New rules for whistleblowers will do no good January 25, 2010 JOANNA CHATTERTON EMPLOYMENT PARTNER, FOX WILLIAMS LLP SINCE 1998, employees who raise concerns about possibly unlawful activities by their employer have enjoyed protected status. Employment tribunals have not been obliged to pass information on to the police or any regulatory body about alleged wrongdoing. Unless the whistleblower does so, they often never know about it. [...]
An oath can’t make lawyers more honest January 25, 2010 BIG changes are afoot in the legal world, not least those arising from the reforms which the profession is going to see under the Legal Services Act. This will include the introduction of so-called Tesco Law, which will see non-lawyers increasingly involved in the provision of legal services. In the face of this brave new [...]
How studying Goldman Sachs can help you become a better trader January 24, 2010 LAST week, Goldman Sachs announced profits of more than $13.3bn, even as some of its competitors continue to struggle. So what is the bank doing so right? We look at five ways you can adapt your hedging, research and risk styles to a Goldman style and hopefully boost your revenues. 1. Do your research Goldman’s [...]
MANAGE RISK CAREFULLY IN CHOPPY TIMES January 24, 2010 FOLLOWING Barack Obama’s attack on Wall Street towards the end of last week, the markets suffered the sort of wobble that some had thought we had seen the last of. It proved once again that we are not out of the woods yet and was a reminder that spread betters have to be able to [...]
THE TIPSTER January 24, 2010 US PRESIDENT Obama’s plans for the banking sector are expected to continue to dominate this week and put further pressure on banks’ share prices across the world. This might make it well worth taking a short out on the UK banking sector. IG Index is offering a spread of 4,466-4,486. But downward pressure on share [...]
Bearish US sentiment likely to buffet Europe too January 24, 2010 European stock markets are headed for a major tumble this morning, as a sell-off on US markets gathered steam on Friday evening. GFT is forecasting the UK’s FTSE 100 to open down a hefty 90 points from Friday’s close, around 5,212. The German DAX is expected to open down 105 points at 5,590 and the [...]
Economic Diary January 24, 2010 MARKETS are expecting a bumpy ride this week with a slew of data that could derail momentum. Britons are eagerly awaiting the release of fourth quarter GDP tomorrow, which should show that the UK finally exited recession in the last three months of 2009. The consensus forecast is for output growth of 0.4 per cent. [...]
FTSE hits a one-month low as financial stocks plummet January 21, 2010 ASHARP retreat in miners on sinking metal prices and worry about a tax from Australia and weakness in banks on fears about US curbs pushed Britain’s top share index 1.6 per cent lower by the close on Thursday. The FTSE 100 index ended 85.70 points lower at 5,335.10, its lowest since 22 December. The index [...]
Wall St recoils over Obama bank plans January 21, 2010 US stocks suffered their worst one-day percentage drop since October yesterday as US President Barack Obama proposed tough restrictions on banks that would squeeze profits. Major banks slid, with Goldman Sachs falling 4.1 per cent despite posting stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results, and JPMorgan Chase shed 6.6 per cent, after Obama proposed limiting how banks invest their [...]
Q&A INSOLVENCY January 21, 2010 Q. I’m thinking of setting up a business, but what would happen if it all went wrong? Will I be declared bankrupt? A.The best way to protect yourself is to set up as a limited company right from the start, says Tim Carter, head of insolvency at law firm Stevens & Bolton. By doing this [...]