This marks my fifth anniversary of creating The Traders Thread. The time has flown by.

The bare fact is that the FTSE is now pretty much where it was five years ago, although there has been a lot of excitement in between.



Thank you all for making my tenure here such an enjoyable experience.

Make good fortune follow you all.

Alan

Happy Anniversary Alan and thanks for all your efforts!

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Nikkei was down 10.55 points at 10,346.28, while the Hang
Seng ended the morning up 128.26 points at 20,701.59.

Crude oil was trading at $70.13 on Nymex.

Happy August!

G.

Morning all. Thanks for all your efforts with the Traders' Thread during the last five years Alan. Friday's market reports:

Telegraph
The Times
The Times (Need to know)
FT
The Guardian
The Independent
This is Money

Saturday

The US is on the brink of emerging from its 18-month-long recession according to the International Monetary Fund, as official figures showed the American economy contracted by just 1pc in the second quarter of the year.
US slump is almost over, IMF predicts

Gold rallied to session highs above $940 an ounce on Friday, recovering earlier losses, as the dollar slipped against a basket of six major currencies in the wake of second-quarter GDP data from the United States.
Gold rallies after US GDP hits dollar

Crude oil refining margins have been trying to warn the world about weak US demand for months now. This weeks oil major results may finally spread the realisation that not all is well in industrial demand for energy into the wider public consciousness.
Refining, the weakest link in the recovery

Unemployment in Japan has risen to its highest level for six years, sparking fears that the country's recovery is being hampered by deflation and weak demand at home.
Japan: Unemployment hits six-year high

Sunday

President Barack Obama has given warning that the US economy will not recover for "many more months" and said the recession was worse than anyone had thought.
Obama warns recession is far from over

The Bank of Englands monetary policy committee (MPC), which meets this week, is under pressure from economists and business to extend its policy of quantitative easing, or creating money.
Bank of England urged to extend quantitative easing

High Street banks are this week forecast to write off a combined 32bn as the recession bites, exacerbating the difficulties facing businesses and households in making loan repayments on time.
High street banks set to write off further 32bn

Monday

The recent stock market rally could continue this week, as traders increase their bullish positions in a wide range of asset classes.
Traders bet on continuing stock market rally

Gilt markets are nervously awaiting this week's Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee meeting to see whether policymakers inject another 25bn into the economy.
Jitters as limit on quantitative easing looms

Beijing is in the middle of negotiations with mining companies including Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Vale of Brazil to set a single price for iron ore, the key raw material for steel making. However, a large number of the country's steel makers have defied the Communist Party's line and started to buy iron ore on the spot market, driving prices up 64pc in the past three months to over $100 (60) a tonne.
China struggles with steel rebellion

China is rapidly accelerating its efforts to internationalise its currency with a series of manoeuvres that could see the renminbi soar to become one of the top three traded monetary units in the world.
China moves to internationalise its currency

Opposition was growing on Sunday to radical proposals from Lord Myners, City minister, for a two-tier shareholder register that would see greater voting rights given to longstanding institutional investors. He told the BBC that short-term investors should have reduced rights as owners, arguing that companies are too important for big investors to trade in and out.
UK opposition grows to two-tier share plan

NIKKEI 225	AUSTRALIA ASX200	SHANGHAI	HANG SENG

KOSPI	VIX	GOLD	NYMEX CRUDE

AZN UBS: reiterated buy, tp raised to 3500 from 3350
CKSN Deutsche: upgraded to buy from hold
MRW Goldman: tp raised to 337 from 275
PFC UBS: upgraded to buy from neutral
REL ING: reiterated buy, tp cut to 475 from 590
RNK Goldman: upgraded to buy from neutral
SBRY Goldman: tp raised to 367 from 272
TPT HSBC: upgraded to overweight from neutral
TSCO Goldman: tp raised to 440 from 344

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And thank you too Kyoto for all your invaluable input.

Great thread it's the first one i read ,thanks for all the work you put in.

Hello Kyoto

I asked you before, whether it would be possible for you to also include the Mumbai Sensex chart with the others every morning. Perhaps you did not see the message.

Greystone: Happy 5th anniversary. A 5th wedding anniversary is called a 'Wooden' anniversary. I think your 5th on this thread is definitely more than wooden!

Midday Market Overview

Thanks guys..... It is always nice to know someone is out there reading this. :)

Much appreciated!

End-of-day Market Overview

Thanks kimoldfield.

Midknight - sorry for my late reply - don't recall seeing that message so apologies if I missed it - not well at the moment so head in a bit of a haze and can't recall - but will look into whether that's possible.

edit: actually I've not been well a lot this year so if I've missed messages from anyone on the daily traders' thread I'm sorry - not being deliberately ignorant.

As jimmy b said, this is the first thread I read each morning, so your efforts are very much appreciated.

Thank you........