State-owned banks lag their peers February 21, 2010 BANKS were the star performers in the FTSE 100 last week, after Barclays reported its best ever profit of £11.6bn in 2009, an increase of 92 per cent in just 12 months. This week the focus shifts to RBS and Lloyds Banking Group, who will announce earnings on Thursday and Friday respectively. After the turmoil [...]
THE TIPSTER TIME TO GO DEFENSIVE IN YOUR PORTFOLIO February 21, 2010 VOLATILITY has been rising since the start of this year and all of these extreme moves can make investors dizzy. Now is a good time to switch to a more defensive stance on equities and invest in the likes of supermarkets and energy providers. These companies tend to perform strongly when risk aversion returns to [...]
London hits one-month high led by miners and oil stocks February 18, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index hit a one-month closing high yesterday, extending its advance into a fourth consecutive session, led by commodity stocks on firmer metals and oil prices, and with banks also in demand. The FTSE 100 index closed up 48.45 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,325.09, its highest close since Jan. 21, after [...]
Wall St boosted by strong output data February 18, 2010 US stocks rose for a third straight day yesterday as investors viewed company results and manufacturing data as evidence the economic rebound will continue. Investors accentuated the positive news, focusing on improved mid-Atlantic manufacturing data and setting aside a lackluster outlook from Wal-Mart and a surprising increase in weekly jobless claims. “News on the economy [...]
Marathon effort for green pioneer February 18, 2010 TO DO this job, you must be an optimist first and foremost, says Steve Mahon, founder of Low Carbon Accelerator, the venture capital firm that specialises in green technology investment. Set up in October 2006, it was the first green technology fund to list on Aim. Attracting institutional investors was a lengthy battle: “The investment [...]
Q&A PUBLIC SECTOR BIDS February 18, 2010 Q. What should I consider if I want to bid for work on a public sector project? A.The first thing to think about is whether a public sector contract is right for the size of your company, says Matthew Perkins, deputy regional manager for south-west London at Business Link, the government business resource body. Bidding [...]
British stocks hold their shine in spite of gloom February 17, 2010 UNEMPLOYMENT is high, the economy is barely out of recession and the UK’s fiscal deficit is cause for concern. Compared to emerging markets where growth is storming ahead, it seems like a no-brainer as to where to invest. Barclays Stockbrokers’ clients agree – half think emerging markets will deliver the greatest returns in 2010 while [...]
Industry rises from the ashes to drive growth February 17, 2010 AMERICAN industry appears to be benfitting from a second wind. As the world’s largest economy emerges from recession, it’s industry that’s leading the way while the service sector is only just managing to hobble back to life. In recent years the US has re-directed its economy towards the service sector and, in particular, the consumer. [...]
DOLLAR AND GOLD SPELL UNCERTAINTY February 17, 2010 STRONG demand for gold from investors in recent weeks has been prompted in part by the current issues surrounding Greece. For much of the past year, if gold was rising then the US dollar was likely to be falling, given that gold is often used as a dollar hedge – especially during the unprecedented monetary [...]
The Tipster February 17, 2010 SOVEREIGN debt troubles had created plenty of turmoil in the global markets, but over the past few days, equity markets have been discounting the negative news flow to stage a bit of a recovery. Traders should be aware that the strength in European equities is often preceded by a good performance in the Asian markets [...]