Fresh appetite for risk helped the UK 100  breakout to the upside this week, testing 7600. Its exit from late June’s consolidation pattern, to hit fresh 10-month highs, extended the June uptrend. This increases the chances that it can push on towards last year’s 7903 record highs of late May. Investors remain hopeful about cheap…

The  UK 100  remains in consolidation mode, in a sideways narrowing pattern, digesting the 5% early June rally from 7080. This implies investors in wait-and-see mode. Rather than take a position now, taking on additional risk, they are waiting for a breakout or a breakdown, for confirmation before picking a direction. While traders are optimistic…

Who benefits from a Trump trade truce? With this weekend’s G20 meeting of world leaders almost upon us, I thought it would be interesting to consider who would win from a US–China trade truce? In recent weeks we have seen some global equity markets peak and hit (in some cases, across the Atlantic) fresh record highs! …

The  UK 100  made fresh 6-week highs this week, extending its June rebound, and looks set to close the week 1.1% higher. Drivers which helped the index higher this week include hopes of more central bank stimulus (ECB, Fed) and higher oil prices (supply restrictions, Middle East geopolitics). That said, the index is also in…

Oil has had quite a week. Brent Crude prices are up more than 8% from Tuesday’s lows of $61/barrel to trade north of $65.5. And there are a handful of reasons why. Firstly, European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi pretty much reiterated his “whatever it takes” mantra. Investors digested this as implying more monetary stimulus…

The  UK 100  has pulled back from its 7420 6-week highs, consolidating its 4.8% bounce from recent 7080 lows. This puts it in a shorter-term falling channel, one which bulls will hope proves a bullish flag that sends it 4.8% higher, to challenge – perhaps even exceed – April’s 7528 peak. Nonetheless, watch for that…