US treads water ahead of jobs data March 31, 2011 US stocks ended a solid quarter with the barest of moves yesterday, as investors looked ahead to Friday’s US jobs report to provide a catalyst to push indexes to new highs for the year. After gaining 5.4 per cent in the first quarter, the benchmark S&P 500 hovered near 1,330, a level the index has [...]
FTSE rally continues despite earnings woes for retailers March 30, 2011 THE FTSE 100 closed higher for a sixth consecutive session yesterday, its best run since August 2010, as investors ditched retailers over earnings worries in favour of growth sectors such as industrials and mining. Dixons issued a profit warning and gloomy outlook as a survey from the CBI showed the underlying trend for retail sales [...]
Quarter-end dash pushes up Wall St March 30, 2011 US stocks rose yesterday as investors positioned themselves for the quarter’s end and the S&P 500 attempted to hold above a key technical level. Stocks advanced as money managers re-allocated positions for the end of the quarter, with the S&P 500 up 5.9 per cent. The S&P broke through 1,330, which was noted as a [...]
A fight through the fund acronym jumble March 30, 2011 UCITS IV, or to give it its full title, the Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directive IV, comes into force in July. A set of EU directives aimed at allowing collective investment schemes to operate freely throughout the EU, they try to harmonise financial regulation throughout Europe. The aim of the original Ucits [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS March 30, 2011 OFGEM FORCES NOTICE CHANGES Ofgem has responded to pressure from consumers to force energy suppliers to give increased notice of rate changes. Suppliers have been ordered to give their customers 30 days notice before implementing price hikes. Geared towards protecting consumers from shock utility bill increases, the energy industry regulator Ofgem has issued new changes [...]
The clock is ticking to keep your savings from the taxman March 30, 2011 IF YOU are in the 20 per cent of Londoners who, according to research from Fidelity, put off getting their individual savings account (Isa) to the last week of the financial year, now is the time to shelter your savings from taxation. You will have to act quickly to pick up the best deals. Of [...]
Investing in fledglings is now more appealing March 30, 2011 THE Budget increased the tax breaks available for the enterprise investment scheme (EIS) and sorted out some of the legislation involved in venture capital trusts (VCT). This is making both look appealing to investors, especially those desperate to escape the burden of the 50p tax rate. Here’s your guide to what they are and how [...]
Nowadays you need to monitor your online presentation just as closely March 30, 2011 THE online you is important – 70 per cent of human resources (HR) professionals have rejected potential candidates because of their online information, according to a Microsoft survey. Or put more positively, 86 per cent said that good online information could work in a candidate’s favour. This makes having a clean reputation on the internet [...]
ODD JOBS March 30, 2011 I’M FROM Jersey and my first job was with a menswear business that my brother-in-law and I formed in the late 1980s. Shortly before I sold the business, I met some traders who opened my mind to London and the markets. I joined the London Commodity Exchange in 1996 to trade coffee in the days [...]
FTSE rises after upbeat Wolseley results outweigh bank dips and debt worries March 29, 2011 THE FTSE 100 rose moderately in light trade yesterday with support from miners and upbeat results from Wolseley outpacing falls in banks on European debt worries. The FTSE 100 climbed 27.68 points, or 0.5 per cent, at 5,932.17. The index regained more than 3 per cent the previous week following losses sparked by the earthquake [...]