Today, world stock markets have crumbled under the relentless barrage of bad news. Investors are flocking to
safe havens with the yield on 10 year Treasury bonds sinking to 2.7% and gold pushing up 3% to $370. The Dow Jones Industrial average is just over 0.5% from revisiting the November lows. Despite the dramatic collapse in the banking sector, the FTSE has held up relatively well over the same period, holding around 6% above those lows.
There’s very little for the bulls to hang their hat on at the moment, everywhere you look, the risks seem to outweigh the rewards of investing in the stock market. Banks are again leading the fallers today with Lloyds and HSBC being singled out for punishment. HSBC is down 7% on speculation that it may have to raise more than $15bn to cover write downs and exposure to Eastern Europe.  Oil majors, BP and Shell are also under pressure with oil prices touching $35 dollars once again.

In the US, automakers GM and Chryslers still battling to avoid oblivion. The US automaker industry is hanging by a thread. Further support is required to turn the sector round, but this is far from being a dead cert. Legacy costs from benefit support are now crippling the likes of GM. It is ironic that the great US economy is in danger of losing a key industry in part due to lavish benefits negotiated for union workers.
 
 It is also worth noting that like many firms across the world that have gone to the wall, like Woolworths in the UK, US automakers were in trouble before the crisis broke. This global recession, like all recessions is exposing the weak businesses what they really are. It remains to be seen if the remaining companies have enough strength to carry the world economy through the crisis.  

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The FTSE is currently indicating a weaker opening, after the rightmove house index showed a 9.1% drop in year over year in home prices. While Monday is expected to be a quiet day, with North America on holiday, Tuesday promises to be a day full of volatility. Between the CPI and retail sales data, we should get a good picture at how the British economy is doing.

Crude oil is trading near the $38 a barrel on speculation that the recession in the world's largest economies will slash demand for fuel and energy. Reports today showed that Japan??s economy, the world's largest oil consumer after the U.S. and China, shrunk at the fastest pace since 1974. Oil prices are likely to trade below the 40 dollars per barrel level until the inventory report later this week.

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World stock markets are mixed, with the FTSE 100 nudging ahead on a day of tepid trading. The better than expected figures from Barclays has certainly given UK equities on boost, but it is not enough to make the UK’s benchmark index of 100 stocks push through Friday’s trading range.  
 
 Barclay’s figures have been well received, but their share price still has a long way to go if it can be deemed to have turned the corner. Last February, Barclay’s shares hit £5.24, even with today’s 12% rise they are still more than £4.00 below this level. The so called independence premium could start to play out in the second half of the year, especially if Barclays start to pay a dividend once again. However, for now, investors are understandably hesitant to take anyone’s word on this.
 
 Wider equities are range bound as the benchmark US indices retreat on the news that the Obama bailout plan won’t be announced until tomorrow. Markets more than anything hate indecision and until a resolution looks likely, or at lease strong rumours of a resolution circulate, equities will trade in a tight range until tomorrow afternoon.   

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It was a better week for world stock markets last week, with all the major indices pushing further off the January lows.

Despite Friday’s US payrolls falling by a more than expected 598,000, stock markets powered higher. This was an extremely weak employment report, with 3.5 million fewer Americans employed In January than a year earlier. However, the world’s biggest economy isn’t willing to roll over and die just yet. The rate of decline is accelerating, but US unemployment is still below the peaks of the 1980s and 1970s. Stock markets moved higher on the hope that Friday’s dire figures will act as a catalyst for the massive Obama stimulus package. In the UK, banks pushed higher as speculation mounts that the bad bank plan is back on the cards. RBS is rumoured to be the first test of this model with other banks applying this template if successful. Judging by the rally in financial shares last week, traders are keen on this plan to come to fruition.

Commodities continued to drift lower, with oil falling through support at $40. Oil producers shrugged off the news to finish up on the week. However, lower energy prices cannot be shrugged off by all of those with a stake in the commodity. The Russian government had its credit rating downgraded due to fears over the impact of the collapse in oil prices.  The rouble continued its free fall.

Last week, the Bank of England cut rates to 1% as widely expected, and at the same time, the ECB signalled that it may cut rates in March. Despite the cut, it was a good week for Sterling, especially against the euro, as traders adjust their positions in light of the strong rate cut hint from Trichet.
 
There was some positive news from the Halifax housing report which showed that UK house prices rose last month. However, it is hard to read too much into this rise as the data conflicts with the previously released Nationwide report, and month to month figures are often subject to wide variance. Next week’s highlights include a number of speeches from prominent central bankers including Treasury secretary Geithner, and FOMC chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday. On Wednesday Governor King speaks at the release of the BOE inflation report. ECB president, Trichet is due to speak on Thursday. Aside from this, we also have US retail sales and unemployment claims on Thursday.  When stock markets go up on bad news as they did last week, it is often a good sign that investors have re-discovered their appetite for risk taking.
 
Even BP and Shell were moving higher on Friday, despite oil prices dipping below $40 a barrel. The bears have been handed plenty of opportunities to take control, but so far today, the bulls have won out. That is arguably a very encouraging indication that 2009 won"t end the year as it started.  

A Bull bet predicting that the Dow Jones (Wall Street) will be higher than 8500 in 11 days could return 135% at BetOnMarkets.

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Markets are roaring higher this afternoon on better than expected economic data from the US. Today’s better than expected ADP jobs report augurs well for Friday’s all important Non Farm Payroll data. Markets are also encouraged by the noises coming from the Obama administration on the use of tax breaks to stimulate the troubled car market.
 
 In the UK, banks are pushing higher as speculation mounts that the bad bank plan is back on the cards. RBS is rumoured to be the first test of this model with other banks applying this template if successful. Judging by the rally in financial shares today, traders are keen on this plan to come to fruition.
 
 Commodities are firmer, with oil finding support above $40. This is welcome news for oil producers such as BP and Shell which have rallied well from the lows of yesterday. It is even better news for the Russian government which had its credit rating downgraded today due to fears over the impact of the collapse in oil prices.  

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