Watch out for negative reaction to an MPC split August 15, 2010 MARKETS are expected to open marginally lower this morning on a weak US lead from after the close on Friday, and amidst trepidation ahead of an active economic calendar for the coming week, as talk grows of a double dip recession in the UK. GFT is calling the FTSE 100 index to open down 5 points at [...]
WALL STREET WEEK AHEAD August 15, 2010 US INVESTORS will brace for further signs of weakness in the economic recovery this week as earnings from key retailers are expected. Industrial production, housing starts and inflation data will come under scrutiny as well, after stocks on Friday wrapped up their worst week in six. Wal-Mart is expected to announce results this week along [...]
Investors flock to defensive stocks as FTSE inches higher August 12, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index ended higher yesterday after defensives gained, led by pharma firm GlaxoSmithKline after US authorities recommended approval of its Potiga epilepsy drug. The FTSE 100 ended up 20.85 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 5,266.06, having hit its lowest close in three weeks on Wednesday when it fell 2.4 per cent to [...]
Wall Street drops on jobless numbers August 12, 2010 US stocks ended down for a third straight day yesterday as an unexpected rise in jobless claims and a sobering revenue outlook from Cisco underscored the hurdles to economic recovery. The drop comes a day after all three major indexes posted their worst percentage declines in more than a month, erasing gains for the year [...]
A high-flying PR success story August 12, 2010 A DEGREE in law couldn’t stifle Anthony Payne, the founder of Peregrine Communications, from unleashing his entrpreneurial spirit. Even when he was completing articles – the early stages of legal training – he took time out to start a pizza delivery business called Moonlight Munchies. Skip forward a couple of decades and Payne is eating [...]
Big corporates help small firms prosper August 12, 2010 IN THE past, corporate social responsibility meant big firms sponsoring a recycling plant, or an art exhibition at one of the major galleries. But now well-known corporate brands are starting to direct their altruistic impulses toward entrepreneurs. At the start of this year, Virgin Media teamed up with Enterprise UK to support young entrepreneurs. It [...]
EMPLOYMENT August 12, 2010 Q. I have been running my own business for two years and am looking to take on my first employee, how do I go about writing a legal contract and how much does it cost? A.It is absolutely crucial to set up a contract, which sets out the arrangements between the employee and employer in [...]
Take a bespoke approach to your retirement plans August 12, 2010 WHETHER it is the shift from final salary to defined contribution pension schemes or the growing disillusionment in the financial sector and the costs of traditional pensions, we are all choosing to take more control over our retirement planning. And rather than choosing a one-size-fits-all stakeholder pension, investors are increasingly opting for the made-to-measure self-invested [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS August 12, 2010 BEWARE PHONE CALL SCAM HM Revenue & Customs has issued a warning to taxpayers after reports that thieves were making phone calls pretending to be the taxman. According to reports, fraudsters say that you are due a tax rebate and ask for your bank details over the phone. They then try to gain access to [...]
Learning lessons from BP’s mistakes August 11, 2010 AND relax. At long last the great BP oil spill disaster of 2010 appears to be over. Black stuff is no longer leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, killing everything in its path. Brown stuff is no longer being power-hosed at Tony Hayward, the hapless CEO whose poor media performances enraged Americans and helped halve [...]