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inkovsky · 1 year

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The Hong Kong stock market lacked direction on the first trading day in April. After the Hang Seng Index opened at a low of 21 points, it rose by 75 points in the early trading, and then fell back and forth. In the afternoon, it fell by 173 points. It was supported by a low of 20,226 points, and closed at 20,409 points, up 9 points. The HS technology index closed at 4,302, down 1 point. Trading turned quiet before the long holiday, with the full-day turnover of the market reduced to HK$120.4 billion .

The Hong Kong stock market has rebounded by more than 2,000 points in the past two weeks, and there is some pressure to take back. It is normal to go down yesterday. It is expected that the Hang Seng Index will have initial resistance near the 50-DMA (20,593) in the short-term. If it can break through and stand firm at the rebound high of 21,005 points in March, and return to the level of 21,600 points in mid-February, the market outlook is expected to reach the 22,700 mark on January 27 . If there is an adjustment, the 250-DMA (19,805) at the bull-bear boundary is expected to have strong support.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and Allies (OPEC+) suddenly announced a production cut of more than one million barrels per day, leaving the market still uncertain. If the oil price soars in a short period of time, the cooling trend of inflation may reverse, which will affect the future trend of the market. However, due to the easing of the banking crisis in Europe and the United States, the overall trend of the market is still positive; in addition, the ISM manufacturing index in the United States fell from 47.7 in February to 46.3 in March, which was lower than the expected 47.5 and hit a new low since May 2020. Fed rate hike expectations have cooled. U.S. stocks developed individually on the first trading day of the second quarter. The Dow, led by oil stocks, rose for the fourth consecutive trading day and rose by more than 300 points on Monday. However, the Nasdaq, which is dominated by technology stocks, was under pressure.

At the close of the US market, the Dow rose 327 points to 33,601; the S&P 500 rose 15 points repeatedly to 4,124; the Nasdaq fell 32 points to 12,189.The Hong Kong stock market lacked direction on the first trading day in April. After the Hang Seng Index opened at a low of 21 points, it rose by 75 points in the early trading, and then fell back and forth. In the afternoon, it fell by 173 points. It was supported by a low of 20,226 points, and closed at 20,409 points, up 9 points. The HS technology index closed at 4,302, down 1 point. Trading turned quiet before the long holiday, with the full-day turnover of the market reduced to HK$120.4 billion .

At the close of the US market, the Dow rose 327 points to 33,601; the S&P 500 rose 15 points repeatedly to 4,124; the Nasdaq fell 32 points to 12,189.

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csowmya · 3 years

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Three Key Artificial Intelligence Applications for Cybersecurity

Computer based intelligence is absolutely the center innovation driving the brilliant computerized change of our 4Th Industrial Era. PCs with AI are intended for computerization exercises that incorporate, discourse acknowledgment, getting the hang of, preparation, and critical thinking. These advances can accommodate more effective dynamic by focusing on and following up on information, particularly across bigger organizations with numerous clients and factors. Artificial intelligence is an impetus for driving principal changes in numerous enterprises, security consultant for example, client assistance, promoting, web based banking, medical care, business bookkeeping, public wellbeing, retail, schooling, and public vehicle.

Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity

We are at the doorstep of another time of shrewd innovation and online protection is now a proving ground. The online protection industry is progressively affected by the arrangement of arrangements upheld by man-made reasoningThe center of AI savvy capacities is established in its subcomponent of AI, ML. Man-made intelligence is generally used to ensure networks just as increment information security and endpoint security. Besides, the market of man-made reasoning in online protection is relied upon to develop at an accumulate yearly development pace of 23.6% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $46.3 billion by 2027 (Meticulous Research 2020). This anticipated development is probably going to increment while considering every one of the social changes that have been incited by the Covid-19 pandemic – from a lift to the advanced economy to the removal of millions of laborers who currently work distantly. Add the remarkable expansion in the quantity of Internet of Things (IoT) associated gadgets, the significant deficiency of gifted network protection laborers, and quickly developing web assault surface, the need to mechanize and utilize AI will turn into a market driver for quite a long time to come.

1) Network Vulnerability Surveillance and Threat Detection

As per Cybersecurity Ventures CEO Steve Morgan, the human assault surface is to contact 6 billion individuals by 2022 and Cyber-wrongdoing harm expenses to hit $6 trillion yearly by 2021. That is an enormous and exorbitant digital environment to watch, secure, and cure. Information breaks and digital assaults have critical ramifications for organizations as loss of information from a break or ransomware assault can cost a large number of dollars and can prompt chapter 11. In 2020, it required on normal 200 days for an association to distinguish an information break and 80 extra days to contain the occurrence. That is too long to be in any way ready to adequately react and moderate a genuine break.

Man-made intelligence can give a quicker way to distinguish and recognize digital dangers. Online protection organizations have created programming and stage controlled by AI that screens continuously exercises on network by, examining information and documents to perceive unapproved correspondence endeavors, unapproved associations, strange/vindictive accreditation use, savage power login endeavors, surprising information development, and information exfiltration. This permits organizations to draw measurable deductions and ensure against peculiarities before they are accounted for and fixed.

Artificial intelligence danger hunting devices can cover cloud, server farm, venture organizations, and IoT gadgets. Artificial intelligence devices can take into consideration programmed refreshing and danger screening of protection system layers (organization, worker, payload, endpoint, firewalls, and against infection) and indicative and criminology examination for network safety.

In a more granular sense for examination, AI progresses network observation and danger location instruments to help online protection experts by decreasing clamor, giving need alarms, by utilizing relevant information upheld by proof, and through robotized investigations dependent on relationship lists from digital danger insight reports. This elucidating insightful is key for a more exact episode analysis and fruitful reaction. As of late, profound learning AI programs have had the option to recognize further developed dangers and are not reliant upon realized assault designs. All things considered, these projects gain proficiency with the organization exercises and can perceive dubious exercises that may demonstrate the presence of troublemakers or malware.

2) Incident Diagnosis and Response

While unmistakable examination given by network observation and danger identification devices can respond to the inquiry "what occurred," episode conclusion investigation address the subject of "why and how it occurred." To respond to those inquiries, programming applications and stages fueled by AI can inspect past informational indexes to discover main drivers of the occurrence by glancing back at change and oddity pointers in the organization exercises. On the off chance that the episode investigation finds a framework weakness (rather than vindictive abuse), prescient examination could give bits of knowledge on results of such openness. When the reasons for an episode are recognized, prescriptive examination can be utilized to react to the occurrence dependent on suggestions to contain and kill the reasons for the occurrence for all time. These suggestions can cover a wide scope of uses shifting from making explicit moves, change in methodology, and reception of new techniques or cycles. These proposals could likewise incorporate the need to assemble better digital danger insight ending up at ground zero – from knowledge to observation and recognition, to conclusion/reaction and back to knowledge once more.

3) Cyber Threat Intelligence Reports

Consistently, currently understaffed network safety experts routinely face great many assaults on their frameworks and the malware keeps on filling in speed, numbers, and intricacy. This digital reality has produced an over-burden of data that is trying to gather, put together, and break down. Artificial intelligence arrangements have been conveyed to help digital danger examiners and address the issue of data over-burden and current information. These arrangements incorporate open-source AI controlled assortment apparatuses that accumulate information on explicit digital dangers or weaknesses on the Internet. The data can be arranged and summed up or even be the subject of a report completely composed by an AI program through regular language handling. In this day and age, an assortment of business ventures have taken on comparable AI instruments to compose news stories, web-based media posts, legitimate briefs, and banking reports. The network protection industry likewise takes advantage of comparable devices to produce robotized digital danger insight reports (CTI). Digital danger insight reports give the markers and early admonition important to more readily screen uncommon exercises on a given organize and identify all the more quickly digital dangers.

#cybersecuritycompanies

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your-dietician · 3 years

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GOP Sees Inflation as New Weapon to Bludgeon Biden, Democrats | The Report

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/economy/gop-sees-inflation-as-new-weapon-to-bludgeon-biden-democrats-the-report/

GOP Sees Inflation as New Weapon to Bludgeon Biden, Democrats | The Report

The Republican Party may have found an issue with which to clobber Democrats as it gears up for what is likely to be a very close midterm election cycle: inflation.

The message was delivered loud and clear Tuesday in House Republican Whip Steve Scalise’s opening statement before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus, where Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was testifying.

“The Biden inflation agenda of too much money chasing too few goods is causing major harm to hard-working American families,” ranking member Scalise said after running down a laundry list of pet peeves that included the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed in March that included $300-a-week enhanced unemployment benefits, and another $4 trillion in proposed spending on infrastructure, child care, education and family-oriented programs.

Scalise ran down a list of common items that have risen sharply in price over the past year or so, with a chart on an easel behind him showing milk up 5%, bacon up 13%, gas up 56%, used cars up 30% and transportation up 16%.

Some of those comparisons may be exaggerated because of the time frame over which they are calculated. Take gas, which in 2020 hit its lowest average price just below $2 as people stayed home during the pandemic. If the price is measured from March, 2020 when the coronavirus was first deemed a pandemic, the increase is a little more than 21%. But that largely gets lost in the conversation, especially when the purpose is to make a political point.

Referring to the consumer price index showing inflation running at a 5% annual rate in May, Scalise asked Powell, “Is 5% inflation acceptable to you?”

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Powell’s answer: “No, certainly not.”

“What is Scalise’s argument,” asks prominent Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, president, NDN and the New Policy Institute. “Is he saying we should have a slower economy and fewer jobs?”

Powell and many economists believe the spike in inflation is temporary, the result of year-over-year comparisons to a period when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the economy and prices plummeted for many items. The Fed has indicated it believes inflation will subside later this year, although its forecast for 2021 annual inflation is still well above its stated goal of 2%.

Prices for certain items have been distorted by global shipping conditions, which were thrown into disarray by the pandemic. As shippers reduced container capacity rather than lose money going to sea half empty, supply chains became congested, resulting in a shortage of critical parts like semiconductors. That led to a scarcity of new cars, which then drove up the price of used vehicles.

“Many Gen Xers and Baby Boomers remember the days of crazy inflation in the late 1970s and worry that that could happen again.”

But this is not really an economic argument. This is about politics and control of the House in 2022.

In May, the Republican Study Group sent a memo from its chairman, Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, outlining the message to be delivered.

“Of course, they’re trying to spin the media and explain that it has nothing to do with their big-spending policies,” the memo, first reported by Axios, said. “Which we know is simply false. That’s why we need to tie inflation to the Biden economy.”

The Republican message is that the economy was roaring before the pandemic, with unemployment at historic lows, the stock market humming and that were it not for a virus that they blame on China, everything would be hunky dory.

Andrew Romeo, spokesman for the Republican State Leadership Committee, says that the GOP has a good message when it comes to the economy. He notes that 25 states, all with Republican governors, have either curtailed or plan to curtail the $300-a-week additional unemployment benefit. And recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 16 of the top 20 states that have recovered the most jobs lost during the pandemic, measured on a percentage basis, are red states.

“State Republican leaders have a really strong case as to how they are handling the economy,” Romeo says. “If you elect Democrats, they are going to pursue a tax and spending agenda that is hurting the American people.”

The message was on display this week in Virginia, where Republicans started running ads in state races that begin with the statement: “Here’s what we get with Democrats controlling Washington: rising inflation and higher taxes.”

Democratic strategist Rosenberg says Democrats need to combat the GOP messaging by reiterating how the American Rescue Plan and other moves by the Biden administration to speed up vaccinations have improved lives for average Americans and helped the economy recover and grow.

“We have to more consciously understand we are in a real economic debate with the Republicans,” Rosenberg says, “regardless of the merits of their arguments. We haven’t finished the job yet. We have to win this first-stage argument.”

By many measures, the economy is roaring: The nation’s gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 6.4% in the first quarter and may surpass that this quarter, the stock market continues to be at record-high levels, the housing market is on fire and there are more than 9 million open jobs, although companies say it is difficult to hire workers.

“The first problem is that Jerome Powell was appointed chairman by Donald Trump,” says Scott Lilly, who spent three decades on Capitol Hill serving as staff director of the House Appropriations Committee, executive director of the House Democratic Study Group and executive director of the Joint Economic Committee. “Their complaint is more about monetary policy than fiscal policy.”

Lilly says the inflation of the moment is unlike that of the post-1970s and early 1980s, when former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker successfully broke the back of inflation with interest rates that reached 20% and led to a brutal recession and an unemployment rate that topped 10%.

In the years after that, production of goods ramped up in Europe and Asia, in particular, creating a global supply system that exists today – and was sharply disrupted by the pandemic. Continued tight money policies by Alan Greenspan, who served five terms as chairman, kept the Fed’s priorities more on fighting inflation than on employment. Indeed, toward the end of his term the nation saw the “jobless recovery.”

Like many economic observers, Lilly says the recent spike in inflation is more a result of the country coming out of a period of lockdown than it is underlying fundamentals.

“There’s no shortage of timber in the U.S. but there is a shortage of lumber because we shut the sawmills down,” he says. That shortage drove lumber prices to record levels in the past year, although they have recently subsided somewhat.

Powell, in contrast to Volcker and Greenspan, has placed a much greater emphasis on reaching maximum employment and addressing inequalities in the labor market that have resulted in higher rates of unemployment for minorities and lower-wage workers. At its essence, the debate over inflation is about how the pie is divided and who gets the larger slice.

“This is a policy opportunity for the unscrupulous who would try to exploit it,” Lilly says. “I do think people can be swayed.”

But there is no doubt consumers are seeing higher prices for many commonly purchased products and inflation has caught the eye of Americans, whether they work on Wall Street or shop on Main Street.

“I do think inflation is an issue that could resonate with voters,” says David Cohen, professor of political science at the University of Akron. “Many Gen Xers and Baby Boomers remember the days of crazy inflation in the late 1970s and worry that that could happen again.”

Cohen adds that while Americans are more optimistic about the economy and direction of the country than they have been, “There is an underlying concern that inflation could derail the economy, and the cost of everything from housing to food to automobiles could skyrocket. President Jimmy Carter was a victim of inflation and a sour economy in 1980, and a struggling economy is always a problem for an incumbent president and their party.”

A national Fox News poll, released Wednesday, found that inflation was the leading economic concern for voters, with 83% saying so, ahead of taxes and unemployment. The split among party affiliation was 88% among Republicans, but also an overwhelming majority of Democrats, at 80%. Overall, the poll of 1,001 voters found 51% approving of how Biden is handling the economy, with 47% disapproving.

The poll also found 53% saying the enhanced unemployment benefits were hurting the economy, a sharp difference from the 62% who said they felt they were a necessary lifeline during the pandemic.

“From a policy perspective, this is something voters care about,” Romeo says.

Other indicators of consumer concern have emerged recently. Economic sentiment fell for the fourth straight reading over the last two weeks in the latest HPS-CivicScience Economic Sentiment Index, falling 1.6 points to 46.3. While the index saw a new record for confidence in the job market, declines in confidence in making a major purchase and in the housing market outweighed the jobs index.

“Consumers find themselves in an economy featuring record high numbers of open jobs but also historically expensive homes and rising inflation fears,” according to the ESI release.

And consumer buying practices are shifting as people get back to their pre-pandemic lives, which further complicates the inflation picture. At TD Bank, which provides retailers and others with private-label credit cards, the rate of purchases of “pandemic darlings” like home fitness gear, furniture and the like have slowed, says Mike Rittler, head of retail card services. Now, the emphasis is on clothing, gasoline and restaurants, he says.

Rittler notes that credit has become much more available compared to a year ago, when the nation was facing massive unemployment.

“Customer liquidity is at an all-time high, there’s a lot of capacity to spend,” he says. “The spike (in inflation) may last a little bit longer than we hope, but I don’t think it’s anything systematic or long term.”

That’s not likely to matter to the GOP’s argument.

“If you look at just the two mandates of the Federal Reserve – maximum employment and stable prices – right now we don’t have either, ” Scalise told Powell, “and it’s because of policy decisions, policy decisions primarily by the Biden administration.”

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raymondcastleberry · 4 years

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Wind’s Unreliability Shows Itself in India

India’s wind generation fell by 43 percent in July, surprising the industry as the monsoon season has been optimal for wind generation in the past. Led by wind’s reduction, India’s total renewable energy generation this July was 24 percent less than July of last year. The primary wind power generating months are from June through September—that 120-day period provides almost 85 percent of the country’s annual wind output. In India, solar power remains productive much longer than wind power—over double the time—at least 280 days per year.

India’s 2019 Generation

By far, India uses coal to generate most of its electricity, generating 73 percent of its electricity from coal in 2019. (See graph below.) India’s non-hydroelectric renewable generation made up just 9 percent of its generation in 2019—up one percentage point from 2018. Generation from all non-hydroelectric renewables was less than that from hydroelectric power, which was 10 percent of generation in 2019. Wind generation totaled 63.3 terawatt hours and was 4 percent of India’s total generation, while solar generation was 46.3 terawatt hours or 3 percent of India’s total generation. India had 37.5 gigawatts of wind capacity and 35 gigawatts of solar capacity at the end of 2019. For the first six months of this year, capacity additions for wind have totaled 2,000 megawatts, while for solar, they have totaled 8,000 megawatts.

Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy

India’s total installed wind power capacity was the fourth largest in the world in 2019, after China, the United States, and Germany. Its wind power capacity is mainly spread across the Southern, Western, and Northern regions of the country. The data for July showed over a 50 percent drop in wind generation in most Indian states including Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu. In Andhra Pradesh, wind and solar generation fell for the second year in a row.

Wind speeds have been exceptionally low this year, but it is believed that they will pick up in August and September. Wind speeds have been a worry for the first two months of the monsoon season because the wind speed pattern had changed. The number of days with good wind speed has been decreasing by about a half. However, wind generation in the initial days of August improved somewhat and wind speed is expected to pick up in the second wave of the monsoon season.

Background

Wind power saw a steady growth in India for about three decades—from 1985 to 2015. Most of its 37.5 gigawatts of installed wind capacity were built due to government incentives such as accelerated depreciation, generation-based payments and feed-in tariffs. Electricity is a huge issue in India, where the World Bank estimated in 2018 that 200 million Indians still lacked electricity. India’s economic progress is tied to the electrification of villages and the expansion of economic opportunities which comes with electricity. Therefore, having reliable electricity is very important to the nation.

In 2015, India announced a goal of installing 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by December of 2022. However, of that figure, wind was allocated just 60 gigawatts as the focus shifted to solar power. According to the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, wind projects totaling 13 gigawatts are in the pipeline and another 10 gigawatts are expected to be tendered in the coming months to meet the 60-gigawatt target. However, the industry believes that wind power sector is losing its sheen and that total capacity of wind may only reach 45 gigawatts by March 2022. Its failure to perform during peak season this year may further affect plans for wind.

India has a high wind energy potential—302 gigawatts at 100 meters hub height and 695 gigawatts at 120 meters. Nearly 97 percent of this potential is concentrated in seven states—Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

State-Wise Wind Energy Potential, Target and Installed Capacities

Source: DTE Analysis

Conclusion

While India may have great energy potential in wind, it has allocated only a third of its renewable capacity goal for 2022 to wind. The country recently found that the technology is not achieving the wind speeds that it had in the past, particularly during the monsoon season when 85 percent of wind output is usually achieved. Clearly, wind is not as reliable as coal, which generates 73 percent of India’s electricity.

The post Wind’s Unreliability Shows Itself in India appeared first on IER.

from Raymond Castleberry Blog http://raymondcastleberry.blogspot.com/2020/08/winds-unreliability-shows-itself-in.html via IFTTT

#Anonymous Raymond Castleberry Blog

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mysimsloveaffair · 2 years

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I couldn’t resist the opportunity to purchase a cow when given a chance at the fair. Our stable has been empty long enough, so we are happy to bring home a brown cow that Dub has decided should be named Cocoa Puffs after his favorite cereal.

Mase seems to be excited about our new farm companion. Although he’s usually pretty quiet, he suddenly can’t stop chatting, and Cocoa Puffs appears willing to listen.

Mason: I say ‘moo,’ and you say ‘hi,’ okay?

Cocoa Puffs: *soft mooing*

Mason: That not right. You not listening. I say ‘moo,’ and you say ‘hi.’

I correct Mase while pulling out a brush to clean Cocoa Puff’s coat.

Kai: That’s not the way it works, Mase. You can’t teach a cow to speak. But you can both moo together.

Mason: Why, daddy?

Kai: Because cows cannot speak as we do - mooing is enough for them.

#sims #sims 4 #TS4 gameplay #TS4 legacy #black simblr #henford-on-bagley #banks fam #bankgen3 #banks day 46.3

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brandonfullers · 5 years

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Events to Look Out for Next Week

Trade worries remain and are expected to keep flip-flopping between risk-off and risk-back-on sentiment. Hopes for more central bank stimulus vies with fears that a number of major economies are simultaneously heading for recession, with a number of developing-world economies with high Dollar debt levels particularly exposed to the shifting financial cycle. Given these fears, further conciliatory remarks are likely from both China and the US with regard to their trade spat. Nevertheless, next week the economic calendar also focuses on the PMI releases globally.

Monday – 19 August 2019

Consumer Price Index and Core (EUR, GMT 09:00) – The Euro Area CPI for July is expected to hold at 1.1%y/y in the final July reading from 1.3%y/y in June. Energy price inflation was clearly largely to blame and the core rate fell back to just 0.9%y/y from 1.1%y/y in the previous month. The core is anticipated to remain unchanged as well. With growth slowing down and the improvement on the labour market starting to fizzle out, chances are that inflation will continue to undershoot the ECB’s target range, thus adding to arguments for a comprehensive easing package in September.

Tuesday – 20 August 2019

Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes (AUD, GMT 01:30) – The RBA left rates on hold in its last meeting, after back-to-back rate cuts in June and July, which put the cash rate at a record low of 1.00%, while Governor Lowe said that more easing measures could be needed. Minutes are expected to shed further light regarding future easing stance.

Manufacturing Sales (CAD, GMT 12:30) – Manufacturing sales are anticipated to grow 2.0% in June after a 1.6% rebound in shipment values was revealed during May and following a 0.4% decline in April. The surge in transport equipment sales is consistent with the improving economy and as such fits with the BoC’s overall view that the economy is improving after temporary weakness in Q4/Q1.

Wednesday – 21 August 2019

Consumer Price Index (CAD, GMT 12:30) – Canada’s CPI did not challenge the outlook for steady BoC policy this year. CPI slowed to a 2.0% y/y pace in June from the lofty 2.4% y/y clip in May. Inflation remains around the 2 percent target, with some recent upward pressure from higher food and automobile prices. Core measures of inflation are also close to 2 percent. Even though CPI inflation will likely dip this year because of the dynamics of gasoline prices and some other temporary factors, the annual and monthly numbers for July are expected to remain steady. As slack in the economy is absorbed and these temporary effects wane, inflation is expected to return sustainably to 2 percent by mid-2020.

FOMC Minutes (USD, GMT 18:00) – The FOMC minutes, similar to the ECB Reports, provide an assessment as regards the views of the Fed’s policymakers about the interest-setter’s future stance and are usually a cause for FX turbulence.

Thursday – 22 August 2019

Jackson Hole Symposium – Day 1

Services and Manufacturing PMI (EUR, GMT 07:30-08:00) – July PMI readings highlighted manufacturing weakness. This picture is likely to be seen again in the preliminary readings for August, as Manufacturing PMI has been forecast at 46.3 from 46.5 last month, still down from 47.6 in June, and indicates a deepening recession in a sector that has been hit very hard by global trade tensions and no-deal Brexit risks. Meanwhile Services PMI is expected to fall to 52.7 from 53.2.

Services and Manufacturing PMI (USD, GMT 13:45) – Preliminary Manufacturing are expected to grow in August, to 51.0 from 50.4, as Services PMIs are likely to fall to 51.7 from 53.

New Zealand Retail Sales (NZD, GMT 22:45) – Usually considered an index of consumer confidence and overall consumption in the economy, higher retail sales point to higher consumption and hence higher economic growth which is good for the currency.

Friday- 23 August 2019

Jackson Hole Symposium – Day 2

Retail Sales ex Autos (CAD, GMT 12:30) – Retail sales are expected to have decreased in Canada, with consensus forecasts suggesting a -0.5% m/m decline should be registered in June and an unchanged ex-autos component at 0.3%. In May, Retail sales were disappointing, falling 0.1% for total sales and declining 0.3% for the ex-autos component. The decline in sales was driven by a 2.0% tumble in food and beverage stores. The report casts some doubt on the resiliency of the consumer sector to the ongoing parade of worrisome geopolitical and trade developments.

Click here to access the Economic Calendar

Andria Pichidi

Market Analyst

Disclaimer: This material is provided as a general marketing communication for information purposes only and does not constitute an independent investment research. Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of buying or selling of any financial instrument. All information provided is gathered from reputable sources and any information containing an indication of past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future performance. Users acknowledge that any investment in Leveraged Products is characterized by a certain degree of uncertainty and that any investment of this nature involves a high level of risk for which the users are solely responsible and liable. We assume no liability for any loss arising from any investment made based on the information provided in this communication. This communication must not be reproduced or further distributed without our prior written permission.

Events to Look Out for Next Week published first on https://alphaex-capital.blogspot.com/

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jamieclawhorn · 6 years

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Markets have been falling but these FTSE 100 stocks have been soaring!

It’s easy to assume that all share prices have been plummeting in October, but there are certainly a few exceptions. Take FTSE 100 silver miner Fresnillo (LSE: FRES).

Yesterday, the £7bn-cap’s stock soared just over 9% to make it the big riser on the day in the market’s top tier. The latest rise also takes the total gain to almost 27% in under two weeks.

I don’t see any reason to snatch at profits just yet, despite today’s rather mixed production update.

Production up

As a result of higher ore grades, higher volumes, and the contribution from the company’s new Pyrites Plant, silver production rose 6.3% (to 15.5 moz) in the three months to 30 September, compared to the same period in 2017. This brings production so far this year to 46.3 moz — a rise of 8.5%.

Despite this, full-year guidance was lowered to between 62 and 64.5 moz (from 64.5-67.5 moz) as a result of “continued challenges” at the company’s Fresnillo and Saucito mines, issues which are currently being addressed.

But Fresnillo isn’t all about silver. It’s also Mexico’s largest gold miner. Production here fell by 3.5% in Q3 compared to 2017, and by 3.7% compared to the previous quarter, due partly to lower ore grades. Nevertheless, production of the shiny stuff “continues to beat expectations,” having climbed 1.7% in the year to date, with full-year guidance now expected to be between 920 and 940 koz.

Fresnillo’s stock was down in early trading, although I’m inclined to think this is more the result of short-term traders banking some profit.

On a forecast price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of almost 20 for the current year, it certainly isn’t cheap to buy. The likely 30 cents per share dividend for the full year equates to a yield of almost 2.6% — very average compared to some payouts offered by companies in the market’s top tier.

Having said this, Fresnillo’s performance over the last few weeks, coupled with the fact that its stock is highly-liquid, suggests it might be a decent pick, if you suspect volatility is here to stay.

Contrarian call

Fresnillo’s done well in what’s rapidly become a tough market. However, one company that’s performed even better in recent times has been fellow FTSE 100 constituent and industry peer Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS).

Since falling to a low of around 4650p back in mid-September, the gold miner’s share price has soared 38% — the sort of gain you would expect from high-growth market minnows, rather than a top-tier juggernaut. My contrarian call back in August was a touch too early, but still rather pleasing.

Can Randgold hold on to recent gains? Difficult to say.

Should markets rebound strongly, the share price will likely fall as investors assume a risk-on attitude once more. The fact that the company will soon delist as a result of its merger with Canadian company Barrick Gold could also see money being moved elsewhere in advance.

Personally, I continue to think that having some exposure to gold — either through an exchange-traded fund, or as an actual miner — isn’t a bad thing in these uncertain times, given that the value of the precious metal tends to be negatively correlated with stock markets in general.

Whether you subscribe to this view or not, Randgold’s recent performance is yet more proof that backing quality companies, at a time when they’re being shunned by most market participants, can result in great profits.

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