THE TIPSTER BELLWAY HOPING TO CHIME IN PROFITS February 6, 2012 INVESTORS in housing firm Bellway will be hoping that the company won’t be dropping any clangers tomorrow when it releases its latest trading update, but instead will be looking for signs that the future is still relatively appealing. The last update back in December 2011 was positively ringing with optimism, with the company noting that [...]
China’s fate tangled with Eurozone February 6, 2012 AS CHINA’S economic power grows, its authorities are increasingly willing to punch their weight on the international stage. The decision to direct Chinese airlines to ignore the European Union’s carbon-emissions system is a slap in the face. But can China really afford to be sanguine? The latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests [...]
Analyst picks for 7 February 2012 February 6, 2012 STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short S&P 500, long euro-Swissie, long dollar-yen Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week The prevailing risk appetite run that has guided the markets since the beginning of the year ended last week with another thrust. There are a [...]
WALL STREET WEEK AHEAD February 5, 2012 EUROPE will again be at the centre of investors’ focus this week as the US earnings season passes the halfway mark and there is little on the economic calendar to give the market direction. Economic data expected this week includes weekly initial jobless claims, the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index and international trade [...]
The five most useful things to know about Junior Isas February 5, 2012 JUNIOR Isas were launched in November 2011. Any child born before September 2002, who does not already have a Child Trust Fund (CTF), can be signed up, as well as all children born after 3 January 2011. The Junior Isa scheme supplants the CTF (though the government does not contribute to the new scheme), and [...]
NEWS IN BRIEF February 5, 2012 TAXED ON TIME According to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), this year saw a record 9.45m self assessment tax returns filed on time, with a record 7.65m filed online. This means that 90.4 per cent of taxpayers met the deadline – an increase of 4 per cent on last year and the highest on-time filing [...]
From the UK to Silicon Valley and back again February 5, 2012 GLOBALISATION throws up some interesting associations. The western world’s need to stay awake supports the coffee industries of Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa; the desires of Japanese, Indians and Chinese consumers to imbibe is helping the UK’s Scotch whisky industry flourish. No less interesting is the case of WANdisco – a tech company that [...]
LOOK BEYOND THE UK TO CASH IN ON GROWTH February 5, 2012 THE UK is full of chief executives facing the harsh reality of uncertain home markets for years to come. So, with forecast sales flatlining – what is an entrepreneur to do? Successful companies are finding new customers and markets beyond our shores. In our recent global survey of over 400 companies, India (34 per cent) [...]
Money and brains inspire business beyond borders February 5, 2012 TRADE across borders – natural and man-made – binds humanity together: “When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will”, surmised the French economist Frédéric Bastiat. Trade enriches us, both in our standard of living and in the variety of our cultural experiences. And it makes others better off too, as if lead by an invisible [...]
FTSE sees boost from M&A muted by outlook warnings February 2, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index paused yesterday after recent sharp gains with a rally in miners on the prospects of a big sector merger counterbalanced by warnings from bluechips of a tough year ahead. The FTSE 100 finished 0.1 per cent, or 5.35 points, higher at 5,796.07, retreating from a six-month intra-day high of 5,809.82 after [...]