London rises on comments by Fed chairman Bernanke June 9, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed higher yesterday, lifted by gains in miners and banks, as investor appetite for risk was boosted by positive comments on the US economy from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. The FTSE 100 closed up 57.71 points, or 1.2 per cent, at 5,085.86, after a choppy session which saw the index [...]
Wall St slides after BP fall triggers fear June 9, 2010 US stocks fell yesterday in another late-day roller-coaster ride, dragged lower by BP and other energy shares as the US probe of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico deepened. The late retreat stocks triggered a bid for safe-haven assets, which pushed US government bonds into positive territory, while the euro edged higher boosted [...]
Why predictability can help you to build up trust and success June 9, 2010 RICHARD SEXTON HEAD OF ASSURANCE, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS 1. Focus on the things you can do something about Stuff happens in life and business and you have to learn to work with it. My attitude is that I can’t boil the ocean but a cup of water is a different matter. In today’s difficult economic environment this [...]
FTSE sunk by BP’s oil slick woes June 8, 2010 Britain’s FTSE 100 share index fell yesterday, led down by energy shares as BP dropped again on fresh Gulf of Mexico oil slick worries and banks which were hit by Eurozone debt concerns and the threat of punitive taxes. By the close the FTSE 100 was off 40.91 points, or 0.8 per cent at 5,028.15 [...]
Bernanke’s bullishness boosts US June 8, 2010 US stocks mostly rose in volatile trading yesterday, led by materials and financial shares, but investors shied away from big-cap technology shares on concerns about their European exposure. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 123.49 points, or 1.26 per cent, to 9,939.98. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 11.53 points, or 1.10 per cent, [...]
There’s room for both active and passive June 8, 2010 CONFRONTED by the statistics, it could be hard to argue in favour of active management. Very few active fund managers succeed in beating either the benchmark or their peers on a consistent basis. Research by Thames River Capital revealed that only 10 funds of the 1,065 with a three-year track record appeared in the top [...]
Property’s renaissance June 8, 2010 COMMERCIAL property is back in fashion. A recent survey by Aberdeen Asset Management found that UK pension funds are actively looking to increase their commercial property exposure. It found that out of the 166 pension funds it interviewed, two thirds had exposure to property and 36 per cent of those said they would increase their [...]
THE UK LEADS IN THE RACE FOR RECOVERY June 8, 2010 DICK TURPIN MANAGING DIRECTOR, ARTEMIS DEBT is the thing: staggering amounts of it, now taken on by sovereign states. And as a result, there’s a strong bear case for investors. But there’s a bull case too. If you accept that the “debt repayment race” will be won by the least impaired economy, then the UK [...]
FUND MANAGEMENT NEWS June 8, 2010 EARN INCOME IN EMERGING MARKETS JP Morgan Asset Management has announced that it intends to launch the first investment trust that will focus on dividend income from emerging markets. Traditionally, emerging market equities are a good play on growth. However, as markets mature, more and more companies are paying good dividends. The fund’s initial target [...]
Mixed fortunes for the buck to help the euro June 8, 2010 ANOTHER week, another lurch lower for the euro. This time it was fears about the finances of Hungary, not even a fully fledged member of the Eurozone, that caused investors to flee the single currency. And the arguments continue to mount about whether the euro ca survive. Just this week the Royal Bank of Canada [...]