Stocks to Watch

The Spanish housing market has taken a hit since the global economic meltdown, and is showing little sign of recovery following the Euro-zone crisis.

The Fitch ratings agency believes that the property market is unlikely to grow at all in the near future, however, this is good news for investors. Those looking to secure a cheap deal could find one in Spain.

The company claims that a damaged Spanish economy could take its time before there is an improvement, meaning any growth in property value is for the short term. This may be a serious pitfall for those looking to invest and sell on at a higher value.

Spain is currently squeezed in between some battered economies. The country’s vulnerable position means that it will be struggling to avoid falling into recession.

The predicted growth rate for the Mediterranean country is 0% for 2012. Fitch, however, thinks Spain will see a 1% growth for 2013 despite earlier forecasts of 1.5%

‘Banks are unlikely to return to the cheap funding costs that were available to them in the past,’ a statement from the ratings agency Fitch claimed.

The average house price has fallen by a staggering 8.9% in the third quarter of 2011, compared to the same period in 2010. 

This is good news for those looking to make a move into the Spanish property market within the next few years. According to research from Scotiabank, property in Spain has become almost 25% cheaper than it was in 2007.

Transferring money to Spain

If you are looking to invest in Spain, think carefully about how you will be transferring money to Spain. Foreign currency exchange rates quoted by banks are almost always worse than the exchange rates available through specialist currency dealers.

So if you are looking to send money to Spain – which you will inevitably have to do if you are looking to make a property investment – be sure to compare the market before you buy your overseas currency.

As 2011 nears its end, City Indexs Chief Technical Analyst Sandy Jadeja and Neil Looker, Chief Forex Dealer at City Index summarise 2011 analysing the stock market from a technical viewpoint and delivers their thoughts on important benchmark markets like the FTSE 100, Wall Street, Gold, Crude Oil, EUR/USD for currency exchange rate and what may be in store for 2012. At the end, Simon Denham, CEO of Capital Spreads gives his reflections on what could be in store for the new year.

Sandy Jadeja, Chief Technical Analyst, City Index:

The year 2011 has definitely left a stamp on traders minds as we head into the New Year.

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WorldSpreads has released an updated version of its trading platform which is now custom optimised for mobile handsets.  With the iOS optimised mobile spread trading platform, clients can now bet on the move, permitting them to manage their dealing accounts in real-time whenever they happen, irrespective if they are at the office or travelling.

We are told that the mobile trading platform has been primarily designed with simplicity in mind while retaining all the essential features that spread traders need to be in control of their trading portfolios 24 hours a day.  The mobile platform has been optimised specifically for the iPad and iPhone and users will need iOS 4.2 or above.

From an iOS device WorldSpreads clients can:

• Access thousands of live streaming market prices.
• Monitor existing trading positions in real-time.
• Monitor profit and loss on the move
• Set or adjust limits or stops.
• Read breaking market news from Reuters
• Quickly close out or open new positions

The mobile trading platform is available free of charge to all WorldSpreads Active and Platinum spread betting account holders and there are no applications or downloads required. T

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As you may know, rare earths are a group of 17 elements crucial to production of energy and modern devices from iPhones and laptops to solar panels and oil refineries.

Nearly every modern comfort and gadget relies on this group of metals in one way or another.

Despite their name, rare earths aren’t all that rare…

And that’s precisely why you didn’t hear much about them until last year.

While these metals aren’t “rare” in the traditional sense of the word, they are concentrated in only a few locales around the globe.

It just so happens that 95% of these metals are currently mined in China.

That was fine — until China started using rare earths as a trade weapon last year by cutting export quotas and sending prices soaring higher.

That’s the moment the rest of the world began its infatuation with this group of metals.

And for good reason: Not only are they crucial for modern life, as I’ve mentioned, but they were also creating fortunes for companies with access to them outside of China.

Just one of the 17 elements, lanthanum, cost $5/kilogram at the beginning of 2010. It hit

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A new study by the Ober-Haus Baltic Apartment Price Index has suggested that the Estonian property market is performing notably well.  

The index found that properties in Tallinn were worth 11.1% more in September of this year compared to August.

The Eastern European country has also been named as one of the most vibrant property sectors on the planet by a leading global property report.

The Global House Price Index, from Knight Frank, stated that the Estonian property market saw 10.6% growth during the last year.

Record numbers of UK visitors were also recorded in the first quarter of this year, so what exactly is creating such a buzz in Estonia?

Flights to Tallinn are now available from 8 different locations within the UK and Ireland, including the recently added Easy jet service from Liverpool, meaning England alone offers 6 different departure locations.

With options increasing all the time, tourism is only set to increase throughout the next decade.

Over 259,000 visitors stayed in Estonian tourist accommodation in the first 3 months of this year. T

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Financial spread betting provider WorldSpreads has announced a number of important enhancements to its XEQT advanced trading platform.

In particular, the company has upgraded the look and functionality of the dealing ticket and trade blotter for an enriched user experience.

The dealing ticket now includes a deposit calculation displayed on the dealing ticket so that clients can be sure how much they need to be able to hold a position. The notional value of a spread bet is now also displayed on the dealing ticket.

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