Blocking out the sirens’ call: how to protect your wealth from emotion January 30, 2011 JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES once said that “there’s nothing so dangerous as the pursuit of an rational investment policy in an irrational world”. Despite that advice, every day, people try to construct rational, risk balanced portfolios. And often they fail, instead buying what is fashionable, or panicking when they should be cool-headed. According to Dr Greg Davies, [...]
Adding a little power to your ETF portfolio January 27, 2011 GIVE me a lever long enough and I shall move the world”. So said Archimedes. Had the Greeks invented listed products, he might also have moved his stock portfolio. Leveraged exchange traded funds (ETFs), which trade like ordinary equities on the stock exchange, are now offering investors the chance to lever up, achieving the big [...]
Vodafone drags on the FTSE despite strong insurer gains January 27, 2011 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 share index closed slightly lower yesterday, after a dip in index heavyweight Vodafone, dented by weak results from AT&T, offset a surge in insurers following positive broker comment. The FTSE 100 closed down 4.13 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 5,965.08, having added 0.9 per cent the previous session. Vodafone, the company [...]
Wall St buoyed by tech firm results January 27, 2011 STRONG corporate earnings led Wall Street to a 29-month closing high for a second day yesterday, but another run of big gains may be harder to achieve. The Dow and the S&P struggled to advance past major technical levels – the 12,000 mark for the Dow and 1,300 for the S&P – but investors see [...]
Keeping the entrepreneurial spirit January 27, 2011 COFFEE Republic is back. It may have faded away for a few years, but it has returned with vengeance. And Sahar Hashemi, the woman originally behind the brand, is back too, but not with Coffee Republic. Hashemi sold the company in 2001 to write the bestselling book Anyone Can Do It to encourage other people [...]
Five ways to prepare yourself for the Bribery Act January 27, 2011 THE Bribery Act comes into force in April. And it has been causing a stir: while it is replacing the outdated law we currently have, it has been criticised by small and medium-sized businesses (SME) for creating extra layers of bureaucracy and leaving directors potentially liable for the actions of suppliers and service providers – [...]
Graduates start to look East January 26, 2011 Always do what you are afraid to do”. American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson believed this was the best advice to give to youngsters. With increasing competition for highly paid graduate jobs and the hyperbolic reputation of the City, it is understandable why starting your career in the Square Mile might be a fearful prospect. I [...]
New Year, new job opportunities, but be prepared January 26, 2011 January is often a time for those considering a new job, whether it’s for a fresh start or the result of a less than desirable bonus. Yet what is commonly presented to employers is an old CV with recent experiences tacked on – this is not a positive start. I’ve seen thousands of CVs that [...]
Four ways to better decisions January 26, 2011 MAKING decisions is one of the most important parts of any job. In a new book called The Decision Book, two Swiss academics have outlined 50 models to help sharpen up your strategic thinking. Here are four tools for making better decisions. 1. The Eisenhower Matrix. US president Dwight D Eisenhower said that “the most [...]
Property’s mixed prospects in 2011 January 26, 2011 PROPERTY price indices suggest house prices are falling again, but what are the prospects for home owners and property investors? UK house prices fell 0.9 per cent in the final three months of 2010 and were down 1.3 per cent between November and December, the Halifax index shows. Some analysts expect them to fall further, [...]