May 07 2013 8:52 AM

More stimulus arrived in the developed world overnight with the Australian Central Bank announcing a surprise 25 basis point reduction in short term interest rates to a record low. The RBA has lowered its short term interest rate seven times since the end of 2011. The RBA joins the US, UK, Japan and EU in its aggressive easy monetary policy as most of the developed world remains mired in a sluggish economic growth pattern. The aggressive monetary programs are serving to try to ramp up economic growth but are also providing a floor on most risk asset markets along the way.

May 07 2013 8:38 AM

The euro lost some ground on Tuesday morning after Mario Draghi reiterated the central bank's commitment to further easing on Monday. The common currency fell to $1.3052 overnight and steadied at $1.3088 in the early hours of Tuesday.

May 06 2013 6:10 PM

During the first week of May every year, the maxim, “Sell in May and Go Away,” gets taken out, dusted off and powered up as a reason to sell stocks. The rhyme is more than just a catchy urban legend: June, July, August and September have historically been the weakest months of the year for the S&P 500 Index. Yet even if seasons trigger certain events, when the snow falls in Minnesota in May, Midwesterners need to throw on their winter gear and roll out snowblowers, not lawnmowers. Consider this encouraging research: The S&P 500 has been rallying for six months in a row, which has happened 48 times since 1950. Following these six-month winning streaks, stocks have historically continued rising. Sixty percent of the time, the S&P 500 climbed 0.79 percent over the next month; 84 percent of the time, stocks increased 3.50 percent, 7.77 percent and 11.77 percent the next three, six and 12 months following the streak.

May 06 2013 1:33 PM

May 6th, 2013 at 12:56 pmHow to trade Gold and other precious metals related investments is not that complex. But you must be willing to wait for price to provide low risk entry points before getting involved. Precious metals are like any other investment in respect to trading and investing in them. There are times when you should be long, times to be in cash and times to be short (benefit from falling prices).

May 06 2013 11:44 AM

Geopolitical tension outweighed uncertain growth prospects and Brent crude oil rose to its highest level since April 11th early on Monday. The commodity settled at $104.54 at 7:37 GMT on Monday morning.