Economic data is currently pointing to a double-dip recession. ... Investors are feeling bullet-proof at the moment but with most professionals away on holiday we expect the selling to begin again by the end of the month.
This is a one-off boom. From here on, there will be a bigger diversification of investments.
They've spent the last five years trying to de-politicize the whole oil price setting mechanism, getting rid of the image of OPEC as a politically driven cartel, trying to portray themselves as central bankers and they are being asked to make a tough political choices now,
All I am hearing is that they are getting cooperation from Iraq,
I think both in the U.S. and in Europe we are going to have a good first half until the trend in earnings growth peters out.
Except for copper, which is influenced by speculation on China, global demand for commodities shows no sign of abating.
It's hard to be enthusiastic about the consumer goods sector in Europe, which is being squeezed by global competition and flagging consumer demand.
The whole M&A process is becoming very politicized now and it is becoming very protectionist.
The regulatory changes will squeeze margins, there's no doubt about that. But a sense of normality has returned to the telecoms sector -- investors are no longer worried about asset deflation and are trying to pick the winners.
Banks have laid off so many people, and now they're getting hit with pretty heavy volumes. At end of the day, there's a labor bottleneck.
