The big bad business of exploiting eager interns for free labour January 27, 2013 THE disillusioned young worker struggles out of bed at dawn and heads off to a menial and mindless job, offering only pitiful pay, poor treatment, and long hours. Happens in Asia, right? Africa? Well it happens here too. I met two people recently with worrying stories. Betti was excited about the world. She had just [...]
Credit ratings may require revision January 27, 2013 THE debate about business financing has reached an unpleasant standstill. Depending on who you listen to, banks are either refusing to lend, firms are too scared to borrow, or a hodge-podge of other factors is making one or the other do both or neither. It’s a mess. What’s lost is an idea of the mechanics [...]
New Year rally continues as FTSE surges again and short sellers exit January 24, 2013 BRITAIN’S top share index rallied on yesterday, outperforming its global peers and extending its best start to the year since 1989, boosted by strong global economic data and deal chatter for heavyweight Vodafone. The FTSE 100 surged 62.27 points, or 1.1 per cent, to 6,264.91 points, a level not seen since May 2008, taking its [...]
Wall St inches higher despite Apple’s plunge January 24, 2013 THE smallest of gains gave the Standard & Poor’s 500 its seventh straight winning day yesterday, but the index failed to hold above the 1,500 line, restrained by Apple’s worst day in more than four years. Apple slid 12.4 per cent to $450.50 a day after it posted revenue that missed Wall Street’s forecast as [...]
Unilever and Tullow Oil help drive FTSE briefly over key 6,200 level January 23, 2013 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 share index hit the 6,200 level for the first time since May 2008 yesterday after Unilever got the UK earnings season off to an encouraging start, sending its stock to a record high. Shares of the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company rose 3.1 per cent to top 2,500p for the first time ever [...]
US rises again as Google and IBM lift mood January 23, 2013 THE S&P 500 rose for a sixth day yesterday after stronger-than-expected profits from IBM and Google but the rally could be halted as Apple’s after-hours miss send its shares lower. The S&P was just 4.7 per cent from its all-time closing high as IBM’s and Google’s earnings, released after Tuesday’s close, followed on the heels [...]
CFA charter has won converts beyond investment analysis January 23, 2013 THE Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter is widely considered to be the professional credential of choice for the investment industry. Its course is designed to provide the full breadth of knowledge necessary to understand all the major investment products, alongside instruction in financial reporting, corporate governance and economics. All this is underpinned by a grounding [...]
Why the investment credential is moving fast to stay relevant January 23, 2013 THE Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) programme aims to produce individuals with a good understanding of the key techniques, major asset classes, and ethical and professional standards most needed in today’s investment industry. The course is made up of three progressive levels of study. Level I focuses primarily on testing investment tools, Level II on asset [...]
FTSE hits the brakes on 2013 rally as banks and miners lose ground January 22, 2013 BRITAIN’S leading share index eased a touch yesterday, stalling after a recent push up to its highest level in four-and-a-half years, weighed by falls in financials and mining stocks. Banks were the biggest sector fallers, knocking over four points off the FTSE 100, with traders citing profit-taking after recent gains, and caution over a report [...]
S&P 500 hits fresh five year closing high January 22, 2013 US bank and commodity shares led the Standard & Poor’s 500 to a fresh five-year closing high yesterday on hopes that the global economy continues to mend. The Dow Jones industrial average also ended at a five-year high. The market also gained on signals that Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives aim today [...]