A Grexit scenario may be disastrous for Germany September 17, 2012 FX360 ACCORDING to a recent report, some economists predict that the likelihood of a Greek exit (Grexit) from the European Monetary Union (EMU) is between 50 and 75 per cent. Some even put the chances 90 per cent – an awfully high number. If Greece does leave the EMU, we should consider the potential unintended [...]
The Tipster | Imperially smoked September 17, 2012 AFTER a difficult period in early September, investors in Imperial Tobacco will be hoping that Thursday’s update will give the company momentum. Share prices sit in the middle of its 52-week range, after being hit by Russia’s ban on smoking in public. But continued growth in emerging markets should give investors something to cheer about. [...]
Eastern dragon threatens to bite September 17, 2012 IF YOU think that the world’s financial ills have all been resolved, think again. Lingering geopolitical tensions in the east have the potential to shake markets, and could sting traders if they are not positioned appropriately. THE DRAGON ROARS Today marks the anniversary of the invasion of Manchuria, when Japanese forces invaded a northern region [...]
Analyst picks for 18 September 2012 September 17, 2012 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Long Aussie dollar-dollar Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week The Aussie dollar-dollar failed to break out on Friday, with an inverse hammer pattern forming on the daily chart at the descending trend line. Given the Fed’s dollar debasement programme, we [...]
Public finances put chancellor in the spotlight September 16, 2012 CHANCELLOR George Osborne will be under the spotlight again this week, with the release of the UK’s public finance figures for August. Last month’s shock news – that the deficit grew by £600m rather than falling by £2.8bn in July – means Friday’s figures will give an even clearer indication of whether the government can [...]
Euphoria of Federal Reserve boost waning as market fatigue creeps in September 16, 2012 COMPARING the Federal Reserve to a rehab clinic offering addicted investors a synthetic high has been a favourite of Wall Street wags ever since the first round of Fed stimulus nearly four years ago. The punch line is that you always need more and more to get the same high and each bout of euphoria [...]
Simple tax planning helps to reduce costs September 16, 2012 But a new EU directive will hike price of life assurance for women I MET a new professional client recently who has just taken out £300,000 of life insurance online. She is married and both she and her husband have made wills, but their combined estates are over the inheritance tax (IHT) threshold. Therefore, on [...]
Investors need to actively manage their Sipp funds September 16, 2012 SELF invested personal pensions (Sipps) are an increasingly popular kind of tax-efficient pension scheme. But like all investments, they are not suitable for everyone. Sipps allow better control over what your money is invested in and investors benefit from increased transparency. Compare this to stakeholder pensions, for example, where you have no control over how [...]
How computer science will rescue fashionistas September 16, 2012 WHAT PROBLEM DOES YOUR BUSINESS SOLVE? Due to the boom in online shopping that’s taken place over the last five years, the internet is swarming with items of clothing for us to buy. If you’re trying to find something similar to an item that you’ve seen in a magazine, or on the catwalk, it can [...]
Reinventing the wheelchair: Sometimes it pays to take the cash September 16, 2012 I’VE been doing this for four years. I’ve put a huge amount of money, my money, my wife’s money, which is our future, on the line. I can’t make a mistake now. I don’t want to be the founder that ended up with the tiny little minority share of the thing he started, while other [...]