PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS November 25, 2010 TRYING TO TIME THE MARKET IS COSTLY Research commissioned by Barclays Wealth has revealed that investors’ habit of chasing performance is costing more than one percentage point a year in returns. The study, which analysed fund flows between 1992 and 2009, discovered that market timing decisions by retail investors (when investing in equity mutual funds) [...]
Banking on new business ideas November 25, 2010 I DON’T want to be a banker, I’m not a banker, never have been, a lot of my job is walking around here…” Anthony Thomson gestures towards the shop floor and his staff and says “…making sure they don’t turn it into a bank.” But sure enough we are in a bank – the Holborn [...]
Free up enterprise education November 25, 2010 TEACHERS were blamed for holding children back from becoming entrepreneurs last week during Global Entrepreneurs Week (GEW). Peter Jones, the entrepreneur and founder of Britain’s first National Enterprise Academy (NEA), used the occasion to call on the government to make NEA qualifications available in every school. But this week, the Education Secretary Michael Gove issued [...]
Q&A November 25, 2010 Q. What can I do to get better or cheaper deals on office equipment? A.It’s a good idea to consider swapping unwanted stock with other companies’ goods, services, or advertising space: things for which both sides would usually expect cash. This transaction is called corporate trade or corporate barter. There are now a number of [...]
Success of ETFs among private investors hangs on regulation November 24, 2010 GIVEN that exchange-traded products (ETP) have been available in the UK for just over a decade, the speed at which they have managed to penetrate the private investor market can only be described as glacial. Around 85 per cent of the European ETP market is still institutional. Yet there are signs that private investors are [...]
THE TIPSTER November 24, 2010 US LISTED Compass Minerals is the owner of Salt Union, Britain’s largest supplier of rock salt – used for gritting the country’s roads. With the news that Britain may be in for another cold and snowy winter, demand should be strong. After last year’s fiasco, even austerity won’t stop councils from stocking up. IG Index [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS November 24, 2010 ETFS A ROUTE INTO NEW MARKETS According to a report from Blackrock, exchange traded funds (ETF) and products based on emerging market equities are seeing particularly impressive growth. At the end of August 2010, there were 450 ETFs providing exposure to emerging market indices with 869 listings, holding assets of $193.5bn (£122.4bn). In the year [...]
FTSE rises on strong financials November 24, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed higher yesterday, boosted by commodity stocks and banks which bounced back after hefty falls earlier in the week, as investors welcomed economic data from both the UK and the United States. The FTSE 100 ended up 75.82 points, or 1.4 per cent, at 5,657.10, having hit a seven-week low earlier [...]
Wall Street jumps on upbeat data November 24, 2010 Wall Street rallied as US stock investors put aside worries about swirling global problems yesterday, turning to improvement in the labour market and signs consumers are ready to open their wallets ahead of the biggest shopping day of the year. New claims for unemployment benefits hit their lowest level in more than two years last [...]
Five ways to become a better leader November 24, 2010 1.Understand the difference between leading and managing. In his book What To Do When You Become the Boss, Bob Seldon, an experienced manager and business coach, says that you should differentiate between the “mechanical” job of managing, or getting things done, and the inspirational work of leading. You can be made a manager with a [...]