THE TIPSTER October 10, 2010 NEWS of Thomas Cook’s merger with Co-op Travel will put the pressure on its peers in what is already a very competitive market. Further consolidation in the sector is tipped but we could see something of a land-grab get underway, especially given the market’s positive reaction to Thomas Cook’s share price. The current IG Index [...]
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS GURU October 10, 2010 CHIEF TECHNICAL ANALYST sandy.jadeja@cityindex.co.uk Q. Dear Sandy, should I buy gold at current price levels? A. Gold prices have certainly been in the headlines over the last few weeks. It’s no surprise that investors are interested in this commodity as its rise has been spectacular over the past year. In fact since 28 July the [...]
M&S success fails to stop a drop in the FTSE 100 index October 7, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed lower yesterday, as weaker metals prices hurt mining stocks, while Marks & Spencer rose as investors warmed to a trading update from the retailer. The FTSE 100 closed 19.26 points, or 0.3 per cent, lower at 5,662.13, after rising 0.8 per cent on Wednesday to a five-month closing high. Mining [...]
Investors hold off ahead of Fed report October 7, 2010 WEAK commodities and a firmer dollar pressured US stocks yesterday as investors shunned big bets before a jobs report that could determine the next move from the Fed. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 19.07 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 10,948.58. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index eased 1.91 points, or 0.16 per cent, [...]
The age of flexible pensions October 7, 2010 AS UNIONS reacted furiously to the publication of Lord Hutton’s public sector pensions review yesterday, Britain’s working population has a trickier issue to resolve than raising “French-style riots”: what to save and how. Despite de-leveraging significantly over the last year, Brits are still not saving enough. And on top of the pensions deficit, it is [...]
Free banking will soon be a thing of the past October 7, 2010 IN AN environment of persistently low interest rates, it has become increasingly hard to find a free current account that pays any credit interest at all, according to personal finance information website Moneyfacts.co.uk. Its research, which was published earlier this week, showed that 55 per cent of current accounts on the market pay no credit [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS October 7, 2010 CONSUMERS PAYING OFF CARDS FASTER Data from the British Bankers’ Association shows that the number of credit card purchases has been on the rise over the last year. While there were 158m purchases on cards in August 2009, July 2010 saw 169m and in August this year consumers upped the number of purchases to 173m. [...]
The surest bet for business success October 7, 2010 ONLINE gambling grew faster than Facebook in the UK last year. Jason Trost and his business partner, Hunter Morris, spotted the opportunity three years ago and moved from the US to London to set up their online betting company, Smarkets. Trost quit his UBS job to come to the UK — a gamble that seems [...]
Getting the idea engine started October 7, 2010 JUN Tanaka and Mark Jankel’s entrepreneurial spirit offers hope to anyone who has ever fantasised about setting up their own restaurant. For just £4,000 initial set up costs the pair have rented an Airstream truck and are driving around London this week selling their gourmet meals-on-wheels. They are serving a seasonal British menu with dishes [...]
Q&A LOBBYING October 7, 2010 Q. I run a small business. Am I too small to lobby the government about my concerns? A.It is a myth that it is difficult to obtain the ear of government. It is in your constituency MP’s interest to listen to you because they want to at least appear to care about your company’s concerns. [...]