25 FEBRUARY 2013: MOODY’S REDUCED A RATING OF GREAT BRITAIN WITH AAA TO AA1
DAILY MARKET REVIEWS
by Arne Treholt Vice-President of Business Development and Investments
The trading session on Friday has passed more positively at the stock exchanges of the USA and Europe comparing to the days before. Investors returned to purchases, without having paid attention to statements of European Commission which reduced the forecast on growth of world gross domestic product in 2013 from 3,3% to 3,2%. Thus figures across Spain (-1,4% at a budget deficit on 6,7% from GDP), Italy (-1% at 2,1%), Portugal (-1.9% at 4,9%) really depress. However, this news didn't confuse investors, and the European indexes FTSE (+0,7%), DAX (+1,03%), CAC (+2,25%), MIB (+1,4%) carried out all day in "a green zone" and finished the session of a steady growth.
The American indicators: Dow Jones +0,86%, S&P +0,88% and NASDAQ +0,97% also finished week with a rebound, without looking neither at inconsistent information from Europe, nor on rising to the USA "the fiscal cliff" to which there is only a week.
Statistics from China added a negative sentiment in the markets this morning, where the PMI index from HSBC, in February sharply decreased from the maximum reached in last month for 2 years, but remained above important level of 50 points. Thus Asian indexes began new week in "a green zone", and NIKKEI arranged the next rally for 2% on news about planned appointment to the post of the head of Bank of Japan H. Kuroda, the known supporter of active stimulation of economy.
The situation in world economy still does not show a lot of optimism. The news coming from Moody's published in the night from Friday to Saturday became a clear proof of it. The agency reduced a rating of Great Britain with AAA to AA1. The reason of this decision of Moody's called weakness of the British economy which, according to agency, will keep sluggish growth rates at least till 2016.
Oil, however, moderately becomes cheaper today under pressure of a negative. Brent drifts next to a level 114.24, adding 0.12% and WTI is stable on 93.209. EUR/USD pair is traded on a 1.3216 this morning.
Copyright: MAYZUS Investment Company Ltd