Anthem-Cigna merger blocked by Federal Judge
On February 8, the proposed merger between rival insurance giants Anthem and Cigna was blocked due to competition concerns. Had the merger gone ahead, the company would have become the largest insurance company in the US by membership – boasting a total annual revenue of $115bn and providing coverage to approximately 53 members. At the […]
Brexit made official as Parliament passes key bill
While the UK’s popular vote to leave the European Union took place over seven months ago, Parliament had the final say on February 1: voting to officially trigger the legal process of Brexit. The decision to invoke Article 50 – the bill establishing the legal proceedings through which member states may withdraw from the EU […]
Dow Jones reaches record high
The Dow Jones Industrial Average made financial history on January 25, breaking through the 20,000 barrier for the first time. The broader S&P 500 and the Nasdaq index also reached new records, bolstered by President Trump’s early executive actions on infrastructure and deregulation. The Dow Jones index broke the barrier following the president’s renewed pledge to […]
Are Interest Rates No Longer Driving The Dollar?
The US 10-year yield is at its highs for the year, and yet the US dollar has been struggling to gain traction. Some suggest that this means that the dollar rally is over. Charts like this one are circulating among market participants. This Great Graphic was created on Bloomberg. The white line is the Dollar Index, […]
Switzerland’s Gold Exports To China Surge To 158 Tons In December
Switzerland’s Gold Exports To China Surge To 158 Tonnes In December Switzerland’s gold bullion exports to China saw a huge jump in December, climbing to 158 tons versus a much lower 30.6 tons in November – a jump of 416%. According to Eddie van der Walt as reported on the Bloomberg terminal this morning, total Swiss […]
Good Results From Redstar, Gold Standard, Novo And Aton
TM editors’ note: This article discusses penny stocks and/or microcaps. Such stocks are easily manipulated; do your own careful due diligence. As I said in early January, resource exploration companies stop putting out results from the middle of December pretty much until the middle of January knowing that most of their investors are caught up […]
USD/CAD Rooftop Pattern With Two POC Zones
The USD/CAD dropped in Asia session and it mainly trades lower during Europe and early US Session. The rooftop pattern that has been formed at the top of weekly trading range might be a sign of a bearish continuation. The first POC 1.3125-1.3152 (38.2, H4, ATR pivot, order block, trend line) might spike the price […]
Traders Finally Don The Caps
Well it finally happened. Dow 20K, that is. And yes, there were hats – lots of hats. Photo Credit: WSJ.com After struggling with the big, round number since the middle of December, the venerable Dow Jones Industrial Average finally broke above the 20,000 level and closed Wednesday at a new all-time high of 2068.51. The […]
Basic Materials: Real Stuff Is Rising
I would like to update the Basic Materials sector as this area now looks like it’s ready to resume its bull market. Also with the stock markets breaking out today, especially the INDU, this adds another layer of confirmation that the breakout is the real deal. As we’ve discussed previously there are many big cap […]
Chicago Fed: Economic Growth Increased In December
“Index shows economic growth increased in December.” This is the headline for today’s release of the Chicago Fed’s National Activity Index, and here are the opening paragraphs from the report: Led by improvements in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) increased to +0.14 in December from –0.33 in November. Three of the four […]
