Update your business profile January 28, 2010 For the past couple of years Facebook’s primary use has been to keep in contact with old friends and family. Likewise, when people think of Twitter they might think of Ashton Kutcher or Stephen Fry tweeting their latest thoughts in less than 140 characters. But the need to cut overheads during the recession – especially [...]
Q&A VENTURE CAPITAL? January 28, 2010 Q. I would like to get venture capital funding for my new start-up, but how do I go about getting it? A.The first thing you should do is research. Most venture capital (VC) firms focus their funding in a particular area. Start by looking for VC firms that specialise in your area. Once you know [...]
London slumps to a five-week low led by bank and oil stocks January 27, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index hit a five-week closing low yesterday, dragged down by energy stocks and banks ahead of the conclusion of a US Federal Reserve policy meeting. The FTSE 100 closed down 59.38 points, or 1.1 per cent, at 5,217.47, its lowest close since 18 December. The index gained 0.3 per cent on Tuesday, [...]
Wall St rises after Fed rates held again January 27, 2010 US stocks rose yesterday after the US Federal Reserve said it will keep interest rates near zero and ahead of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address tonight. But the Nasdaq got a late surge from of almost one per cent in the shares of Apple after the iPad’s debut. Market analysts said the [...]
Moral hazard meets Greek tragedy for EU January 27, 2010 MOORAD CHOUDHRY HEAD OF TREASURY, EUROPE ARAB BANK THE public sector deficit issue in Greece appears to be heading for a dénouement with the market getting jittery about Greek government bonds and wondering whether the country will default, or even withdraw from the Eurozone. A sovereign default is a serious issue at the best of [...]
Only the severest policy can restore confidence January 27, 2010 IN ALL the furore surrounding Greece, it has been easy to forget about the other Eurozone members struggling to stay afloat. Portugal, Spain and Ireland have all been suffering from ballooning deficits and rapidly rising unemployment, to the extent that all three have experienced government debt downgrades by at least one ratings agency. But while [...]
Not all tracking is equal, and it can pay to know which your ETP uses January 27, 2010 ONE of the biggest attractions of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is that they track indices such as the FTSE 100, giving investors exposure to the performance of these benchmarks without requiring them to hold actual shares. In order to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible, the fund has to include exposure [...]
Defensive shares lift FTSE but banks and miners weak January 26, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading share index added 0.3 per cent yesterday, as support for defensive issues, and a modest early rally on Wall Street, offset weakness in heavyweight miners and banks. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 16.54 points at 5,276.85, snapping a four-session losing streak, having earlier reached an intraday low for the [...]
Political fears cast shadow on earnings January 26, 2010 US stocks slipped late yesterday due to trepidation over churning political and regulatory developments, offsetting solid earnings and improved consumer confidence data. Gains faded late as investors turned cautious before the Federal Reserve’s policy announcement and President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address today. US stocks fell 5 per cent in a three-day span [...]
Chinese actions shape Asian currency moves January 26, 2010 ASIAN currencies can be tricky for an investor to navigate. They have long been seen as a tangled web of fixed, floating and managed exchange rates. On top of that, political risk abounds. Some investors were caught off guard after a coup in Thailand in 2008 caused a steep fall in the value of the [...]