London Stocks End Higher After Choppy Session

FTSE 100 ends 0.5% higher at 5748.72 in what has been a choppy session. Angus Campbell at Capital Spreads says market movements Thursday indicate investors are unsure as to whether the good corporate earnings is good enough to discount the gloomy macro picture. Continue Reading…

(1382,50) The S&P confirmed a strong closing last night but only a daily closing above 1390,00 will support further strength. We saw already a 1390 overshooting this morning before however coming off again. Continue Reading…

July soybeans were trading 1 3/4 cents lower late in the overnight session. China futures were down 0.7% overnight. Palm oil futures in Malaysia closed down 0.3% overnight. Equity markets in Asia were mostly higher overnight, with Shanghai stock prices closing minimally weaker. Continue Reading…

While May silver prices have started the Thursday US trade above the prior closing level, silver wasn’t able to carve out a higher high on the charts like the gold and platinum markets. Continue Reading…

June natural gas broke out to its best level since April 10th overnight but has since drifted lower. It is possible that the natural gas market will continue to correct more of this week’s gain in anticipation of today’s EIA storage report. Continue Reading…

July cocoa was able to post moderate gains early in today’s session but has fallen back into negative territory this morning. A report that Asian first quarter cocoa grindings were up 5.7% from last year’s levels points towards emerging market demand as a longer-term source of strength for the market. Continue Reading…

June crude oil made an early morning push toward yesterday’s high but so far has come up short. The crude oil market appears to be coming to grips with the recent boost in US
supplies, softer European sentiment readings and further weakness in the USD to a three-week low. Continue Reading…

July wheat was trading 3 1/2 cents higher late in the overnight session. Outside market forces look mixed. With uncertainty on weather into early next week and possible difficulties for crops in Europe and former Soviet Union countries, there remains some underlying support. Continue Reading…

With a positive tone for outside markets and some tightness in the old crop supply plus a lack of deliveries against the May contract, a continued technical bounce is possible. There has been plenty of talk recently that cotton already saw enough weakness to cause a shift to lower production and spark a tightening of supply. Continue Reading…

While Treasuries took it on the chin in the aftermath of the FOMC statement yesterday, that slide might have been exaggerated by the sharp gains in US equities. However, Treasury prices are tracking higher this morning, as a recent pattern of weak US data has prompted some players to suggest that the Fed could still be prompted to add additional easing in the near future if the pattern of weak data continues to surface. Continue Reading…