As an investment, gold has never been more popular. And, for individual investors, that’s part of the problem. Gold spot prices hit a record of $1,243.10 per ounce in Comex trading on May 12 before slipping $13.90, or 1.1 percent, to $1,230.10 on May 13. In the past three years, the precious metal is up [...]

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Investor Jim Rogers said Europe’s bailout of indebted nations to overcome the sovereign-debt crisis is just “another nail in the coffin” for the euro as higher spending increases the region’s debt. The 16-nation currency weakened for a second day against the dollar after rallying as much as 2.7 percent on May 10, when the governments of [...]

China, currency, debt, economic growth, Euro, forex, global markets, inflation, stock market Hide

Indonesia’s central bank may refrain from raising interest rates from a record low this week, betting that inflation isn’t yet enough of a threat to require higher borrowing costs. Bank Indonesia will keep its reference rate unchanged at 6.5 percent for an eighth straight month tomorrow, according to 16 of 17 economists in a Bloomberg [...]

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LONDON: The Bank of England on Thursday is expected to call an end to its radical policy of pumping out new money after Britain narrowly emerged from recession in the fourth quarter of 2009, analysts said. Most economists also predict that the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will leave its key interest rate unchanged [...]

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Think the TARP tax rocked the market? That doesn’t compare to the next possible jolt it may get. But don’t panic –  this jolt should be bullish and take the market higher. Now make no mistake – this is strictly chatter from the forex markets and they’re “the Wild West,” explains top trader Brian Kelly of [...]

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Fresh worries are emerging that prices of commodities, including energy, could nip incipient growth in the bud. INVESTORS and speculators are shrugging off the generally muted expectations of economic growth among economists, and betting on a further upturn in prices of commodities. Underlying this optimism is a benign view of global economic growth that may [...]

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BEIJING: China ordered vigilance against foreign “hot money” flows and speculative real estate investment on Sunday in its latest expression of concern over a surging property market. The order issued by the State Council, or Cabinet, called on authorities nationwide to take a range of measures to “promote the stable and healthy development of the [...]

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According to market watchers, they expect to see year-on-year gains of 10 to 20% in these sectors. Climate change is one key factor that is expected to keep money flowing into the commodities markets. Some market watchers said with continually evolving weather patterns, soft commodities such as corn and palm are seeing more upward investment [...]

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IT has been a year of “free money”. Well, almost, especially so in developed countries such as the United States and Japan, where interest rates have sunk to near zero levels over the past one year. In most other countries, including Malaysia, interest rates are nowhere near zero, but they have been hovering at their [...]

Bank Negara, China, Euro Zone, Hong Kong, inflation, Interest rates, Japan, Malaysia, monetary policy, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, UK, US Hide

EVERYONE said 2009 was going to be bad for stocks. But hey, on average, the regional markets have gone up 60% year to date. Investors who had been pessimistic have missed out, but is there a still a chance for them to make the same kind of profits? With the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur [...]

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