Factory orders in the US went up 1.2 per cent in May and that’s the best increase in close to 12 months. 

US markets plummeted overnight, bringing to a close the third down week in a row as a US jobs report revealed employers laid off more jobs than expected. The Dow Jones dropped 223.32 points or 2.63 per cent to 8280.74. The Nasdaq lost 49.20 points or 2.67 per cent to 1796.52. The S&P 500 took […]

The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index rose to 44.8 in June from 42.8 in May but was just short of expectations. However this very important economic indicator has risen six months in a row and this is the longest positive run since the 2001 recession. Importantly, it’s the highest reading since August 2008.  

US markets had an optimistic start to the second half of the year with stocks finishing up overnight. A number of results from manufacturing surveys generally showing growth in the sector, were also released around the world yesterday. The Dow rose 57.06 points or 0.68 per cent to 8504.06. The Nasdaq went up 10.68 points […]

According to a Reuters survey of  more than 150 equity strategists from around the world, the S&P 500 is expected to rally a further eight per cent by the end of the year, and Australian stocks to rise six per cent! The S&P 500 closed its highest quarter since the end of 1998, and the […]

US stocks were down overnight on the news of lower consumer confidence, but the Dow and Nasdaq recorded their best quarter since 2003 and the S&P 500 since 1998. The Dow was down 82.38 points or 0.97 per cent to 8447.0. At the end of Q2, the Dow was up 11 per cent, which is […]

The eurozone economic sentiment index, a monthly survey by the European commission of the 16 countries using the euro, rose for the third straight month to 73.3 points in June, up from 70.2 points in May.

Stocks rallied overnight with some traders telling CNBC that the sentencing of Ponzi swindler Bernie Madoff to 150 years jail may be behind the surge. The Dow was up 90.99 points or 1.08 per cent to 8,529.38. The Nasdaq was up 5.84 points or 0.32 per cent to 1,844.06. The S&P 500 was up 8.33 […]

Consumer confidence in the USA in June went to the highest level since February 2008 with the University of Michigan's index of confidence going from 68.7 in May to 70.8 in June.

Wall Street finished down on Friday and down for the week, but it has not been a dramatic pullback. In fact, the Nasdaq went up and so did consumer confidence! Lets look at the overall market developments. The Dow Jones index lost 34.01 points or 0.4% to finish at 8438.39. It dropped 1.19% for the […]

Another up day on Wall Street — that’s three in a row! — with more and more US analysts suggesting it’s time to progress out of defensive stocks into more growth-oriented companies. However, there are those who warn that migrators might see some sell offs over the next few months with the US Congress and […]

The US measure of the health of the services sector — the ISM — rose when economists thought it would fall. Signs of economic life in the US economy has to be underlined to start building up around business, consumer and investor confidence.