The CFA: A qualification defined by ethics May 28, 2012 FOR investment professionals with an eye to further their careers, the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification provides a broad-based foundation. Described by the CFA Institute as “a globally recognised, graduate-level investment credential,” the course takes place on three levels, built around the idea that all should be educated in a rigorous corpus of shared knowledge. [...]
Three graduates share their experiences May 28, 2012 MARK TAPLEY An investment veteran recalls his CFA journey I FINISHED my MBA at the London Business School in 1974 and joined JP Morgan in New York. As a trainee, one of the first things the firm did was to slap a CFA application form on my desk. There was, of course, overlap between my [...]
WALL ST WEEK AHEAD May 27, 2012 INVESTORS will grapple this week with major US economic reports and the looming possibility of a Greek exit from the Eurozone, which is likely to keep dragging on equities for weeks to come. As contingency plans are made for Greece’s possible departure from the Eurozone, investors may not get a clear picture until Greece holds [...]
LONDON REPORT May 27, 2012 AS DELIBERATIONS over the Eurozone’s future rumble on this week, weighing on global markets, a raft of retail firms are due to report on how the British high street has treated them in recent months. The FTSE 100 rose 1.5 per cent last week, but is still down two per cent down since the start [...]
Sheffield in September is the place to get Made May 27, 2012 IN LONDON alone there are more events to guide and inspire entrepreneurship than any entrepreneur would, or could, dare to attend. That’s why it’s important to discriminate. One event not to miss is the Made festival. On Friday, deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg officially launched Made, which will take place in Sheffield from 19 to [...]
A top idea and good execution are vital but you also need luck May 27, 2012 FORMER Prime Minister Gordon Brown looked determined when he said to me, “We’ve got to get more small businesses started”. My response astonished him: “As you know Gordon, nearly nine new businesses fail for every one that succeeds. I’m worried that we will just add to the nine, not to the one”. “Oh yes, of [...]
Two wrongs don’t make good policy May 27, 2012 GOVERNMENTS like picking winners. The trouble is, they aren’t very good at it. But it’s much easier to put others’ hard-earned cash on the line than your own. And this government has been at it again. Last week, Vince Cable launched GrowthAccelerator, a new £200m three year programme to try to “help up to 26,000 [...]
How to get cheaper car insurance May 27, 2012 KNOWLEDGE is power. And the first thing to know about car insurance is that getting it is a negotiation. In any negotiation, access to information is rarely symmetrical. Those with greater knowledge have more power and in this instance it’s impossible to know more than each firm. This is why you need to shop around. [...]
FTSE enjoys some breathing space as bargain-hunters prompt gains May 24, 2012 BRITAIN’S benchmark share index recovered yesterday from stinging losses during the previous session as bargain hunters snapped up beaten-down financial and commodities stocks, although traders said any rally could prove short-lived. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up 83.64 points, or 1.6 per cent, to 5,350.05 points. It fell 2.5 per cent on Wednesday to [...]
Wall St edges higher in last minute swing May 24, 2012 US stocks ended slightly higher in a third session marked by late day swings yesterday, but the Nasdaq fell after NetApp gave a weak revenue forecast, casting doubt on the outlook for tech spending. Major indexes were lower for much of the session, as investors found little reason to buy following three days of gains. [...]