MARKETS

The Markit composite purchasing-managers index for the Euro Zone rose from 57.0 to 58.4 in February - well ahead of expectations and its highest levels since July 2006. The Munich based IFO Institute said its German business confidence index rose from 110.3 to 111.2 in February.

the dollar drifted off its lows for the day late in the European session with concerns over political upheaval in the Middle East, and Libya in particular, weighing even as activity slowed as the U.S. marked a public holiday. The euro, which had set a session high of $1.3727 after strong German economic data, began a gentle decline as the afternoon wore on, falling as low as $1.3647 and then rangebound in the mid $1.36 area.

Despite a hasty retreat from a lofty 101.50 US cents during Monday’s domestic session, the Australian Dollar has consolidated itself above parity against the greenback for the time being. In the absence of any local data, the unit was capped as some confidence was eroded after further policy tightening by China which threatens to reduce demand for Australian exports.

- Algae.Tec to list in Frankfurt, giving it access to the NYSE- Demonstration plant now under construction By Greg PeelAlgae.Tec ((AEB)) is the first company in the world to move towards commercialisation of algae-driven carbon capture and alternative energy production and is also first to market in employing patented technology in a modular system. Shares in Algae.Tec listed on the ASX on January...

- Algae.Tec to list in Frankfurt, giving it access to the NYSE- Demonstration plant now under construction By Greg PeelAlgae.Tec ((AEB)) is the first company in the world to move towards commercialisation of algae-driven carbon capture and alternative energy production and is also first to market in employing patented technology in a modular system. Shares in Algae.Tec listed on the ASX on January...

By Greg PeelThere is a rumour that Libya president Muammar Gaddafi has fled to Venezuela but this has been denied by the Venezuelans. We do know that Gaddafi has been abandoned by his UN representatives and that there have been other defections from within the regime. It seems likely now that after 42 years, Gaddafi will go the same way as Mubarak.The people power movement has moved west again to ...

By Greg PeelThere is a rumour that Libya president Muammar Gaddafi has fled to Venezuela but this has been denied by the Venezuelans. We do know that Gaddafi has been abandoned by his UN representatives and that there have been other defections from within the regime. It seems likely now that after 42 years, Gaddafi will go the same way as Mubarak.The people power movement has moved west again to ...

The Australian sharemarket is pulling back for the first time in three sessions with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) almost wiping out all of last week's gains.

Australia's second biggest oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum Ltd, has reported a 7 percent increase in profits to $1.58 billion in 2010 attributing it to high prices and record output at its North West Shelf natural gas project.

The Australian Dollar has opened firmer this morning trading at 1.0130 following a positive Friday night in equity markets.

- Consumer Metrics' Rick Davies suspects high income earners in the US are distorting consumer survey data- Consumer Metrics own surveys are showing continued weakness in overall spending- Plus some additional discussion material on Bastiat's famous Broken Window concept Consumer Metrics Institute News: February 16, 2011 - Our Current Outlook and Bastiat's Broken WindowLakewood, ColoradoOur measur...

- Consumer Metrics' Rick Davies suspects high income earners in the US are distorting consumer survey data- Consumer Metrics own surveys are showing continued weakness in overall spending- Plus some additional discussion material on Bastiat's famous Broken Window concept Consumer Metrics Institute News: February 16, 2011 - Our Current Outlook and Bastiat's Broken WindowLakewood, ColoradoOur measur...

- Sumatra Copper and Gold exploring for gold and silver in Indonesia - Tembang project more advanced than previously thought - Share price implies significant upside to valuation, says DJ CarmichaelBy Chris ShawWhen a conservative valuation for a company is about four times above the current share price the stock appears worthy of greater attention, which is what DJ Carmichael has done in initiati...

- Sumatra Copper and Gold exploring for gold and silver in Indonesia - Tembang project more advanced than previously thought - Share price implies significant upside to valuation, says DJ CarmichaelBy Chris ShawWhen a conservative valuation for a company is about four times above the current share price the stock appears worthy of greater attention, which is what DJ Carmichael has done in initiati...

Another US- based market operator BATS Global Markets has entered a definitive agreement to acquire another market trader Chi-X Europe to create the largest pan-European trading centre in terms of market share and notional value traded.

TELSTRA has announced it will shift its focus on online marketing and plans to open a new bath of 100 retail stores adding to the existing 300 allover the country.

The Aussie opens higher today at 1.0120 on the back of strong commodities and its yield advantage over the greenback.

U.S. stocks climbed to fresh multiyear highs Friday, extending their winning streak to a third straight week, as the market's upward momentum helped outweigh another round of tightening in China and continued unrest in the Middle East.

The People´s Bank of China has tightened monetary policy again, lifting bank reserve requirements by 50 basis points to a record 19.5 per cent.

U.S. stocks climbed to fresh multiyear highs Friday, extending their winning streak to a third straight week, as the market's upward momentum helped outweigh another round of tightening in China and continued unrest in the Middle East.

- Automotive Holdings posted solid interim result - Forecasts and price targets lifted - Acquisitions and expansions offer further upside potentialBy Chris ShawFor motor vehicle dealer Automotive Holdings Group ((AHE)), a 3% increase in interim profit to $29.6 million proved enough to beat market expectations. As UBS notes, it came in the face of weak consumer markets, while RBS Australia points o...

RBA Assistant Governor Philip Lowe's hawkish remarks enabled the Australian Dollar to maintain the previous day's gains. Mr Lowe said global commodity prices were likely to remain elevated and global inflation 'to be quite persistent'.

Energy and mining projects of Australian companies, including that of the Rio Tinto Group Group and Woodside Petroleum Ltd and Fortescue Mining, are threatened by two cyclones headed north of the country, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

U.S. stocks meandered into positive territory Thursday as a white hot reading from mid-Atlantic manufacturers outweighed higher than expected jobless claims and a rise in U.S. consumer prices.

FNArena has added another video to its Investors Education section on the website.ATW's Jerry Simmons explains the principle of a "bracket trade". He believes AUD/USD, EUR/USD and crude oil future are at present all examples of a "bracket trade". Total duration for this video is 45.30 mins.SummaryAs often happens in closely correlated markets, the three markets EURUSD, AUDUSD and Crude Oil are all...

US consumer prices rose by a sizeable 0.4pct in January - above consensus. Over the year consumer prices were up 1.6 per cent.

- After ten years of interrupted gains (in USD) it should be no surprise gold is taking a breather in early 2011- Chris Weber wouldn't be surprised if 2011 does not bring any gains for gold, but he makes no prediction- Longer term, the bull trend for gold should remain intact Where Next for Gold? Chris Weber Reveals the Answers… An Investment U Interview with Chris Weber, Founder of The Web...

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 29 points or 0.2% while the S&P gained 0.3% to 1340 and the Nasdaq added 0.2%.It was only last week I said “what about Libya?” and sure enough another piece of the jigsaw has fallen into place. So now we have (from west to east) Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain and Iran. If Egypt is East Germany, then the fall of its Berlin Wall is re...

Is it time to be worried about the market's current phase?Judging by the very bullish February survey of big fund managers from Bank of America Merrill Lynch now might be the time to be thinking a little outside the square.The survey says "Investors are more bullish towards global equities than at any time in the past decade."Just take that in, more bullish than before the crunch.Hmmmm. Is th...