Don’t make a kangaroo’s dinner out of a business investment August 5, 2012 I WAS shocked when a good friend in Australia mentioned he’d invested $100,000 into a new business, planning to export kangaroo meat. It was a lot of money for him, and he came to me a little concerned that things weren’t right. He only shrugged when I asked “mate, you know I’ve been doing a [...]
Big business could be more engaged August 5, 2012 BARCLAYS and Vodafone have recently announced investments in London’s Tech City. No doubt some good will come out of this, but if collaborations between big businesses and start-ups are going to make a real difference, leaders of companies should look across the pond to Silicon Valley for best practice. In the Valley, the culture of [...]
FTSE retreats from 3-month high as ECB’s failure to act disappoints August 2, 2012 BRITAIN’S leading FTSE share index fell yesterday, retreating from a three-month high after the European Central Bank (ECB) failed to deliver widely expected stimulus measures to help tackle the Eurozone debt crisis. ECB president Mario Draghi said the bank would draw up a mechanism in coming weeks to make outright debt purchases to stabilise peripheral [...]
Shares drop for fourth straight day on Wall St August 2, 2012 US stocks fell for a fourth day yesterday after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi disappointed investors hoping for immediate action to contain the Eurozone debt crisis. One of Wall Street’s top market makers, Knight Capital Group, was fighting for its survival after a trading glitch that roiled markets on Wednesday wiped out $440m the [...]
US stocks slip on Fed inaction August 1, 2012 US stocks slipped yesterday on disappointment that the Federal Reserve offered no new measures to stimulate the economy and after a computer glitch at a brokerage triggered a spike in volatility shortly after the open. The market will now turn its focus to today’s highly anticipated European Central Bank amid expectations that the ECB could [...]
FTSE lifted by strong results August 1, 2012 BRITAIN’S benchmark share index rose yesterday following strong numbers from retailer Next and other blue-chip companies, although many investors held off trading ahead of key US and European central bank policy meetings. The blue-chip FTSE 100 ended up 77.54 points, or 1.4 per cent higher, at 5,712.82 points – its highest closing level in nearly [...]
US stocks take a breath ahead of Fed meeting July 31, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday with traders’ sights set again on today’s Federal Reserve statement on the economy and a possible new round of stimulus. The Nasdaq, which underperformed on Monday, was the smallest decliner among the three major US stock indexes in yesterday’s session, thanks in part to Apple shares’ gain of 2.6 per cent [...]
Disheartening words from Europe send FTSE 100 deeper into the red July 31, 2012 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 fell yesterday, extending earlier losses, weighed by worries the European Central Bank may not deliver enough stimulus this week to tackle a global economic slowdown, as comments by German policymakers further dented expectations. At the close, the FTSE 100 was down 45.97 points, or 0.8 per cent, at 5,647.66, also weighed by [...]
FTSE underpinned by hope for ECB stimulus July 30, 2012 STRENGTH in risk-sensitive energy, miners and banking stocks propelled Britain’s top share index back up to touch the 5,700 level yesterday, fuelled by hopes central banks could launch fresh measures this week to stem the global economic slowdown. Recent comments from European policymakers vowing to take all steps to tackle the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, [...]
US stocks finish flat as investors await data July 30, 2012 US stocks finished mostly flat yesterday as investors paused following the best two-day run this year, with central bank meetings and a full load of US economic data looming. Traders have bet that the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank will suggest further action to stimulate their economies is on the way when each [...]