Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 9, 2016 South Korea has unexpectedly cut its interest rates, while New Zealand's central bank remains on hold. In China consumer prices rose less than expected, muting economist hopes that the economy is stabilising earlier in the week. Here's what you need to know before the US markets open at 2:30pm London time. US futures are pointing downwards. The S&P is [...]
Classic cars are becoming one of the UK’s best investments – but which ones should you be buying? June 9, 2016 With equities currently more volatile than Sarah Wollaston's views on the EU, and gold all over the place, it's no wonder an increasing number of people is turning to classic cars as an investment. New research suggests one in five people are now considering splashing out on a vintage set of wheels. And British marques [...]
Why an England Euro 2016 defeat will wipe billions off stock markets June 9, 2016 After a disappointing 2014 World Cup, the nation is eagerly awaiting the start of Euro 2016. With a 100 per cent record in the qualifiers, and currently priced at 8/1 fourth favourites, England are quietly confident that they can at least emulate their semi-final appearance 20 years ago. But it shouldn’t only be football fanatics [...]
Survival of the fittest: Why clever collaboration with other parts of the market will change the game for platforms and investors June 9, 2016 Demand in the crowdfunding sector has grown on a huge scale in recent years. Total transaction volumes increased by 85 times between 2012 and 2015, from £3.9m to £332m, according to Nesta. But the industry still has a long way to go. How platforms have developed in recent years, in line with increasing demand and [...]
Why growing businesses should have a lead investor when crowdfunding June 9, 2016 As the alternative finance market matures, I am seeing more and more businesses that have raised capital through crowdfunding platforms struggling to fill their funding requirements in follow-on rounds. In the main, these are businesses that are starting to see market traction and are looking to raise capital to help them to scale up. So why [...]
How should you choose your investing partner? June 9, 2016 As every entrepreneur knows, the key to building a successful business is building a great team. And just as important as building a management team is attracting the right “team” of investors. You can and will change management along the way. You probably won’t change investors. Most growth stage companies have multiple investors, joining at [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 makes it four positive days on the bounce as commodity prices climb June 8, 2016 A rebound in commodity prices gave a boost to the resources and energy heavy FTSE 100 today, moving it ahead of European markets. The index rose by 16.99 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 6,285.21 points, making today its fourth positive session on the bounce. Oil prices continued their recent rally, climbing to their highest price in around eight months. [...]
Ready, set, go: Pension scheme investors need to be ready to react quickly in run up to EU referendum June 8, 2016 Pension scheme trustees should pour their coffee is extra strong over the next few weeks, as research out today has found they'll need to be quick to react in the run up to the EU referendum. Investment consultants LCP warned that, thanks to the level of uncertainty caused by the upcoming vote, pension trustees will have to [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 8, 2016 Mixed data out of China is giving economists and experts hope the country is headed for a soft landing, while Hillary Clinton has given her first speech as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Here's what you need to know before the US open at 14:30 London time. US stock futures are looking up ahead of the open. The [...]
Recently listed CMC Markets lures in the traders to boost its profits; as chief executive Cruddas waves away Brexit “scare mongering” June 8, 2016 Recently listed CMC Markets proved it was quite a catch for traders in its results for its year ended in March, with trading activity significantly increasing. The figures The derivatives dealer revealed that its profit before tax had grown to £53.4m, up 23 per cent on the prior year's £43.5m. Meanwhile, net operating profit increased [...]