FINANCE March 4, 2010 Q. I need to secure a loan to expand my business, but in this environment are banks still willing to lend? A.Yes, according to Stephen Alambritis, chief spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): “Access to finance was a major problem last year, but the availability of money set aside specifically for small businesses [...]
FTSE rises as commodities and financials set the pace March 3, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading shares gained 0.9 per cent yesterday, boosted by strength in miners and oils, banks and life insurers, as upbeat US data lifted Wall Street. At the close, the FTSE 100 was 49.15 points higher at 5,533.21, ending at a seven-week peak on its fourth straight session of gains. “All the figures were pretty [...]
Fears over banking rules weigh on US March 3, 2010 US stocks ended little changed yesterday as worries about bank regulation and a setback for drug company Pfizer offset signs of improvement in the labor market and services sector. Pfizer, the world’s largest drugmaker, fell 1.6 per cent after its Alzheimer’s drug did not meet the main goals of a late-stage clinical trial, weighing on [...]
Tough economic climate and fiscal laxity to keep pressure on sterling March 3, 2010 JANE FOLEY RESEARCH DIRECTOR, FOREX.COM IN CONTRAST to last month’s meeting, today’s decision by the Bank of England has not been billed as a headline event. February’s meeting had a much higher profile, thanks to its coincident timing with the quarterly inflation report, which gives the central bank a fresh set of growth and inflation [...]
Middle Eastern funds offer long term promise March 3, 2010 WHEN it comes to investing in emerging markets, few might choose the Middle East and North Africa over the opportunities offered by Asian powerhouses such as China and India. Not only are political tensions continuing to concern investors, the near-collapse of overstretched Dubai and the bailout by its neighbour Abu Dhabi is still fresh in [...]
Oil firms are a healthy addition to a portfolio March 3, 2010 THERE is a risk that once a company reaches a certain size it will over-stretch itself and as a result become bloated and less efficient. For the last two and a half years Anthony Hayward has successfully steered BP, the oil company he commands, away from this course. And, earlier this week he announced that [...]
INVESTORS’ GLOSSARY March 3, 2010 BOLLINGER BANDS Bollinger bands are a technical analysis tool that was invented by trader John Bollinger in the 1980s. A Bollinger band consists of upper, middle and lower bands that are plotted two standard deviations away from the moving average of the stock price. These bands are a good indicator of whether a stock price [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS March 3, 2010 COMMODITY EXPOSURE Investors can get easy access to a wide range of global ETF products courtesy of iShares. The provider now offers ETFs on the MSCI South African, Australian and Canadian stock indices. All of these countries have large quantities of natural resources, and using ETFs to trade their local stock indices is a good [...]
The new style of job applications March 3, 2010 MOVING up the career ladder doesn’t just depend on getting good results – it’s about getting good contacts too. Managing your network is the best way to find new openings, and there are iPhone tools to help you do it. Firstly, if you aren’t already signed up to LinkedIn, you really should be. The professional [...]
Gains in banking shares lead the FTSE to a six-week high March 2, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index hit a six-week closing high yesterday and rose for a third straight session, led by banks with HSBC firmer after the previous session’s post results sell-off. The FTSE 100 closed up 78.12 points, or 1.45 per cent, at 5,484.06, its highest closing level since January 19, after climbing 1 per cent [...]