The lucky dip of credit rating December 2, 2010 CREDIT rating agencies’ recommendations have always caused anxiety and bafflement to small business owners. But now according to accountancy firm Shelley Stock Hutter there is proof that there is little rhyme in the agencies’ reasons: the firm recently conducted an investigation comparing the three well-known credit agencies, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), Experian and Creditsafe. The investigation [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS December 2, 2010 MORGAN STANLEY UNVEILS GROWTH PLAN Morgan Stanley this week announced the launch of its new FTSE Defensive Digital Growth Plan, which lasts for six years. The plan offers a fixed return of 60 per cent at maturity if the FTSE 100 rises or even if it falls by less than 20 per cent over the [...]
BUSINESS PR December 2, 2010 Q. Is it possible to promote my small business in the press? A. Absolutely. Journalists are busy people but they want and need to hear from specialists with stories and ideas. Don’t be put off if you don’t have a dedicated press department, or even a dedicated person for handling the media, getting coverage for [...]
Commodities and banks help FTSE snap its losing streak December 1, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading share index staged its biggest one day really in three months yesterday, clawing back some of the losses made in the past three sessions, with commodities boosted by upbeat Chinese data and banks rallying after being hit by sovereign debt concern. The rally was also boosted by hopes the European Central Bank (ECB) [...]
Wall Street surges as euro panic eases December 1, 2010 THE Dow and the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 posted their biggest gains in three months yesterday as efforts to resolve the European Union’s debt crisis helped push the S&P above 1,200, an important technical level that signals the potential for the rally to continue. The S&P 500 moved out of its recent trading range [...]
Spreading risk is crucial if you want to build a stable portfolio December 1, 2010 ONE traditional rule of investing is quite simple. Take your age, subtract it from 100 and invest that percentage of your portfolio in equities and the rest in bonds. When you are young, you have more of your money in stocks, which traditionally perform better over time. As you get older, you move more into [...]
FOOD PRICES PUT FOCUS ON AGRIBUSINESS December 1, 2010 SENIOR ANALYST, ETF SECURITIES Most agriculture prices have seen double-digit gains this year, reflecting a trend towards higher and more volatile prices since 2003. For agribusiness, this could lead to stronger returns for agriculture producers and support companies, irrespective of near-term gyrations in the business cycle, if suppliers strive to boost productivity. Rising prices have [...]
THE TIPSTER December 1, 2010 Few retail stocks have managed to see their share price recover to the halcyon days of 2007, but Carphone Warehouse has recently achieved that feat with the stock now eyeing the 400p level. Clearly the Christmas season has the potential to bring further cheer for the stock. Furthermore, given the ongoing tide of innovation in [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS December 1, 2010 DB X-TRACKERS LISTS MORE ETFS IN SPAIN Deutsche Bank’s exchange-traded funds (ETF) arm db x-trackers yesterday launched its second set of ETFs on the Spanish stock market. Db x-trackers yesterday announced 10 more ETFs listed on the Bolsa de Madrid, which provide exposure to developed and emerging market equities, to two short indices, and also [...]
Five ways to cut costs, whatever your business December 1, 2010 1. ASK “WHY?” If you think that something is wasteful, don’t accept that it is “just the way we do it here”. Bad habits can become engrained. In her book 100 Great Cost-Cutting Ideas, Anne Hawkins tells the story of a technology manufacturer which had been including needless technical information with all its products for [...]