Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 2, 2016 The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) are both in Vienna today to decide on their respective policies and could add an extra kick of volatility to global markets. Here's what you need to know before the market open at 14:30 London time. US futures are struggling ahead of the opening bell. [...]
Robo-advice can democratise finance by making investing easy and convenient June 2, 2016 The robots are here! But not in the Terminator sense. Think, rather, of Asimov’s creations. Or, for the less nerdy, Rosie from The Jetsons: benevolent machines, doing our hard work but better, faster and more reliably. Across almost all sectors, automation and digitisation are transforming daily lives. The world of investment is no exception. Robo-investing [...]
You’ll probably live far longer than you think – and the implications are huge June 2, 2016 What is the most important number you can think of? Your bank balance? Your mortgage? US GDP or the FTSE 100? All of these are important but the one number you should be very focused on is a guess of your own life expectancy. Get that wrong and the chances are you will get a [...]
Crowdfunding: Why private equity opportunities are ever closer for investors June 2, 2016 Small business investment has gone mainstream – or has it? While individual private investors looking to back early-stage businesses are spoilt for choice as crowdfunding gathers pace, opportunities for them to provide private equity backing to more established SMEs remain scarce. Investing in such businesses is often more complex, but usually offers a better risk/return [...]
New regulation might be seriously ill-conceived, but there is still hope for equity crowdfunding in the US June 2, 2016 Ordinary American investors finally got permission to invest in startups and other private businesses last month. Equity crowdfunding, as this form of investment has come to be known, has been a reality in Britain for almost four years. Seedrs, the London-based platform I co-founded, became the first regulated equity crowdfunding platform in 2012. Since then, [...]
Defined benefit pension scheme deficits break £300bn mark, as uncertainty surrounding a potential Brexit grows June 1, 2016 The level of funding across defined benefit (DB) schemes has worsened over the last year, figures out today show. According to the analysis by JLT Employee Benefits, the total deficit across all private sector DB schemes has increased to £310bn at end of last month, up from £255bn the same time the year before. "Pension [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 1, 2016 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has warned that Brexit would play havoc with the global economy and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the country will get fresh new stimulus in the Autumn. Here's what you need to know before the market open at 14:30 London time. US indices are pointing the wrong way in the pre-market. [...]
Should you invest in crowdfunding? June 1, 2016 From craft beer to knitting and films, crowdfunding allows you to invest in the things which matter to you. It’s grown massively in the last five years and revolutionised the possibilities for start-up businesses. Rather than rely on friends for their generosity, or wait months for a bank to say no to a loan, entrepreneurs have [...]
Carl Icahn buys into Botox with Allergan stake, pushing up the share price as investors rush in after him May 31, 2016 Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has said he's picked up a "large position" in Botox-maker Allergan, though would not disclose the size of the stake. Icahn praised chief executive Brent Saunders, saying he is very supportive of Saunder's strategy, and confident he would enhance value to shareholders. News of Icahn's purchase pushed shares in Allergan up by 2.6 per cent [...]
Five things I learned (and relearned) in my first year as a VC May 31, 2016 1. Time is a brutal taskmaster You want to give everybody a fair crack of the whip but in truth you have to filter fast. The elevator pitch really does matter. If you, as a founder, can't communicate the essence of your proposition and your own skills quickly you won't cut through the noise. This filtering [...]