Incentives matter: Motivating staff is a necessity not a luxury September 2, 2012 THE villa, or riad, that I rented with friends and family in Morocco was luxurious and expensive. Beautifully decorated with a lovely garden. It came with staff, including a young guy, Yassim, whose job was to take care of our needs. It was a perfect holiday – except for him. Eventually I decided we needed [...]
FTSE edges lower with investors still cautious ahead of key EU meetings August 30, 2012 FRESH concerns over demand from China weighed on mining stocks and dragged Britain’s top share index lower yesterday, with investors bracing for a series of meetings that could pave the way for further central bank stimulus. The FTSE 100 closed down 24.08 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 5,719.45, in volumes just 58 per cent [...]
Wall St treads water ahead of Jackson Hole August 30, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday after several days of muted trading as investors took a defensive posture before Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s much-awaited speech today. Bernanke, due to speak to central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at 1400 GMT today, is expected to keep markets guessing about the timing of another round of bond purchases. [...]
Miners weighed down by copper price slip as quiet FTSE ends lower August 29, 2012 BRITAIN’S blue chip shares fell yesterday in very light trade as uncertainty over the outlook for the global economy and the next moves by central banks prompted many investors to stick to the sidelines. Miners were the standout fallers, off 2.2 per cent, weighed down by a drop in the copper price. Global growth worries [...]
Light trading in US ahead of Jackson Hole August 29, 2012 US stocks edged higher yesterday in the lightest trading of the year as investors waited for a key speech by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday. Daily volume this week has been very low, even for a seasonally slow period, with the market recording three of the four lowest volume full sessions of 2012. [...]
FTSE flat as gloomy forecasts from Japan highlight worldwide slump August 28, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index ended flat yesterday, with the market stagnating as expectations for economic stimulus measures were countered by concerns over global growth, which was reinforced by gloomy forecasts from Japan. The government in Tokyo cut its economic assessment yesterday, citing the impact of a slowdown in the United States and China on top [...]
Trading light in US as investors wait on the Fed August 28, 2012 US stocks ended little changed in another day of scarce activity yesterday after mixed economic data gave investors little reason to shift their focus from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s speech on Friday. The Fed chief is scheduled to address a conference of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and could announce new measures to [...]
Aquantum launches its own fund management business August 27, 2012 AQUANTUM Group, a quantitative index provider led by a group of former scientists, yesterday announced plans to roll out its own fund management business. The firm, which has a UK office in Oxford in addition to bases in Munich, New York and Luxembourg, will start offering managed futures funds for high net worth individuals and [...]
London report August 27, 2012 MARKET watchers will be looking to tomorrow’s Nationwide house prices report and mortgage approvals on Thursday to gauge whether the UK’s economy is pulling out of its double dip. Recent data put the number of mortgage approvals at a 15-year low and last month house prices had fallen by 0.7 per cent and 2.6 per [...]
Apple on a high after court win August 27, 2012 US stocks were barely changed in light volume yesterday as investors waited for signs from central banks about stimulating the weak economy, though Apple’s shares hit a record high after a major court victory. Apple rose two per cent to $676.56 after the iPad maker won a $1bn judgment in a patent lawsuit against Samsung [...]