WALL STREET WEEK AHEAD February 12, 2012 DESPITE a mediocre earnings season and signs of an overbought market, Wall Street bulls are likely to remain in control this week. So far in this earnings season, 352 companies in the S&P 500 have reported results, of which only 63 percent have beaten Wall Street estimates. This compares to a beat rate of about [...]
Up-market dating as a business opportunity February 12, 2012 FEES START FROM £8,000 (+VAT) – WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO PAY SO MUCH? People pay the fee as they want to meet someone on the same financial footing. The world has changed, for women especially. We marry later, have kids later and earn more. A woman’s shopping list for a man [...]
HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS WITH YOUR SPOUSE February 12, 2012 TO SOME, working with a spouse is a recipe for divorce. Thankfully, more than 20 years after buying a bankrupt business in Cornwall selling sheepskin boots, we’re still happily married – and Celtic Sheepskin is one of Britain’s largest sheepskin footwear and natural clothing companies. Here are some lessons we’ve learned about keeping both relationships [...]
Partnerships are all about finding the right person February 12, 2012 JUST a decade ago, the idea of going beyond family and friends to help find one’s significant other would be greeted by a mixture of confusion, curiosity and pity. However, times change and the plethora of introduction or dating agencies have expanded apace. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day – and of course entrepreneurs have stepped in [...]
Finance and marriage – should go together like a horse and carriage February 12, 2012 TAKING care to maximise income and capital gains tax allowances and reliefs may not seem like rocket science but over the years it can save a great deal of tax. In a world where “clever clever” tax mitigation is increasingly frowned upon there is a lot to be said for this low key approach. There [...]
Signs of a solution in Greece send the FTSE edging higher February 9, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index closed modestly higher yesterday, supported by oil and banking stocks after BG Group reported strong results and Greece moved closer to securing a bailout package that will avert a chaotic default. The FTSE 100 closed 19.54 points or 0.3 per cent higher at 5,895.47 after hitting a six-month intraday high of [...]
Modest gains for Wall Street stocks February 9, 2012 US stocks rose modestly for a third straight day yesterday after Greece reached a deal to secure a financial bailout, but investors were cautious after weeks of gains. Tech shares, led by Apple, gave a lift to the Nasdaq index and were the session’s strongest sector. Skepticism that Greece would follow through on promised austerity [...]
Investors waiting for Greece put the brakes on FTSE rally February 8, 2012 BRITAIN’S blue chips closed a touch lower yesterday as investors awaited more clarity on a Greek debt deal. Greek party leaders gathered to agree reforms needed to secure a new EU/IMF rescue package necessary to avoid a chaotic default that would aggravate Europe’s financial crisis. Rating agency Standard & Poor’s added pressure on negotiations between [...]
Delays in Eurozone keep markets flat February 8, 2012 US stocks closed flat in another thinly traded session yesterday as Greece remained in a standstill over accepting tough reforms in exchange for a bailout critical to avoiding a chaotic default. Underlying confidence kept the Dow near an almost four-year high notched on Tuesday, though trading has been quiet since last week’s stellar employment report. [...]
Ever-increasing regulation is boosting compliance careers February 8, 2012 ADL PARTNERS FIVE years ago I was working on a compliance mandate for an investment bank. As well as compliance professionals, the client was open to seeing individuals from other professions, in this case legal. Yet to retain the interest of lawyers and stop them from terminating the conversation it was imperative not to mention [...]