Wall Street falls as investors lose faith October 27, 2010 US stocks fell yesterday as investors dialed back expectations of how aggressively the Fed would act to stimulate the economy. With the uncertain outcomes of the US elections and a Fed meeting next week, traders positioned themselves for more volatile markets. The CBOE Volatility index rose 2.4 per cent and was up for the third [...]
Investors: You have nothing to lose but your premiums October 27, 2010 BACK in 2002, covered warrants were launched on the London Stock Exchange with grand fanfare. And nobody cared. The products turned out to be something of a flop, with only £886,000 changing hands in the first week of trading. There is nothing intrinsically bad about covered warrants, however. In fact, they are quite remarkable – [...]
THE TIPSTER October 27, 2010 THE Bank of Japan (BoJ) is expected to make its interest rate decision tomorrow and investors will be looking for signs of further intervention to weaken the yen. Recently the dollar-yen looks like it has reached an area of support around the 15-year low of ¥80.00. Considering that the market is speculating that there will [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS October 27, 2010 RBS LAUNCHES RETAIL BONDS Following up on the success of the recent Lloyd’s deal, RBS is releasing two more royal bonds this week, designed explicitly for retail investors. Unlike many other issuers, there is no minimum size order. The bonds feature CREST settlement, smaller tradable sizes and an ‘all in price’, all features designed to [...]
Few cheers for physical base metal products from analysts October 27, 2010 THIS year’s annual London Metal Exchange (LME) week was abuzz with the news that physical exchange-traded commodities (ETC) for base metals are going to see the light of day. After plenty of speculation in both the press and the markets, ETF Securities confirmed what many had assumed and announced that it was preparing to launch [...]
How to cut perks without making your team hate you October 27, 2010 I have been asked to get rid of some of my staff’s perks in order to save money, but I am worried about the effect this will have on morale. How can I do this without causing resentment and discord? Ceri Roderick Business psychologist, Pearn Kandola Taking away people’s perks is always problematic – they [...]
EXPERT VIEW | October 27, 2010 LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL WHETHER you are heading up a team, a business unit, or an entire PLC, you’re going to need a strategy. And you are going to have to communicate that strategy clearly to others, because only if others are aware of it can they actually contribute to it, and will it have any [...]
FIVE WAYS… TO HAVE BETTER MEETINGS October 27, 2010 MEETINGS are one of the most time-wasting and energy-sapping things in working life. But there are some basic rules for making them better. Here are five. 1. Have a structure. There is a school of thought that says there are only three reasons to have a meeting. First, to inform and bring people up to [...]
Weak bank figures send FTSE lower October 26, 2010 WEAK banks helped drive Britain’s top share index to a lower close yesterday, with sentiment hit by a loss at UBS’s investment bank and as investors locked in profits after sharp gains over the last two months. The FTSE 100 closed 44.68 points, or 0.8 per cent, lower at 5,707.30, its biggest one-day percentage drop [...]
US stocks firm ahead of elections October 26, 2010 US stocks were little changed yesterday as investors held steady under a raft of earnings in anticipation of next week’s US elections and likely announcement of a new economic stimulus programme from the Federal Reserve. The broader equities market edged lower after weak revenue forecasts from drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb and chip manufacturer Texas Instruments. Bristol-Myers [...]