Thanks Beany and everyone that has contributed worthwhile content to the morning thread. Unfortunately there is one particular individual that imo should be banned from the day trading forum, but that is only my opinion.
.............
The local sharemarket is posting a slow start to the new trading year, having been closed for the New Year holiday on Thursday.
The S&P/ASX 200 index was up 3.3 points at 5414.3 by midday Friday, having slipped as much as 21.6 points, or 0.4 per cent, at the open.
It's been a rollercoaster year for global financial markets, with the collapse in energy prices and a jittery world economy.
China and the United States headed the list of 2014 top-performing equity markets among larger economies, while crude oil prices closed in the red on New Year to cap a massive yearly slump.
The US dollar on Wednesday added slightly to gains, making it the star major currency.
On Wall Street, stocks fell on Wednesday but the S&P 500 ended the year near its record high. The index hit records in more than 50 sessions throughout the year.
"Markets put in a solid year in spite of significant headwinds that could have easily derailed a multi-year bull market," said Peter Kenny, chief market strategist at Clearpool Group in New York. "The most the bears got out of this year was a 10 per cent correction on an intraday basis, and the markets stubbornly moved higher, and for good foundational reasons."
Iron ore was up 0.15 per cent at $US71.26 a tonne, according to Metal Bulletin.
Brent settled down 57¢ at $US57.33 a barrel on Wednesday in New York, bouncing off an intra-day low of $US55.81 but closing below $US60 for a fourth straight day. US crude fell 85 cents to settle at $US53.27 a barrel, down 45 per cent from a year ago – its second-largest annual decline on record.
Gold futures for February delivery fell 1.4 per cent to $US1184.10 an ounce. Bullion lost 1.5 per cent for 2014, compared with an average annual move of 12 per cent in the past 14 years. It slid two years in a row for the first time since 1998.
Copper prices ended 2014 with a loss of 14 per cent, their biggest annual decline in three years. Year-end adjustments to market positions helped copper bounce off 4-1/2-year lows of $US6230 a tonne earlier this week, but it resumed its decline on Wednesday in London, ending down 0.41 per cent on the day at $US6299 a tonne.
