Quadruple witching holds up US stocks June 16, 2011 US stocks rose in volatile trading yesterday, thanks only to technical factors and options expirations. But raging uncertainty about Greece prevented investors from committing money to the market. The impending expiration of stock-index futures, single-stock futures, equity options and stock-index options for June — known as quadruple witching — created exceptional volatility, pushing the S&P [...]
Investors should keep control of the currency within their portfolio June 16, 2011 CURRENCY is the world’s largest asset class by its very nature, as every world market is denominated in currency. Forex is also the world’s largest financial market, with daily currency trading exceeding £1.5 trillion. Currency shows weak correlation with other asset classes. As an example, if you take the dollar spot price index (USDX) – [...]
EXPERT OPINION | CURRENCY AS A STANDALONE ASSET CLASS June 16, 2011 Stuart Frost portfolio manager RWC Partners At RWC, we view currency as a standalone asset class as it is a reflection of capital flows around the world and provides income through currency appreciation or interest rate differentials. Some would argue that currency is merely the conduit for commodity, equity or bond investing, but if the world [...]
Weak banks help drive FTSE to three-month closing low June 15, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares ended lower yesterday, weighed down by banks on worries over the UK government’s drive for tougher regulation and Europe’s debt crisis, while commodity stocks also pressured the index. The FTSE 100 closed down 60.58 points, or 1.0 per cent, at 5,742.55, its lowest finish since March 18. Banks fell ahead of chancellor [...]
Two day rally ends on Greek worries June 15, 2011 US stocks sank on Wednesday as Greek debt woes, US data and disappointing profit forecasts fueled bearish sentiment, putting the market back on its downtrend after a two-day rally. Forecasts from companies, including Nucor Corp, Owens Illinois and Ford, underscored concern that economic sluggishness will hit earnings. Bank stocks helped lead the decline after Moody’s [...]
Fed up at work? Don’t slow down, gear up for an entrepreneurial adventure June 15, 2011 OVER 60 per cent of people confess to not being engaged by their work, and 30 per cent of employees feel their strengths would be better suited to another career, according to a Towers Perrin/Gallup poll. A lot of people clearly want to work elsewhere. But for all the talk of “transferable skills,” moving into [...]
Short sighted CEOs need to re-focus June 15, 2011 60 per cent of management consultants think chief executives need to focus on long term planning rather than short term cost savings, according to a survey by FreshMinds Talent, the recruitment consultancy. When the consultants were asked what issue they believe is at the top of current chief executives’ agendas, long term plans were given [...]
Ernst & Young coaching mums June 15, 2011 In an effort to retain female staff, Ernst & Young have started coaching mums and mums-to-be among its staff. The coaching sessions are given before, during and after a member of staff’s maternity leave. They cover managing relationships with clients and colleagues, exploring alternative work patterns, and re-integrating into the workplace. Even line managers who have [...]
Rewarding deductions at Baker Street June 15, 2011 FROM their offices in Baker Street, Richard Hallett and his colleagues at Hargreave Hale are successfully detecting the right companies to bring in considerable returns. Alongside Giles Hargreave, Hallett manages the Marlborough Leading Companies fund. Although he is concerned about the macroeconomic outlook – particularly in Europe – he sees plenty of companies that offer [...]
An indelicate approach to regulation June 15, 2011 EARLIER this week, the chief executive officers of wealth management firms woke up, rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, and found a letter from the Financial Services Authority on their doormat. The letter pertained to the results of the FSA’s wealth management review. The review claimed that in a sample of 16 firms, 14 [...]
