Boris slams transactions tax as a threat to the City May 1, 2014 A NEW tax on financial transactions (FTT) will drive business out of London, Boris Johnson warned yesterday, as the European Court of Justice kicked out a British challenge to the tax. Countries like France and Germany want to tax each trade of shares issued in their countries, wherever in the world they are traded. Bonds and derivatives [...]
Is a foreign language worth the investment? May 1, 2014 English may be a lingua franca, but another tongue could boost your job prospects AN INCREASING number of foreign multinationals – from Airbus to Samsung – now mandate English as the common corporate language. In 2010, Japanese services firm Rakuten hit headlines when it announced it would become an English-only organisation. “English is the only [...]
Labour wants to introduce the one policy guaranteed to make the housing crisis worse April 30, 2014 The UK’s housing crisis is no secret, and political solutions are offered two a penny. Unfortunately, Ed Miliband’s plan to limit rents is perhaps the one thing that can be relied upon to make the situation worse for Britain’s renters. At the launch of Labour’s election campaign in Redbridge, Miliband is expected to say that [...]
Is a foreign language worth the investment? April 30, 2014 English may be a lingua franca, but another tongue could boost your job prospects AN INCREASING number of foreign multinationals – from Airbus to Samsung – now mandate English as the common corporate language. In 2010, Japanese services firm Rakuten hit headlines when it announced it would become an English-only organisation. “English is the only [...]
Spotlight on Financial Fair Play in Football: Is Uefa really about to allow financial fair play offenders off with fine? April 30, 2014 Frank Dalleres tries to answer the key questions around imminent decisions FINANCIAL Fair Play is a sham, right? Years of posturing by Uefa are set to amount to little more than a few fines for financial behemoths. That is the accusation being levelled at European football’s governing body, at any rate, as it prepares to [...]
Why it’s not too late to play the UK’s economic recovery April 29, 2014 But investors must be ultra-selective to see any long-term gains AFTER two scintillating years for British equities, which saw shares boom alongside a surprisingly strong economic recovery, many UK-focused stocks have come off the boil. The mid-cap FTSE 250 (whose constituents draw over half of their sales from Britain) is down almost 0.6 per cent [...]
Sterling’s enduring strength: Not the bad news some fear April 28, 2014 A strong pound brings opportunities for the discerning trader NEWS of a stronger pound is often accompanied by alarmist warnings over the consequences for the UK economy. Entrepreneur and economist John Mills has recently campaigned for a devaluation of sterling to boost British manufacturing competitiveness in the long term. And many fear that a stronger [...]
CNBC Comment: It’s vive la difference for European M&A April 28, 2014 CAN THERE be a clearer illustration of the difference between French and British attitudes to business than this week’s M&A headlines? Once again, the French have been accused of erecting the barricades to repel an Anglo-Saxon corporate takeover, while there is a deafening silence in Westminster about a jewel in British pharma potentially being gobbled [...]
DailyFX Tips & Picks: Why the Chinese yuan has been plummeting this year April 28, 2014 A NEW and exciting currency pair has entered the stage and, with it, a strong rally. The newly introduced USD/CNH is the offshore equivalent of the Chinese yuan and, since the start of 2014, it has rallied by 2,300 pips. A rally in this case means a depreciation of the Chinese yuan. At the beginning [...]
DailyFX Tips & Picks: Analyst’s pick April 28, 2014 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Stay short euro-Aussie, short euro-dollar Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few weeks Forex traders should rejoice at the end of April. It has been a month to forget: 10-day euro-dollar average trading range (ATR) is at [...]