.96% and RIO down 1.10% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3833c, up 49c on last night’s close. Metals generally weaker on LME Copper down 1.80%, Nickel down 2.04%, Zinc down 1.90%, Aluminium down 0.72%, Lead up 1.76% Oil price down 43c to $68.86 Gold down $5.30 to $1001 Bonds down - 10 year yield at 3.406% up from 3.343%. A$ down a touch 86.16c versus 86.19c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 0.62% VIX Volatility Index down 1.20% to 23.86

 Market recovers from early losses. Sixth gain in seven sessions Worries that a trade war could erupt between the U.S. and China caused early nervousness Nine out of ten sectors up. Telecoms only sector down. Utilities up after lagging in recent sessions. The sector advanced 1.6% after electric utilities (+1.7%) were given positive coverage in a Barron’s article. Utility AES Corp attracted interest (up 4.5%) after The Wall Street Journal reported that China’s investment arm is interested in buying a stake in the company.  Financial stocks up 1.6% after being down as much as 1% early .  Materials up 1.6% higher. General Electric up 4.6% to $15.35. First close above $15 since January. Goldman Sachs reiterated its “buy” rating on the stock.

The market is up 15. The SFE Futures up 46 points overnight.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 14-09-09

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The SFE Futures down 4 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 0.71% and RIO up 1.21%. BHP was up 2.97% and RIO up 1.69% in the UK.  Metals weaker on LME Copper down 0.68%, Nickel down 1.43%, Zinc down 2.90%, Aluminium down 0.49%, Lead down 2.39%  Oil price down $2.65c to $69.29  Gold up $9.60 to $1006  Bonds steady - 10 year yield at 3.343% up from 3.342%. A$ down 86.19c versus 86.33c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 1.55% VIX Volatility Index up 2.55% to 24.15

Main Drivers First day down in six sessions. Selling in Energy stocks primarily led the market lower on a weaker oil price. Chevron, down 0.98%, and ExxonMobil, down 0.95%. Financials weaker led by falls in JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America down 1.21% and 1.45%. National Semiconductor Corp down around 6%. Profit result fell short of expectations although the outlook statement was more positive.  FedEx Corp up 6.41% after announcing a better than expected quarterly result.  Gold finally broke up through the $US1000 level. Now near March 2008 highs. Better than expected September Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index did not do much for the market. A further rundown in wholesale inventories saw economists edge up their thirdquarter GDP forecasts.

The market is down 50. The SFE Futures were down 4 this morning. Japanese market down 2.5% at the moment. Dow Futures down 82 points.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 11-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 42 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 1.78% and RIO up 2.79%. BHP was up 0.09% and RIO up 0.20% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3829c, up 29c on last night’s close. Metals much weaker on LME Copper down 1.89%, Nickel down 4.21%, Zinc down 3.07%, Aluminium down 1.94%, Lead down 12.36% Oil price up 63c to $71.94 Gold touch weaker down $0.30 to $997 Bonds well up – 10 year yield at 3.342% down from 3.479%. A$ up 86.33c versus 86.29c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 0.77% VIX Volatility Index down 3.17% to 23.55

Broad based rally with all 10 major sectors up Energy stocks were strong including Chevron Corp and Schlumberger on higher oil prices. News that the International Energy Agency had increased its 2010 estimate for global demand for a second consecutive month (up 0.45M barrels to 85.7M barrels a day); (2) further US$ selling and (3) a larger than expected drop in crude stockpiles in the latest US Energy Department weekly inventories report boosted sentiment Telecom and Airline stocks were also strong Walt Disney up 5% in Media and Entertainment Procter & Gamble up 4.2% after saying it will cut prices and increase promotions across nearly 10% of its portfolio. Initial jobless claims numbers were better than expected. Trade deficit increased 16% to $32.0 billion in July. This was well above expectations. US$ fell – further weakness took it to 2009 lows against the Euro and YEN

The market is finishing the week off strongly and is up 25. The SFE Futures were up 42 this morning

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 10-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 31 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP down 0.41% and RIO down 0.01%. BHP was down 0.12% and RIO down 0.47% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3763c, down 6c on last night’s close. Metals take a breather on LME Copper down 1.02%, Nickel down 0.11%, Zinc down 0.10%, Aluminium down 0.27%, Lead down 2.13% Oil price up a bit 21c to $71.31 Gold price down $2.70 to $997 Bonds down - 10 year yield at 3.479% up from 3.469%. A$ up 86.29c versus 86.20c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 0.26% VIX Volatility Index down 5.07% to 24.32. Volumes were light.

Most sectors finished up. Utilities and consumer staples were slightly weaker. Financials were strong. Financials up 1.4%. Materials sector (resources) and energy sectors up. The Nasdaq Composite (technology driven) did better than the S&P500 and the Dow closing up 1.11%. Highest close since Oct last year. The S&P 500 is now 53% above its March lows Caterpillar up 3.1%. General Electric up 2.6% to January highs, Boeing 2.1%. Google up 1.2%. Ebay up 3.9% after Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded the company, citing the turnaround in its core businesses and in used-auto sales. Oil bit better helped by weaker US$. Most expect OPEC to retain its current production targets at Thursday’s Vienna meeting - a consensus view reinforced by comments by the Kuwaiti oil minister.  Gold failed to drive through the US$1000 mark. The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book survey showed half of Federal Reserve districts saw evidence the U.S. economy had improved by the end of August, but labor markets remained weak and retail sales were flat overall.

The market is up 37, an 11 month high. The SFE Futures were up 31 this morning.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 09-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 11 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 4.30% and RIO up 4.81%. BHP was up 2.62% and RIO up 3.55% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3782c, up 24c on last night’s close. Metals stronger on LME Copper up 2.39%, Nickel up 1.43%, Zinc up 3.98%, Aluminium up 1.64%, Lead up 4.36% Oil price stronger up $2.99 to $71.10 Gold price up $3.10 to $999 Bonds down - 10 year yield at 3.469% up from 3.442%. A$ up 86.36c versus 85.21c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 2.02% VIX Volatility Index up 1.43% to 25.62

Energy, commodities and industrial companies up on higher metals and oil prices. Alcoa up 3.5%, Chevron up 2.2%.  US$ fell to lowest level for a year against euro.  Gold price touched $1000 an ounce but closed below it. General Electric up 4.5% as JP Morgan upgraded to overweight from neutral. Health Care was the only one of the S&P 500’s 10 major sectors to fall. Cadbury rejects Kraft food bid. Cadbury jumped $14.42 or 38.5% in the US (same rally as in the UK the night before) to $51.88. Kraft fell $1.65, or 5.9%, to $26.45. Big phone deal in UK also boosted sentiment. Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom said they planned to combine their British mobile phone units to form that country’s biggest mobile operator.

The market is up 23. The SFE Futures were up 11 points this morning. Lots of economic figures out today, retail sales fell by a seasonally adjusted 1% in July, compared to expectations of 0.5%. Housing finance also fell 2% in July against expectations for a 1.0% fall. Consumer Sentiment hit a 4 year high, rising by 5.2% in September. The index is up 34.4% over the last four months.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 8-09-09

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The SFE Futures up18 points overnight. BHP and RIO were up 2.37% and 2.03% in the UK Metals stronger overall on the LME Copper up 0.81%, Nickel up 0.60%, Zinc down 1.05%, Aluminium up 0.94%, Lead up 1.79% Oil price steady in Europe ahead of OPEC on Wednesday (likely to leave production quotas unchanged) A$ up 85.55c versus 85.21c yesterday morning. Main Drivers…with Wall street closed the focus was on Europe A weekend agreement by G20 finance ministers and central bankers to keep economic stimulus measures in place for longer added to the positive sentiment. Kraft Foods Inc. made an unsolicited bid for U.K. confectioner Cadbury PLC overnight. Cadbury UP 38%. Cadbury has rejected the bid but Kraft said it is committed to working toward a recommended transaction and to “maintaining a constructive dialogue.” Lonmin Plc rallied on press reports that Xstrata Plc was readying a bid for the company. Deutsche Telekom AG gained on market talk it would some sell off its UK operation. German manufacturing orders rose strongly in July, above economists’ forecasts.

The market is up 44. The SFE Futures were up 18 this morning. Companies hitting fresh yearly highs this morning include: ARB Corporation (ARP), Brockman Resources (BRM), Lion Nathan (LNN), SMS Management (SMX) and Toll Holdings (TOL).

The A$ hit 85.55c overnight on talk that the RBA will be the first Central Bank to increase interest rates as early as next month. Talk of the A$ hitting 90c next month and Parity next year as the US retain a low interest rate environment for the foreseeable future and we raise rates to more “normal” levels (thought to mean around 6%).

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 7-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 38 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 0.84% and RIO up 2.25%. BHP was up 1.28% and RIO up 3.01% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3669c, up 7c on last night’s close. Metals mixed on the LME following two strong days Copper up 0.32%, Nickel down 3.40%, Zinc up 1.82%, Aluminium down 0.16%, Lead up 1.28% Oil price up 3.3% Gold price touch weaker down $1.00 to $997 Bonds well up - 10 year yield at 3.442% up from 3.328%. A$ up 85.21c versus 83.97c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 0.47% VIX Volatility Index down 6.79% to 25.26

Light volumes leading into the long weekend - There is a Labor Day holiday in the US tonight. S&P 500 fell for the first week in two months. US Non-farm payrolls for August were not as bad as expected. Lowest job loss number in a year. Unemployment rate jumped to 9.7% compared expectations of 9.5%. Highest unemployment rate since 1983. Gold paused after the recent strong run. Financials up 0.3%. US dollar fell 0.3%.

Payrolls: Actual -216K, consensus -230K, prior -276K (revised from -247K) Unemployment rate: Actual 9.7%, consensus 9.5%, prior 9.4%  Hourly earnings: Actual 0.3%, consensus 0.1%, prior 0.3% (revised from 0.2%)  Average workweek: Actual 33.1, consensus 33.1, prior 33.1

The market is up 8. The SFE Futures were up 38 this morning. We were up 32 at one stage.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 4-09-09

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The SFE Futures up 28 points overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 1.86% and RIO up 3.56%. BHP was up 0.51% and RIO up 1.43% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3692c, up 22c on last night’s close. Metals stronger on the LME Copper up 1.38%, Nickel up 0.51%, Zinc up 3.66%, Aluminium up 0.44%, Lead up 8.00% Oil price touch lower down 9c to $67.96 Gold price continues to rally up another $19.20 to $998. Hits a 3 month high. Bonds down – 10 year yield at 3.328% up from 3.295%. A$ up 83.97c versus 83.39c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index down 0.36% VIX Volatility Index down 6.23% to 27.10

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) services index (August) increased to a slightly higher than expected 48.4 in August, from 46.4 in July. This was the index’s highest reading in 11 months. Initial jobless claims for the week ending Aug. 29 totaled 570,000, down 4,000 from the previous week, but slightly more than the 564,000 that was expected. Market traded in a narrow range again. The market awaits the August jobs report, which is due before the market opens tomorrow Alcoa Inc. up 3.6% after increasing its forecast for global aluminium demand. Caterpiller up 3.5% on expectations demand with increase after the Chinese market rallied the most in six months Retailers such as Gap delivered negative same-store sales results for August but results weren’t as bad as expected. Target added 1.7%, Costco Wholesale gained 8.6% while Gap added 7.6%.

The market is up 33. Good finish to the week. All eyes will be on the job numbers tonight in US. Andean Resources (AND), JB Hi-Fi (JBH), Reece Australia (REH) and Sino Gold (SGX) have hit a fresh yearly high today. Gold stocks doing well again today after the Gold price hit a 6 month high.

ASX200 Stock and CFD Report 3-09-09

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The SFE Futures down 17 overnight. BHP and RIO in ADR form overnight, BHP up 0.43% and RIO down 0.93%. BHP was down 1.74% and RIO down 0.82% in the UK. BHP closed at the equivalent of 3648c, down16c on last night’s close. Metals mixed on the LME Copper down 0.45%, Nickel down 0.97%, Zinc down 1.37% and Aluminium up 0.06%, Lead up 1.75% Oil price unchanged at $68.05. Gold price up strongly $22.00 to $979. Largest interday gains in 5 months. Bonds up - 10 year yield at 3.295% down from 3.375%. A$ up 83.39c versus 82.65c yesterday morning. CRB Commodities index up 0.26% VIX Volatility Index down 0.86% to 28.90

August FOMC minutes said the Fed still concerned about pace of economic recovery and continued challenges for the banking sector. Headline July factory orders just under consensus forecasts. Factory orders for July showed their sharpest increase since June 2008 by rising 1.3%, but that was still short of the 2.2% consensus increase that had been expected. The ADP Employment Change Report for August showed that 298,000 private jobs were lost last month. This was disappointing as economists were expecting 250,000 job losses. Unit labor costs for the 2Q were down 5.9%, which was slightly steeper than what had been expected. 2Q productivity spiked 6.6% in its biggest percentage increase since 2003. Market expectations were for an increase in productivity of 6.4%

The market is down 6. The SFE Futures were down 17 this morning. The Trade Balance has come in worse than expected. Now stands at $1.56bn compared to the $850m

expected.