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Weekly News

A Weekly look into the binary options markets news and latest financial news .

Weekly Analysis: USD/JPY Passes 100 Mark

BinaryOptionStrategy.com – An exciting trading day on Friday driven by the reaction to the US jobs report and the news that the USD/JPY has broken through the $100 target. This makes it the first time at this level in 4 years. The USD gained following a speech by Ben Bernanke Federal Reserve Chairman the day before where he didn’t say anything that would suggest the Fed Reserve will place themselves back in the center of the currency strategy in order to increase stimulus or weaken the USD. Of late we saw the greenback performing extremely well against the other currencies, closing at a 4 yr high against the Japanese Yen, a one-month high against the EUR and NZD, a ten-month high against the AUD and an eight month high against the CHF.

The jobless claims that came out of the US last week saw the number of people claiming unemployment benefits dropping by 4,000 to 323,000. This beats expectations which were an increase of 8000 to 335,000 and follows mere days after Aprils positive jobs report.

Stocks

Friday was a good day for the global stocks too which mostly ended the week higher. This came after the Fed Reserve reaffirmed their commitment to continue the $85 billion bond buy each month in t urn pushing up the stocks and indices. In Europe the French CAC 40 closed up 0.64 per cent, the German DAX 30 finished up 0.19  per cent and the FTSE 100 in the UK closed up 0.49 per cent after signs of slight improvement in the UK economy.

In the US the DJIA closed 0.24 per cent higher, the S&P 500 gained 0.43 per cent and the Nasdaq finished 0.80 per cent up.

Forex

The dollar gained against the other majors with strong US data and soft European data helping send the USD upwards. The EUR dropped 0.40 per cent against the USD, the GBP/USD was down a further 0.55 per cent and the USD/JPY finished 0.99 per cent higher to 101.62 after breeching the 100 mark. The dollar gained 0.39 per cent against the CAD and 0.69 per cent against the AUD.

Commodities

Prices of commodities dropped as the USD got stronger. Gold fell 1.49 per cent, Silver was 0.34 per cent down , Natural Gas continues to cheapen losing another 2% and crude oil was down 0.47 per cent to 95.84 per barrel. Copper price though did go up by 1.33 per cent.

 

DJIA Passes 15,000 for the First Time Ever, Jobs Data Pleases Market

BinaryOptionStrategy.com – Just one day after the ECB cut its interest rates to a record low of 0.5% and a chaotic week in the markets generally with disappointing data and talk of the Fed intervention the picture looks very different. The US Jobs report came out on Friday and proved to be better than expected which successfully pushed up the markets. The DJIA passed the 15,000 line for the first time ever recorded before returning. The S&P 500 itself finished over the 1,600 mark. Investors rushed away from safe haven assets towards a risk on rally which pushed up the stocks and commodity markets.

The Jobs report showed that 165,000 new jobs had been added for April, this marks a large increase from the 138,000 jobs added in March and also passes the expected 145,000 number. The means a drop in the unemployment level from 7.6 per cent in March to 7.5 per cent in April. The US Labor department also revised its figures for its Feb and March numbers with the numbers stronger than first released. Feb became 332,000 which is the largest monthly addition since mid-2010. Meanwhile the figures for nonfarm payroll figures for March were also corrected up to 138,000 which is a 50,000 gain. The factor that most pleased the markets was that the drop in unemployment came about as a result of increasing employment and not because people were leaving the workforce entirely.

Stocks

Fridays closing bell saw DJIA finished 0.96 up, the S&P 500 closed up 1.05 per cent and the Nasdaq finished up 1.14 per cent. Europe stocks saw gains too with the French CAC 40 leaping up 1.40 per cent by close, the German DAX 30 finished up 2.02 per cent and the FTSE 100 ended up 0.94 per cent.

Forex

The USD dropped against almost all of its major counterparts in the aftermath of the Jobs report. The EUR bounced back after the European Central Bank interest rate cut the day before. End of day trading on Friday saw the EUR/USD gain 0.42per cent, the dollar sunk against the British pound by 0.24 per cent. The greenback was down 0.22 per cent against the CAD and 0.67 per cent against the AUD. The USD regained its footing against the JPY with the pair gaining 1.10 per cent.

Commodities

Investors were pulled back towards the well-priced commodities too after the Jobs report, to make the most of the newly weakened dollar. Copper was the biggest mover with a 6.53 per cent gain from the previous day, this comes after the copper had hit 18-month lows. Gold and silver saw  gains too with 0.16 per cent and 1.06 per cent increases respectively.  Crude oil saw a 1.59 per cent gain by closing bell.

 

Weekly Analysis: Disappointing GDP Data from the US

The dollar fell against all of its currency partners on Friday after the weak GDP data numbers from the U.S. The numbers showed that the economy in the US has risen by 2.5 per cent in Q1 against the same time last year. Although this marks a rise in the growth of the economy, nevertheless the figure falls below analyst expectation of 3 per cent.

The GDP itself was aided by consumer spending which is key to the US economy as it makes up nearly 70 per cent of the overall GDP. The rate of growth of consumer spending in this quarter has risen 3.2 per cent since the last quarter but things aren’t that peachy yet as recent murky retail sales and unemployment figures have dirtied the waters of recovery.

The other nation to grab the attention of investors was the UK which managed to scrape away from a triple dip recession and release a better than expected increase in GDP for the first quarter. Statistics showed that the country had risen by 0.3 per cent which doesn’t like a lot, but when you compare it to analyst expectations of a contraction suddenly seems more positive. The GDP growth was itself aided by North Sea Gas and Oil output additions.

Elsewhere in Europe both France and Spain released record unemployment numbers. In France 11.5 per cent more people that last year are seeking employment and in Spain the number of unemployed has reached an astounding 27.2 per cent, its highest level in 37 years. In France the unemployment rate is nearing the record level of 10.7 per cent last seen in 1997. These numbers underscore the severity of the economic hurdles still to jump in the euro zone.  As  further emphasized by the IMF who shrunk its outlook for Spanish economic growth to 1.6 per cent from 1.5 per cent.

Stocks

The DJIA closed up 0.08 per cent, the S&P 500 fell 0.18 per cent and the Nasdaq closed 0.33 per cent down. In Europe the  French CAC 40 finished 0.79 per cent down, the German DAX 30 closed down 0.23 per cent and the FTSE 100 was down by 0.25 per cent.

Forex

The weak GDP data pushed traders away from the USD which in turn fell against its major counterparts. The greenback was down 0.15 per cent against the euro, it lost 0.28 per cent against the GBP and 1.18 per cent against the Japanese Yen which became the new safe haven currency.

Commodities

Usually when the USD drops it encourages the commodities to gain although this was not the case on Friday with goldholding at 0.02 per cent, silver dropped by 0.81 per cent and Crude Oil down 0.81 per cent with both the commodities down on investors taking profits.

Have a great week’s trading and check in tomorrow for the Asian and Early European Analysis

Weekly Analysis: Retail and Consumer Sentiment Data Disappoints US

Consumer sentiment data in the US is at a nine-month low. The statistics collected by Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan dropped to 72.3 in April from 78.6 in the previous month. This falls well below expectations from analysts who estimated a drop to just 78.5.

Another kick in the teeth for investors was the release of retail sales numbers on Friday which fell 0.4 per cent in Mar from a drop of 1 per cent in Feb. Analysts had expected a mere 0.1 per cent increase. These figures, for a country that is consumer led where consumer spending accounts for 70 per cent of the economy is very alarming and a good indicator of the health of the economy there. These figures pushed investors to sell their commodities and stocks and to move to the safe haven of the USD.

The numbers stopped short the four-day highs of the US stocks. Also commodities were hit hard with precious metals plunging in value.

Meanwhile the Eurozone Finance Ministers meeting was good news for Ireland and Portugal, who were granted a 7 year extension in which to pay back their bailout loans. Not so great for Cyprus who now need to come up with extra money to cover their debts after the EU said tey could not give further help. Cyprus may need to sell their gold reserves to raise the money.

Forex

Mass exodus from the commodities and the equities towards the USD safe haven. The USD was up against all the other majors except the Yen. The Yen was up 1.3 per cent against the Greenback. The EUR/USD inched up 0.07 per cent, the EUR/GBP gained 0.34 per cent.

 Stocks

During  Fridays US session the US Stocks finished the 4 day winning streak although by the end of the session they managed to rebound closing on an uptrend. The DJIA finished down 0.01 per cent, the S&P 500 finished down 0.28 per cent and the Nasdaq closed down 0.16 per cent.

Commodities

The commodities were the most dramatic movers of the session pushed by the US data. The Gold plummeted by 5.26 per cent as investors shorted the precious metal in favour of the USD. Silver also dropped dramatically with a fall of 6.43 per cent. Crude oil extended its decline on Friday trading after falling hard the previous session as a result of the supply numbers. The amount of supply in the world  is greater than demand pushing the price down. It dropped 2.84 per cent on Fridays session. Meanwhile natural gas gained 2.94 per cent pushed up by seasonally cold weather outlooks.

 

Disappointing Jobs Data Gives Negative Picture of US Economy

The release of some negative jobs data pushed the US stocks markets down at the end of last week. This happened at the same time as the Japanese Nikkei 225 saw its highest level since the heart of the financial crisis in 2008.

The surprising data beggars some questions about the health of the US economy such as this a direct impact from the forced budget cuts which started in March. It seems to have already an impact on the confidence levels of US businesses. The data adds 88,000 non farm payrolls for last month which is far below the expected figure of 200,000 new jobs. This is also a huge drop from February where 268,000 jobs were added. The weak data comes mostly from the retail employment sector with 24,000 jobs lost there last month. Currently the number of unemployed people in the US stands at 11.7 million. The weak jobs data got the US talking about further stimulus packages to help the economy. This in turn will boost stock prices in the region.

Meanwhile this weekend more tension between North and South Korea as US decides to postpone missile testing in order not to get Kim Jong Un more jittery.

Stocks

At the close of last week’s trading the DJIA closed down by 0.38 per cent, the S&P 500 fell 0.43 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite closed 0.65per cent down. On the other hand the Nikkei 225 was the superstar of the indexes as it ended up 1.58 per cent higher to reach a level of 12,833.64. At some poijt it climbed 4.7 per cent to hit its highest point in 5 years. The push came on the back of the BOK announcement that more stimulus will be pumped into the market there in order to revive the flagging Japanese economy.

Forex

On the back of the weak US jobs data the USD closed lower against more counterparts. It ended 0.53 per cent down against the EUR, 0.723 per cent down against the GBP and 0.62 per cent against the Swiss Franc. Meanwhile the British pound reached a six-week high as it managed to recover some of the losses it saw throughout the week.

Commodities

The weak jobs data impacted the commodities markets heavily with the precious metals gaining as a safe haven asset against the weak US economy. Gold rose 1.82 per cent and Silver 1.85 per cent. Natural gas flew almost 5per cent higher with cold weather forecasts coming out of US and Europe. While crude oil dropped 0.26 per cent.

 

 

Weekly Analysis: Cyprus Chaos Hits Markets

The ever worsening situation in Cyprus remained in limbo at the weekend as Cypriot policymakers moved closer to making alternative plans having rejected the initial proposal put forward by the EU and the IMF to tax bank deposits in order to raise 5.8 billion eur to assist Cypriot’s troubled banks which face the possibility of losing 4.5 billion eur on Greek investment bonds. The highly unpopular plan would have seen savings in Cypriot banks with under 100,000 euros paying 6.75% and those with savings higher than 100,000 paying 9.9%. The eurozone is offering a 10 billion euros loan but insists that Cyprus raise the 5.8 billion euros before Monday in order to secure the loan.

Stocks

Forex

Commodities

Shocking Cyprus Bailout Plans – Depositers Forced to Pay 10% Levy on their Funds

Shocking news from Cyprus where citizens who have saving accounts will be forced to pay a one off levy fee of up to 10% of their savings. This was agreed by officials at the EU summit this weekend. This is sure to have an effect at the open of Asian markets today. This is a different kind of bailout to those seen by predecessors Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. Cyprus has been in debt since the crash of the Greek economy where Cypriot banks had massive investments. These measures are said to encourage lenders to the bank to be more careful where they place they savings.

 

The conditions for the one time Cyprus bailout levy are as follows:

• Those with less than EUR`100,000 saved will pay 6.75%
• Savers with over EUR100,000 in their accounts will pay 9.9%
• In return the depositors will be given shares to the value of the levy in the bank

These extreme measures, which have been made in order to avoid bankruptcy across one of the Eurozone’s tiniest economy’s has caused chaos and panic across Cyprus, where depositors queue up at cash machines to desperately withdraw their funds.

Meanwhile US Stocks fell from their perch on Friday after a disappointing consumer sentiment data release. This managed to reverse all recent gains which were buoyed by optimistic sentiment that the US economy is well on its way to full recovery.

Stocks

Friday’s US trading session saw the DJIA close 0.17 per cent down, the NASDAQ was 0.30 per cent lower and the S&P 500 was down 0.16 per cent. Friday’s European session close saw French CAC 40 shed 0.71 per cent, the German DAX 30 closed 0.19 per cent down and the FTSE100 ended down 0.61 per cent.

Forex

The dollar had a rough time on Friday after the disappointing consumer sentiment release made it fall against the majors. The USD lost 0.88 per cent against the CHF, 0.55 per cent against the EUR and 0.83 per cent against the YEN.

Commodities

The weakening USD boosted gold which ended up 0.1 per cent on Friday. Silver lost 0.20 per cent though on investors taking profits. Crude oil ended higher by 0.59 per cent after positive oil production figures and gas prices gained 1.25 per cent from bad weather forecasts and plummeting inventory supplies.

Weekly Analysis: Positive Jobs Data in U.S. Surprises Analysts

The US economy, the world’s largest economy, surprised investors and analysts alike this weekend – by adding 236,000 jobs in Feb. This is much higher than January’s reading of 157,000   and also beat investor expectations of 165,000. This makes the unemployment level currently 7.7per cent for February which is a drop from 7.9 per cent in the previous month. This is the lowest level of unemployment in the US since Dec 2008 before the financial crisis.

The US Department of Labor released data showing that jobless claims have also dropped. Last week they saw a drop of 7,000 initial claims to 340,000 which surpassed expectation of a climb of 8000 claims to bring the total to 355,000.

Elsewhere this weekend, in China the National Bureau of statistics saw a surprising drop in the industrial production figures. The report showed that Ind. Production in China had fallen to 9.9 per cent from 10.3 per cent in January. This came after analyst predictions that it would gain to 10.5 per cent for February.

Consumer Price Index figures in China gained above expectation in February, with reports that the CPI in China raised to 3.2 per cent from 2 per cent in January. Expectation had been a rise to 3.0per cent in Feb.

Stocks

Strong data coming out of the US helped boost the stock markets in US , Europe and Asia on Friday. By the end of Friday the Dow Jones hand closed up by 0.46 per cent, S&P 500 had increased by 0.45 per cent and the NASDAQ Composite Index had finished 0.38per cent up.

In Europe the French CAC 40 gained 1.22 per cent by close of trading Friday. The German DAX 30 closed up 0.59 per cent and the FTSE 100 closed up 0.69 per cent.

Forex

The Euro suffered on the back of the strong jobs data to come out of the US. While it’s counterpart the USD was stronger against all the other majors. The EUR/USD was up 0.85 per cent, the USD/CHF was up 0.97 per cent and USD/JPY gained 1.27 per cent. The USD/CAD touched its lowest level for a week on Friday as strong Jobs data from Canada encouraged a boost in the CAD. Meanwhile the GBP is still having a nightmare in the market a further fall of 0.69per cent against the dollar although a small rally against the Euro of 0.16 per cent.

Commodities

Gold and silver commodities continued to make gains on Friday, even with the USD getting stronger at the end of last week. Gold gained 0.17 per cent and the silver was up 0.53 per cent up on the day. Natural Gas carried on its positive trend and by Friday was at a six-week high, as it successfully gains12.1 per cent. Crude oil was also up on Friday, by 0.33 per cent to trade at $91.86 barrel.

Binary Options Analysis: Stocks Lower As Fiscal Cliff Remains Unresolved

Binary Options Weekly Report (September 17 – September 21)

MARKETS

US equities took a break this week with the S&P500 down 0.38% to 1460. There was a report by rating agency S&P stating that US GDP growth is likely to slow in the second half of 2012 combined with the weak jobs data gave markets the impetus to slip into negative territory. NASDAQ was up 0.2% to 2861 largely driven by stalwart Apple’s moves. With total Put/Call ratio of 0.765 remains bullish. Volatility has been compressed on the CBOE VIX which fell 3.65% to 13.98. The DJIA was down 0.1% at 13,579

 

 

 

 

 

FOREX

Dollar Index bounced 0.7% to 79.398. EUR/USD down 1.2% to 1.2971 as markets are concerned over the region’s growth prospects as data continues to show the weakness that is coming to bear with the crisis in the region. Elsewhere, AUD was down 0.96% for the week to 1.0457 as commodities pared some of last week’s gains. JPY was down 0.1% to 78.11, and the GBP was unchanged at 1.6219.

 

 

 

COMMODITIES

Commodity Indexes plunged on the week on Monday’s Energy Flash Crash with news now that the CFTC and FSA are both looking into Monday’s Brent trading activity. Crude Inventories this week had a massive build with 8.5m barrels vs  -0.2m  barrels forecasts Brent fell 4.7% on the week to 111.42 as the markets regained some of Monday’s “Flash Crash”. WTI was fell 6.5% to USD 92.96. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed up 2% at 3.0323. Natural Gas fell 1.8% at 2.89. Heating Oil fell 3.7% to 3.1267 on the week. Gold runs into some bull and bear action closing the week unchanged at 1774.80/oz. Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index plunged 3.68% to 308.8 as commodities came under the gun this week.

 

 

 

EQUITIES

 

S&P Banks -2.8% as concerns mounted over a global slowdown, JPM -1.7%, BAC -4.6%, GS -3.8%

 

Apple +1.28% as the company released its iPhone 5 and is expected to sell 10million new iPhones in its debut.

RIMM -6.5% as its BlackBerry service suffered disruptions in Europe.

KORS +9.3% after increasing its forecasts for sales and profit this year as demand increases in US and Europe

DJ Transportation Index -5.9% biggest weekly decline since November – typically barometer for the broader economy and markets

 

 

 

 

Binary Options Weekly Report (September 17 – September 21)

MARKETS

US equities took a break this week with the S&P500 down 0.38% to 1460. There was a report by rating agency S&P stating that US GDP growth is likely to slow in the second half of 2012 combined with the weak jobs data gave markets the impetus to slip into negative territory. NASDAQ was up 0.2% to 2861 largely driven by stalwart Apple’s moves. With total Put/Call ratio of 0.765 remains bullish. Volatility has been compressed on the CBOE VIX which fell 3.65% to 13.98. The DJIA was down 0.1% at 13,579

 

Chart

 

 

FOREX

Dollar Index bounced 0.7% to 79.398. EUR/USD down 1.2% to 1.2971 as markets are concerned over the region’s growth prospects as data continues to show the weakness that is coming to bear with the crisis in the region. Elsewhere, AUD was down 0.96% for the week to 1.0457 as commodities pared some of last week’s gains. JPY was down 0.1% to 78.11, and the GBP was unchanged at 1.6219.

 

Chart

 

 

COMMODITIES

Commodity Indexes plunged on the week on Monday’s Energy Flash Crash with news now that the CFTC and FSA are both looking into Monday’s Brent trading activity. Crude Inventories this week had a massive build with 8.5m barrels vs  -0.2m  barrels forecasts Brent fell 4.7% on the week to 111.42 as the markets regained some of Monday’s “Flash Crash”. WTI was fell 6.5% to USD 92.96. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed up 2% at 3.0323. Natural Gas fell 1.8% at 2.89. Heating Oil fell 3.7% to 3.1267 on the week. Gold runs into some bull and bear action closing the week unchanged at 1774.80/oz. Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index plunged 3.68% to 308.8 as commodities came under the gun this week.

 

Chart

 

 

EQUITIES

 

S&P Banks -2.8% as concerns mounted over a global slowdown, JPM -1.7%, BAC -4.6%, GS -3.8%

Apple +1.28% as the company released its iPhone 5 and is expected to sell 10million new iPhones in its debut.

RIMM -6.5% as its BlackBerry service suffered disruptions in Europe.

KORS +9.3% after increasing its forecasts for sales and profit this year as demand increases in US and Europe

DJ Transportation Index -5.9% biggest weekly decline since November – typically barometer for the broader economy and markets

Binary Options Weekly Report (September 3 – September 7)

MARKETS

Risk assets soared for the week with US equities no exception closing up 2.2% at 1438 as ECB’s “silver bullet” President Mario Draghi announced on Thursday that they would conduct Outright monetary transactions (OMT). This gave a kick to all things risk and meant peripheral European bond yields fell. NASDAQ was up 1.9% to 2825. With total Put/Call ratio of 0.686 suggests options markets are very bullish. Volatility has been crushed on the CBOE VIX picked which fell 17.7% to 14.38 on the news. The DJIA was up 1.7% at 13,307.

 

Chart

 

 

FOREX

Dollar Index continues to sink on the news of new initiatives from the ECB and and next week’s prospects of another round of QE from the Fed which lead it to fall again for the third week down 1.2% to 80.234. Eyes now turn to the Fed at its September 13 meeting. EUR/USD rallied 0.4% to 1.2632 as the markets were took a bid from the ECB decision to conduct OMT. Elsewhere, AUD was up 0.6% for the week to 1.0383. JPY was down 0.24% to 78.180, and the GBP was stronger by 1% to 1.6024. With European bond yields crashing on the news of the OMT from the ECB – Italian 10 years trading back down to the 5.03% from previously being around the 5.847% at the end of August and also Spanish 10 year yield are down from the August closing highs of 6.86% to 6.03% on Friday’s close.

 

Chart

 

 

COMMODITIES

Crude Inventories this week continues to see massive draws with 7.4m barrels vs  -4.9m  barrels forecasts Brent fell 0.3% on the week to 114.60 as markets look to be pricing in central back actions several weeks back. The question that opens is are the markets set up for reverses once all QE is announced? WTI was fell 0.3% to 96.29. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed up 2% at 3.0323. Natural Gas fell 3% at 2.69. Heating Oil finished down 0.7% to 3.16 on the week. Gold continues to push higher up 2.7% at USD$1737.60 /oz in New York as markets continued to run on QE fumes! Copper rallies 5.2% on stimulus fever to close week at

 

Chart

 

 

EQUITIES

 

US Financials +3.6% Rallied on the stimulus plans of the central banks BAC +11.4% and JPM +6.5%

Newmont Mining +2%  as the largest U.S. gold producer rallied as gold rose to a six-month highs

Amazon + 4.4% on the news of introducing a new line of Kindle e-readers and tablets

Facebook +5% on news that founder and CEO will not start selling his holdings for atleast a year

Freeport McMoRan Copper +9.2% as copper markets rallied 5.2% buoyed by the stimulus plans of ECB and possible QE 3 from the Fed

Binary Options Weekly Report (August 27 – August 31)

MARKETS

US equities finished the week lower by 0.3% at 1406.5 but Fridays trading action did see the market’s rally on news from Jackson Hole Symposium where Fed Chairman Bernanke spoke and has paved the way for more QE. NASDAQ fell 0.2% to 2772. In the option space total Put/Call ratio of 0.807 suggests options plays still favor bullish moves but did bounce around on the week oscillating between bullish (0.722) and bearish (1.307) but finished on the bullish tone. Volatility on the CBOE VIX picked up again at 17.47 up 15% on the week and this is the second week where markets have not moved so much but volatility has – news flow is critical and markets maybe setting up for some big moves in the coming weeks. The DJIA fell 0.5% at 13,091.

 

Chart

 

 

FOREX

Dollar Index fell again for the third week down 0.5% to 81.216 as markets pre-empt the Fed’s next move on QE. Eyes on this week’s economic data which is jam packed and may be the decider for the Fed at its September 13 meeting. EUR/USD rallied 0.5% to 1.2577 as the markets were buoyed by Fed comments at Jackson Hole. Elsewhere, AUD was down 0.7% for the week to 1.0321. JPY was down 0.4% to 78.3710, and the GBP was stronger by 0.4% to 1.5863. Treasuries yields continue to push lower finishing the week on their lows at 1.562% on the US 10yrs. The lows seen back in July of 1.392% on US 10 yr yields maybe the target in light of the possibility of further Fed purchases.

 

 

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COMMODITIES

Crude Inventories this week reversed some of the previous weeks draws with a build of 3.8m  barrels versus analyst forecast of 1.1m drawdown despite this news Brent rallied 1.2% on the possibility of QE where it finished the week at  USD114.92. WTI was up 0.5% to 96.56. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed down 3.2% at 2.9715. Natural Gas bounced 3.7% at 2.802. Heating Oil finished up 2% to 3.1815 on the week. Gold continues to push higher up 1.2% at USD$1692.60 /oz in New York as markets rallied on possible QE.

 

Chart

 

 

EQUITIES

 

HPQ -4.0% Hewlett Packard trades down to 8 year lows- market selling on weak outlook and results.

 

LLY +2.4% decided to stop developing a potential schizophrenia drug

 

BAC -2.1% gave up gains after Bernanke spoke. This was a similar theme across the financial sector

 

Facebook Inc -7% concerns over business expenditures on social networking may drop in the face of a slowing global economy

 

NOK -8.4% as Samsung Electronics Co. unveiled its new Windows Phone8 smartphones. Samsung is in direct competition with Nokia’s Lumia smartphones.

 

Binary Options Weekly Report (August 20 – August 24)

 

MARKETS

US equities finished the week lower after trading the highest levels in 4 years early in the week. The S&P500 was fell 0.5% and finished at 1411. NASDAQ fell 0.1% to 2778 for the week and traded at levels not seen for the last 12 years. The markets did stage a comeback on Friday to close up on the day. It the option space total Put/Call ratio of 0.827 suggests options plays still favor bullish moves but less so than the previous week. Volatility on the CBOE VIX at 15.18 had a bounce of 12.9% on the week which may suggest the bull is running into some bear territory as they battle it out at these lofty levels. The DJIA  fell 0.9% at 13,158.

 

Chart

 

FOREX

The dollar was centre stage this week after the release of the FOMC minutes. This gave markets some clue to the thinking of the Fed which has highlighted the increased dovish stance of the FOMC. Yet again though markets seem to be very choppy as volatility looks to be on the rise as we head into a new week where markets are likely to be anticipating the September move by the Fed. Dollar Index fell 1.3% to 81.603 on the week. Elsewhere the EUR/USD rallied 1.6% as the markets were buoyed by the late market speculation that the ECB may look to cap peripheral European yields. ECB has cautioned that speculation on future bond purchases by the ECB in unlimited quantities was contrary to ECB stance which has always reframed from making any statements about size and duration of any bond purchases. AUD/USD was down 0.4% for the week to 1.0396.

 

 

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COMMODITIES

Crude saw yet again another larger drawdown on oil inventories for the third week of -5.4m barrels versus analyst forecast of 100k build despite this news Brent fell 0.2% to 113.51 on the October 2012 contract. WTI also was down 0.4% to 96.12 also on the October 2012 contract. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed up 1.2% at 3.0710. Natural Gas fell 1.1% at 2.703 but was down 3.5% on Friday. Heating Oil finished up 0.9% to 3.119 on the week. Gold finished the week up 3.5% at USD$1673.40 /oz in New York as markets break to the upside on possible QE.

 

Chart

 

EQUITIES

 

Apple +2.3% as they win the patent infringement case over Samsung ( to pay USD1bn)

Intel -5.4% computer makers shifting to cheaper Intel processors could affect their revenues plus HP outlook.

HP -9.9% reported weak qtrly results on Wed and issued an equally bleak outlook.

Bristol-Myers Squibb+3.2% dropped development of a hepatitis C drug

Eli Lilly +3.4% Alzheimer’s drug did slow cognitive decline in some patients and that studies will continue was “encouraging”

BIDU -13.6% Deutsche downgrades to Hold - predicts co. will lose share to Qihoo’s  due to their user base 272m users (51% China’s user base)

Binary Options Weekly Report (August 13 – August 17)

 

MARKETS

US equities continue to march higher with its sixth straight weekly gain as S&P500 was up 0.9% and finished on its highs at 1418 and is within a stone’s throw to the 2012 highs and once broken would look set to make new 4 year highs. NASDAQ posting a 2.1% gain at 2,780 for the week and a break on the 2800 level puts it at 12 year highs which are prices not seen since the tech bubble popped in 2000. Markets rallied on increased economic optimism. It the option space total Put/Call ratio of 0.737 suggests options plays favor bullish moves. Volatility on the CBOE VIX at 13.45 down 8.75% on the week and at levels not seen since 2007 as markets continue to add risk. The DJIA was up 0.5% at 13,275.

 

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FOREX

Yet again the Euro was up 0.3% at 1.2321 and with commodity currency the AUDUSD was down 1.3% at 1.0436 on news that the Treasury has said there is room for the RBA to cut rates some more.  Other news in the currency markets come via Basel III that has suggested that banks are underestimating the risk attached to currency trading in the way of counterparty risk.  Finally, traders are coming to terms that maybe the FED won’t pull the trigger on QE3 in early September. The Dollar index closed flat on the 82.663 on the week.

 

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COMMODITIES

Crude saw another larger drawdown on oil inventories for the second week with -3.7m barrels versus analyst forecast of -2m draw and Brent rally 2% to 113.76 on the October 2012 contract. WTI was up 3% at 96.54 also on the October 2012 contract. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed up 0.3% at 3.0287. Natural Gas found some support up 0.8% at 2.732. Heating Oil finished up 2% to 3.0921 on the week. Gold finished the week down 0.4% at USD$1617.50 /oz in New York as volatility shrinks.

 

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EQUTIES

Technology Sector performed well with big cap names like Google +5.47%, Cisco +8.6% on the week.

Apple +4.25% as the iPhone 5 become the focus for investors, could be as early as next month.

EBAY up 6.5% and GAP Inc up 5.2% setting new 52 week highs as markets see some recovery in US retailer sales

Merck down 2.8% pulled the healthcare sector down and was the sector laggard as there are some reports that maybe the stock is overvalued.

Intel down 2% as news wires and news flow still talking about Warren Buffets sale of Intel shares

 

 

Binary Options Weekly Report (August 6 – August 10)

MARKETS

US equities posted gains on the week with the S&P managing a 1% rally to finish at 1405.9 as technician are looking  at the market internals which suggest this move is not convincing for a real bulls case, as the advance decline line was lower, volume was light (S&P Futures volume 20% below 4 week average) and a total Put/Call ratio of 1.02 suggests bulls and bears are almost even. With volatility continuing to sink with the CBOE VIX at 14.74 down another 5.75% on the week as markets continue to add risk. Markets are setting themselves up for some type of a break move from here. The DJIA was up 0.85% at 13,208 close for the week and equity moves favored risk with the NASDAQ posting a 1.75% move higher at 2,723 close for the week.

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FOREX

Yet again the Euro is still centre stage as it closed the week down 0.8% at 1.2288 and with commodity currency moves also fading somewhat as AUDUSD up 0.1% at 1.0575 and classic carry trades like EURJPY down 1% at 96.20 seem to be decoupling somewhat from other risk assets. The Dollar index closed up 0.22% at 82.63 on the week.

 

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COMMODITIES

Crude saw larger drawdown on oil inventories of -3.7m barrels versus analyst forecast of -0.6m draw Brent rally 4.4% to 113.54 as the Sept contract rolls to Oct. WTI less obvious move up 2.2% at 93.40. OPEC suggesting cuts to demand in 2013, coupled with China slowing and weaker trade data still didn’t slow the bigger moves. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed up 3.1% at 3.0200. Natural Gas plunged 4.5% at 2.783 on the September 2012 contract this is the third weekly decline as forecast for cooler weather in New York are reported through. Heating Oil finished up 3.5% to 3.031 on the week. Gold finished the week up 1% at USD$1623.10 /oz in New York.

 

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EQUTIES

 

RIMM up 18.6% on the week and gained 6.3% on Friday as a California judge overturned a jury finding that the BlackBerry maker had infringed on others patents. Talk that IBM maybe looking at RIMM’s enterprise services business.

YAHOO down 5.1% as the company warned that it may not return all of the cash it gets from selling its stake in Alibaba to shareholders.

Fusion-io Inc. up 38% on the week to $26.86 reported better-than-expected results for its 4^th Qtr. The company also said it expects 1^st Qtr revenue to “modestly increase” over its 4^th Qtr.

Monster Beverage plunged 18.7% on the week and 9.7% on Friday after missing earnings expectations by $0.02 and missing revenue forecasts by $3 million.

Binary Options Weekly Report (July 30 – August 3)

MARKETS

World equities appeared to be on a rollercoaster ride after falling sharply on Thursday on ECB comments but Friday markets seemed to understand something different from Thursday and managed to close the week up slightly. US volatility was sold off some more down 6.3% on the week with CBOE VIX at 15.64 it heading towards the year lows of 13.66 may suggest that equities are getting complacent. The S&P500 was up 0.4% at 1391 on the week, the DJIA was also up 0.2% to close at 13,096 as did the NASDAQ up 1% for the week at 2676.

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FOREX

The week seemed to be full of Euro angst but was soon calmed by the ruling German coalitions comments and acceptance of the ECBs plan to buy government bonds.  EURUSD finished up 0.5% at 1.2386 just off its 1.2406 highs on the week. With commodity currency show strength as the Aussie closed up 1% at 1.0567 also the Kiwi dollar was up 1% at 0.8190 the highest levels seen in 4 months. The Dollar index closed down 0.4% at 82.446 settlement on the week.

 

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COMMODITIES

Crude inventories on Wednesday reported very large draw of 6.5m barrels with analyst polls only looking for a drawdown of 1.5m barrels this gave energy markets a kick along with Brent Crude finishing the week up 2% at USD$108.71 per barrel and WTI closed the week up 1.25% at $91.39 per barrel. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed up 1.3% at 2.9299. Natural Gas plunged 4.9% at 2.890 and was down 8% at one point on Thursday as the market received bearish storage injection data for the week ending July 27. Gold finished the week down 1% at USD$1607.00 /oz in New York.

 

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EQUTIES

 

JPMorgan Chase gained 6.5% on the week as investors hone in on the valuation of the stock and the banks in general in the US

Knight Capital Group Inc., fighting to stay afloat after a $440 million loss occured by a software bug, it is now trying desperately hard to find a buyer to stay in business – some take that Goldman Sachs maybe interested in them.

NYSE Euronext, reported 2^nd Qtr earnings that beat estimates and they cut their cost guidance for the year. The share rose for the first time in the last 5 sessions on the news.

Berkshire Hathaway Profit Slid 9% in 2Q but Berkshire’s cash piles up as of the end of the Qtr ballooned to $40.66 bn, up more than $3 billion since the year began. Buffet is looking to make acquisitions with this war chest of cash.

Pfizer was up 7.7% for the week on a variety of good news and reaffirmed its 2012 outlook for earnings

Procter & Gamble with a 6.9% gain for the week it surprised the market with 4 Qtr  earnings that topped analysts’ estimates

Binary Options Weekly Report (July 22 – July 27)

MARKETS

US  equities finished the week on their high points staging a late rally to recover from the losses earlier in the week.  Some reports entered the markets after Europe closed that ECB President Mario Draghi was to meet with Bundesbank head Jens Weidmann to discuss future ECB measures including bond purchases, LTROs and possible rate cuts. The S&P500 was +1.7% on the week to close at 1386, the DJIA also behaved simile it closed +1.97% to finish the week at 13,076 as did the NASDAQ up 1.1% for the week.

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FOREX

The Euro was given a kick along on the news that ECB was looking to do more but subsequently pulled back on the suggestion of a rate cut surfacing note that these meetings are quite common, this damped some of the markets reactions. EURUSD finished the week up 1.4% at 1.2326 on Fridays close. This is a three week high for the Euro currency. The Dollar index closed the week just off its lows and was -1.0% on the week at 82.76

 

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COMMODITIES

Crude inventories for the week saw a larger build at 2.72m barrels with analyst polls only looking for a drawdown of 650k barrels this was negated later in the week as traders were speculating on stimulus coming out of Europe with Brent Crude finishing the week largely unchanged at USD$106.65 per barrel however, WTI closed the week down 1.6% at $90.26 per barrel. RBOB unleaded gasoline futures closed down 1.7% at 2.8913 recovering from some heavier losses early in the week on what appeared to be a fading US economy and build in inventories. Natural Gas was -1.7% as well for the week at 3.039 close. Gold was the stand out gainer on the week +3.5% at USD1622.80 per oz on CME for August delivery.

 

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EQUTIES

Apple alarm bells ring as they missed earnings and China sales suggest that Chinese customers will not always wait for the next iPhone as Samsung had released new models which captured the market share from Apple stock closed -3% on the week at $585.16

Amazon shares rallied 8% on profit hopes to close at $237.80

Starbucks share dive 11% after earnings miss this was the company’s biggest drop in its share price for 12 years.

Facebook revenue growth hits the skids and the shares plunge 11.9% to close on Friday at $23.65 on its last print for the week.

Zynga shares plunged on fading “Farmville” down 35% for the week to close at $3.09 largely due to Facebook issues and how it displays games.

S&P financial shares jumped 2.8 percent during the week boosted by JPM up 8.8% and Goldman Sachs up 7.9%.

Binary Options Weekly Report (July 16- July 20 )

Markets
The markets finished near session lows Friday. They ended up breaking a three-day winning streak. This move was sparked by fresh fears over the euro zone sovereign debt crisis.
The Dow Jones lost 120.79 points to close at 12,822.57. The S&P 500 fell 13.85 points to close at 1,362.66. The Nasdaq dropped 40.60 points to close at 2,925.30.
DJIA CHART

FOREX
Friday brought a welcome sight for the under sieged dollar. With risk aversion and a significant euro sell off. The fundamental boost offered US Dollar Index a 0.5 percent jump to break its five-day, 155-pip decline.
However, from here we cannot discern temporary correction from genuine trend reversal. From the Dollar Index and the S&P 500. The move has retraced a fraction of the preceding week’s progress. Settingup probabilities on these standards alone would leave us with a rather low probability for seeing fresh, multi-month highs for the buck in the near future. On the other hand, we can find a spark in the EURUSD’s volatile position.Though the dollar has a significant climb before it is forging 22-month highs again, an influential break like a EURUSD collapse would represent a big step in delivering us there.
USD Chart

COMMODITIES
Crude lost $1.22 on Friday to close at $91.44 . Gasoline: added less than a penny to finish at $2.943 per gallon. Heating oil lost 2.27 cents to clsoe at $2.9243. Natural gas rose by 8.2 cents to end at $3.081. Gold was up 20 cents to close at $1584.30.

Natural Gas Chart

EQUTIES
General Electric reported earnings that rose past expectations by a penny, but revenue was lower than estimates. The company added it was finding ways to grow despite a hazy economic outlook. Google rose after the search-engine giant posted earnings that beat Wall Street expectations, but revenue fell slightly short. Microsoftreported earnings excluding one-time items that beat analysts’ expectations though the software giant posted its first net loss since going public in 1986 and had revenue that fell short of expectations. AMD tumbled more than 10 percent after the chipmaker forecast revenue below expectations amid the weak global economy.

Binary Options Weekly Report (July 9- July 13 )

Markets

Friday turrned out to be a good day for the stock markets. On Friday 13th  the Dow and S&P 500 snapped a six-day losing streak.

With the day’s rally, the Dow and S&P 500 had small gains for the week.

The Dow surged 200 points on friday .The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also ended close to session highs.

DJIA CHART

 

 

 

 

FOREX

Having worked so hard to finally overtake resistance that had capped gains, you would think the dollar would think the buck would gain strngth to face the coming headwinds. However, Friday ended with a large loss for the index. The immediate reversal we saw with the dollar  is perhaps a little more surprising given the initial upswing has strong support with slide in risk trends. If you were looking for fundamental hints this week, as guidance for where we will go heading forward, you may be disappointed.

The Chinese Q2 GDP figures printed below expected with a 7.6 percent annual pace of expansion. This was the weakest pace in 3 years. However, was not enough to stir concern. In the US, JPMorgan started the ball rolling for the US earnings season with a view into the closely-monitored financial market. A massive $4.4 billion loss via the CIO debacle did not hamper adjusted earnings. These numbers placated the markets. The earnings season continues next week with Bank of America, Citigroup, Apple, Goldman Sachs and Google. Though it is difficult to see any, fundamental event as a catalyst to drive risk appetite forward, Fed Chairman Bernanke’s monetary policy report could carry the possibility of an announcement of intentions for further stimulus. Markets are still holding out hope. The ycan also be dissapointed.

USD Chart

 

 

 

 

COMMODITIES

Enger prices rose on supply side threats. Crude gained $1.02 to finish at $87.10. Gasoline was up .01 to close at $2.8161 per gallon; Heating oil was by 1.49 cents to close at $2.7882 and Natural gas was unchanged,  at $2.874. Gold rose $21.10 to end at $1586.10.

Gasoline Chart

 

 

 

EQUTIES

JPMorgan Chase  jumped after the financial giant beat expectations, despite the $4.4 billion loss from the “London Whale” trading debacle.  The bank showed a profit of nearly $5 billion. Wells Fargo posted higher earnings on strong mortgage banking income as customers continue to refinance their homes at lower rates. Lexmark fell sharply to lead the S&P 500 laggards after the printer maker cut its Q2 outlook, citing impact from exchange rates and weak demand in Europe. Barclays lowered its price target on the company to $21 from $24. Rival printer makers Xerox  and HP also fell.

 

 

Binary Options Report (July 2- July 6 )

Markets
Stocks came off thier worst in the final hour of trading, but finished firmly in the red. This came after a bad jobs report.
The Dow and the S&P 500 posted weekly losses. The Nasdaq managed to have a small gain for the fifth-consecutive week.
The Dow lost 124.20 points to close at 12,772.47. The S&P 500 fell 12.90 points,to close at 1,354.68. The Nasdaq lost 38.79 points, to finish at 2,937.33.
DJIA CHART

FOREX
Since hittin a at 21-month high in June, the US Dollar Index has struggled to regain an upward move. The dollar has also withstood a general risk appetite run that has otherwise lifted equities and other growth linked assets to 2-month highs. This resistance taps into the a fundamental current that has defined a tangible deterioration in growth along with expectations for yields.. a sense sense of hope. However, rational assessment of risk and reward offers a very discouraging picture of the investment landscape. For potential return, the aggregate yield of the major currencies’ 10-year government notes are just off of the record low we saw back in June. Treasuries are 38 percent lower than the low-point back in 2009. The only reprieve in the standard equilibrium is that volatility readings are still low and set lower peaks when they do swell. This could be the greatest effect stimulus has had.

USD Chart

COMMODITIES
Crude oil finished lower by 3.5% Friday. Crude was down less than 50 cents on the week. In July, the market was in a $5 range. Gold broke through its 50 day MA losing 1.6% today closing near its lows on the week. The 50 day MA at $1600 is key reisistance. Silver lost 2.2% Friday and 4.3% in the last two sessions.

Oil Chart

EQUTIES
Deutsche Bank fell sharply following reports German regulators are investigating the financial services company on possible Libor rate manipulation. The probe comes a week after Barclays was fined $453 million by U.S. and British authorities for calculating Libor rates.
Meanwhile JPMorgan and BlackRock have closed off their European money-market funds to new investors. Goldman Sachs stopped accepting new money in its GS Euro Government Liquid Reserves Fund, according to reports.

Binary Options Report (June 18- June 22 )

 

Markets

Indices rallied Friday but left most down for hte summer opening the door for a summer slowdown. The markets recovered Friday after the Dow fell 250 plus points after the Fed refused another round of economic easing, no QE3.

DJIA CHART

 

 

 

 

FOREX

Through the opening 14 days of June, Dollar Index has fallen nearly 285 points despite a deteriorating global fundamental backdrop that would normally bolster safe havens. Yet, it is a testament to where sentiment truly lies that the greenback regained half of the ground lost over that near three-week period with a one day rally. With the concern that the central bank was going to devalue the currency has passed, the dollar could move up.

There is plenty of data on the economic docket; but few will move global investors into rash moves. Perhaps one of the few things on the tape ahead that can alter the current of sentiment is the EU Summit.

EUR/USD Chart

 

 

 

COMMODITIES

Oil traded higher Friday, recovering well from its Thursday close at $78.20as it rose back above $90. Gold was up nearly $60 an ounce to $1623.10.

Oil Chart

 

 

EQUTIES

Johnson & Johnson’s blood clot drug Xarelto has been rejected by the Food and Drugs Administration. J&J had applied for approval to use Xarelto to reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Wynn Resorts has won a court decision that takes its legal battle with Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada back to Nevada state court. Monster Beverage will replace Sara Lee in the S&P 500 index after the close of trading on June 28.

 

Binary Options Weekly Report (June 11- June 15 )

Markets

The Dow Jones rose115.26 points, or 0.91 percent, to close at 12,767.17, now above its 50 DMA for the first time since May. The S&P 500 rose 13.74 points, to close at 1,342.84. The Nasdaq rose 36.47 points, to close at 2,872.80.

DJIA CHART

 

 

FOREX

Upcoming Greek elections could force volatility in the Euro and other major currency pairs,

No regional government has defaulted on its debt in the Euro’s 13 year history, and most expect that a Greek default would force it to leave the Euro zone. The size of Greek economy suggests that it should have relatively little impact on the zone. Yet the most significant risk is that a Greek default spread to Spain and Italy.

We can gauge overall fear of Greek default by the yields investors require for long-dated bonds; high yields show strong expected risk of default. An extremely negative correlation between Greek Government 10-Year Bond Yields and the Euro/US Dollar emphasizes the importance of the weekend’s elections. If Greek 10-Year bonds rise sharply as traders prepare for default, then the EUR/USD can continue to plummet..

EUR/USD Chart

 

 

COMMODITIES

Crude rose 12 cents to close at $84.03. A week ago, it settled at $84.10 this is down 7 cents. Gold was up nearly $9 to close at $1627.30.

Oil Chart

EQUTIES

On the M&A front, business-software company Yammer agreed to a takeover bid from Microsoft for $1.2 billion. China granted conditional approval for United Technologies to take over aircraft parts maker Goodrich in a deal valued around $16.5 billion, saying Goodrich needed to divest or sell parts of some businesses.

 

Binary Options Weekly Report (May 21- May 25)

 

Markets

Stocks had their worst day this year, with the DJIA now plummeting into negative territory for 2012. this Comes after a disappointing jobs report with bad data from China and Europe debt fears shaking investors.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 274.88 points to close at 12,118.57. The S&P 500 lost 32.29 points, to close at 1,278.04. The Nasdaq fell 79.86 points to close at 2,747.48.

DJIA CHART

 

 

FOREX

The Euro’s fundamental troubles are setting the global financial markets on fire. Turning back the clock to 2007-2008. It seems that the Euro Zone’s sovereign debt crisis could be the impetus for the second wave of a makret recession. Transmission is highly likely given the downturn in growth, the exceptionally low yield available to entice investors and the reticence of lenders drying up the credit markets. One difference is that unlike the dollar’s ability to draw benefit from safe have flows; the euro will remain the now the center of a global catastrophe.

This past month has been a spectacularly poor one for the euro. Through May, the shared currency dropped 9.1 percent against the yen and 7.1 percent against the US dollar. The euro is a fundamentally troubled currency.

EUR/USD Chart

 

 

 

COMMODITIES

Brent July crude lost $3.44 to close at $98.43. The weakest close since January 27, 2011Crude lost $3.30 to close at $83.23 a barrel, lowest close since October 7.

Oil Chart

 

 

 

EQUTIES

Barrick Gold was up over 7% and Newmont Mining was up nearly 6.66%. Facebook tumbled to finish in negative territory, plummeting nearly 27 percent from its market debut of $38 a share.

The social networking giant posted the biggest two week loss of any IPO deal worth over $1 billion since 1995.

 

Binary Options Weekly Report (May 21- May 25)

Markets

Stocks closed lower onFriday as investors hesitated to stay long over the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend due the situation in the EU.

The Dow fell 74.92 points to close at 12,454.83. The S&P 500 lost 2.86 points, to close at 1,317.82. The Nasdaq lost 1.85 points to end at 2,837.53.

 

 

 

FOREX

Standard & Poor’s has revised down its economic risk score on Spain and lowered ratings on five financial institutions following its two notch downgrade of Spain (BBB+/Negative/A-2) on April 26, 2012.

Standard & Poor’s maintained its Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment (BICRA) on Spain in group “5” but lowered the economic risk score, a component of BICRA, to “6” from “5” and changed its assessment on Spain’s economic imbalances to “very high risk” from “high risk”.

The rating agency downgraded five Spain-based banks, including Bankia S.A, Banco Financiero y de Ahorros S.A., Banca Civica , S.A. (Civica), Banco Popular Espanol S.A. (Popular), and BankinterS.A., to junk status citing the impact of the banking industry’s economic risk on their capital positions or business model.

 

COMMODITIES

Brent July crude rose 28 cents to close at $106.83.  Brent has fallen $13, or 10.85 percent, in a four-week run.

Crude rose 20 cents to clsoe at $90.86, having moved from $90.20 to $91.32. Is down 13 percent over 4 weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

EQUTIES

In the latest over Facebook’s IPO debacle, Citigroup said its Automated Trading Desk saw trading losses of around $20 million. Facebook shares have lost nearly 17 percent for the week. VeriFone Systems fell after the electronic payment technology provider announced its  disappointing Q3 and full-year guidance.

 

Binary Options Report (May 7- May 11)

Markets

Euro zone issues caused t othe US Iindexes to close lower thiss week. The Dow Jones lost 34.44 points, to close at 12,820.60. The S&P 500 lost  0.34 percent, to close at 1,353.39. The Nasdaq rose 0.18 points to close at 2,933.82 points.

DJIA CHART

 

 

FOREX

The dollar’s recent performance is impressive. The Dollar Index has risen 1.9 percent to its highest weekly close since the middle of December. Looking at currency’s performance in specific corners of the market, we find the EUR/USD is below 1.3000, AUD/USD is at its lowest level for the year and the Dollar has even been able to muscle gold to a correction of a bull run that goes back nearly three years. The euro is the most fundamentally loaded currency this coming week. Through the close of this past week, the currency won temporary stays on two of the most critical threats to regional stability: the Greek election turmoil and Spanish financial troubles. Both areas can quickly flare up. For Greece, the short-term concern is creating a new government and seeing if it backs the austerity measures or withdraws from EU and suffers a default. As for Spain, the relief in the Bankia nationalization has been muddied by the Economic Minister’s announcement that another €30 billion will be needed to be set aside for further losses of other Spanish banks.

EUR/USD Chart

COMMODITIES

London brent crude for Junefell to $111.40, but did not go back above $113.18, needed to avoid a weekly loss.

Crude lost 0.95 to close at $96.13. This is now below the 200-day moving average of $96.27. Gold fell 0.8 percent to close at  $1,5780.25. For the week, gold saw a 3.7 percent loss. Yhis is the Yellow metals worst performance since the week of Dec. 18 last year when it lost nearly 7 percent.

Oil Chart

 

 

EQUTIES

Arena soared after the drugmaker’s experimental obesity pill won an FDA panel’s support.

Meanwhile Facebook’s record IPO is already oversubscribed. Shares are expected to begin trading on May 18. Nordstrom lost after the department-store chain missed Wall Street expectations. And Nvidia surged after the chipmaker reported revenue and outlook which topped estimates.

Binary Options Report (April 30- May 4)

Markets

NFP Payrolls badly missed th marks and teh S&P500 and NASDAQ posted thier biggest losses of hte year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 168.32,  to close at 13,038.27. The S&P 500 lost 22.47, to close at 1,369.10. The Nasdaq dropped 2.25 percent, to close at 2,956.34.

DJIA CHART

 

 

FOREX

The NFP in April was disappointing, as they fell for the third straight month.The NFP reported that employers added 115,000 in April, down from March’s revised figure of 154,000. March’s figure had been revised upwards from its original print of 120,000. The forecas called for an increase of 160,000. Private payrolls rose by 130,000 in April, down from 166,000 in March, while manufacturing added 16,000 jobs as opposed to 41,000 jobs a month ago. Employment increased in professional and business services, retail trade and health care, but fell in transportation and warehousing.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell slightly in April to its lowest level since January 2009, to 8.1 percent. This is down from 8.2 percent the previous month..

 

USD Chart

 

 

COMMODITIES

Crude was down nearly 4 percent at 98.49 per barrel. WTI has lost all of its gains for the year and is down fractionally for the year and down 6 percent on the week.

Brent crude, was down 2.5 percent at $113.18. It lost 5.6 percent for the week.

Oil Chart

 

EQUTIES

Apple dragged on the Nasdaq as it fell to $585 a share. The iPad maker has lost 6 percent for the week, and 12 percent from its all-time high of $644 a share. Kraft Foods posted results that above  estimates. They reaffirmed its full-year growth targets and said it was going ahead with the  2-1 split into two companies later this year.

Binary Options Report (April 23- April 27)

Markets

Stocks finished higher , with the Nasdaq showing its best weekly gain in almost three months. Despite a better-than-expected consumer sentiment report and a weak despite weak GDP report.

The Dow was up23.69 points, to close at13,228.31. The S&P 500 rose 3.38 points, to close at 1,403.36. The Nasdaq rose 18.59 points, to close at to 3,069.20.

DJIA CHART

 

 

 

 

FOREX

The dollarpressured this past week. Yet, despite the USD favorable shift in tone and forecasts from the Fed along with the disappointing round of data along with a plethora of headlines that dominated the headlines throughweak, the buck was decisively bearish.As with before, could this be a technical correction?  Instead, the dollar mustered the greatest level of momentum amongst all of its most liquid counterparts. The dollar is defying the standard fundamental lines and underlying market conditions. Could it gain again?

 

USD Chart

 

 

 

 

 

COMMODITIES

Crude lost $1.05 to close at $103.50. While gold closed at 1642.70, up $1.90 an ounce.

GOLD Chart

 

 

 

 

EQUTIES

Amazon surged sharply after they posted Q1 numbers that blew past estimates after-the-bell Thursday. Ford closed lower after the American automaker posted earnings that fell form last year, but still topped estimates.

Binary Options Weekly Report (April 16- April 20)

Markets
Stocks finished mixed Friday, but the Dow and S&P ended higher for the week, The ywere booseted by good corporate news and good news out of the Euro zone.
The Dow gained 65.16 to finish at 13,029.49. The S&P 500 rose1.21 points, to end at 1,378.53. And the Nasdaq lost 7.11 points finish at 3,000.45.
DJIA CHART

FOREX
Disappointments in recent US economic data set the stage for a more dovish FOMC through Wednesday’s rate decision and leave risks to the downside for the Dollar. Economists predict late-week US GDP will show robust US growth through Q1 and may boost the Buck.
Investors will ne watching the FOMC as it announces rates. New interest rate moves are not verylikely, but Fed officials will issue guidance on future economic conditions and their internal predictions for future rate moves. A weakness in US NFP and US Initial Jobless Claims could mean more dovish forecasts. Speculation remains, thanks to slower job growth, that the Fed to may enact furtherQuantitative Easing measures (so-called QE3).
Any hints at lower interest rates or QE3 could mean decent amount of US Dollar losses.

USD Chart

COMMODITIES
Crude gained 78 cents to finish at $103.05. Brent crude added 76 cents to end at $118.76 in London. Spot gold was slightly off and ended at $1,641.79. Gold futures rose $1.40 to close at  $1,642.80.
Oil Chart

EQUITIES
US Airways fell after the airline said it has reached a labor deal with three American Airlines unions for support of a possible merger.
A new insider trading investigation is underway involving a current employee of Goldman Sachs. This is an investigation that could cause problems for the prosecution of former Goldman board member Rajat Gupta. Apple lost more than 2 percent. It is now trading below $580 . Over one month, it has tumbled more than 10 percent from its all-time high of $644.

Binary Options Weekly Report (April 9- April 14)

Markets

Stocks continued to selloff in the final hour of trading to close at session lows. This was their worst weekly decline for the year, and comes as  weakness overseas and weak economic news in the U.S. worried investors.

The Dow Jones dropped 136.99 points, the S&P 500 fell 17.31 points, to close at 1,370.26. The Nasdaq fell 1.45 percent, to finish at 3,011.33.

 

DJIA CHART

 

 

FOREX

Chinese loan growth could grow 9.0 percent in Q1. Also,  ECB members are now discussing using the securities market program (SMP) to buy Spanish debt. FOMC voting member Janet Yellen made the argument for low-rates through 2016.

The Chinese GDP reading for Q1 uunderscores the bearish sentiment in the markets. The 8.1 percent reading was below 9.0 percent, and below the consensus of  8.3 percent. The Australian Dollar fell sharply on the release. Was down 40-pips to the Japanese Yen and 50-pips to the buck. China’s weak data along with the rising Euro zone periphery bond yields helped the dollar regain 2 days of losses.

 

AUD/USD Chart

 

 

 

COMMODITIES

Brent crude lost 31 cents to close at 121.21 a barrel. Crude lost 81 cents to close at 102.83. Crude lost 48-cent for the week. The yellow metal jumped nearly $16 to close the week at 1628.10.

Oil Chart

 

 

EQUTIES

Google is in the spotlight as well after the search-engine giant’s earnings beat forecasts and the company also announced a two-for-one stock split.

Apple has rejected the US Justice Department’s allegations that it colluded with publishers over electronic book pricing, calling the charges “simply not true.” Coinstar surged after the company lifted its revenue outlook.

 

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