| Hedge funds scent a market turnaround amid turbulence
London: If hedge funds are, as is often claimed, the investment vanguard, their latest moves appear to be telling financial markets it is time to take a break from the trading patterns that have dominated since mid-2007. Investment banks have been poring over the latest data on hedge fund positioning from the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and concluded that a number of speculative bets have been changed. Societe Generale, for example, says long positions on 10-year government bonds have been closed. That is to say, hedge funds are not expecting demand for such bonds to increase and drive yields lower. .
Stocks Advance, Led by Techs
Stocks closed higher Wednesday after reversing an earlier drop. Technology issues were among the session's best performers, aided by a strong earnings report from Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). Financial stocks rose later in the day, as minutes from Federal Reserve January policy meetings apparently supported hopes for further interest rate cuts. Stocks tied to precious metals and oil got a lift from gains in commodities futures, as crude oil topped the $100 mark once again to close at a new record. Investors also digested reports showing worsening inflation risks and only slight improvement in the housing market. On Wednesday, the Dow Jones industrial average finished higher by 90.04 points, or 0.73%, at 12,427.26. The broader S&P 500 index added 11.25 points, or 0.83%, to end at 1,360.03.
Dubai wants to launch world's first tea futures contract
Dubai: Dubai wants to launch the world's first tea futures contract if it finds favourable response among major tea producers and other key industry participants, officials said on Tuesday.
They argued that international tea trade will benefit from a "well-functioning futures market" as it would provide a good pricing guidance for the commodity. "If there is a possibility of a successful tea futures contract, then Dubai might be the place for it since we are ideally positioned between the tea producing and major consuming countries," Dubai Multi Commodities Centre chief executive officer David Rutledge told Gulf News. However, experts said it would not be easy to create a benchmark for a tea futures contract because of the wide variety grown in various countries.
MCX to support Microsoft's rural technology training programme
MUMBAI: Multi Commodity Exchange of India on Thursday announced its support to an ongoing computer literacy programme of Microsoft and Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals in rural Maharashtra.
This marks the launch of MCX's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative aimed at empowering the youth and women of rural areas of the state with technology skills.
Till now over 15,500 people have been trained and more than 24,000 people are using this service across 16 districts by the means of understanding the futures markets prices of the area specific commodities.
MCX's support will help in increasing deployment of laptop and desktop computers and thereby strengthen the ongoing technology training and adoption efforts through the project.
Oil Near $100 After Record Close
Oil futures on Wednesday pushed briefly past $101 a barrel after the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered its forecast for U.S. economic growth this year, convincing energy investors that the central bank will slash interest rates further.
"Investors are going into commodities for a safe haven, because they think commodities may perform better than equities and also may be hedges against inflation," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore.
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