Look closer to home to play the emerging markets’ story December 15, 2010 EMERGING markets have been one of the most popular trades of 2010. If it wasn’t concerns about the outlook for developed markets and the desire for higher returns further afield, it was Fed-fuelled liquidity that was driving flows towards the developing economies. The case for investing in equities rather than bonds is becoming stronger by [...]
Investments to fit your social views December 15, 2010 THE idea that you can change the world through what you buy has been around for a while now. In 1977, the Swiss food producer Nestle endured a boycott over claims its baby-milk products were killing children in third world countries. More recently, the “fair trade” movement has explicitly charged consumers a premium so as [...]
THE TIPSTER December 15, 2010 NOW that the Chinese inflation figures are out and the People’s Bank of China has once again refused to raise rates, fears that European commodity stocks might suffer on the back of slower Chinese growth have subsided slightly. This might offer an opportunity for the likes of gold miner Randgold Resources to bounce off the [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS December 15, 2010 CREDIT SUISSE ETFS EXPANDING Credit Suisse announced yesterday that its exchange-traded funds (ETF) business has increased its assets under management by 45 per cent since the beginning of 2010, to a total of approximately $14.5bn. The global ETF industry currently manages approximately $1.2 trillion in assets, but according to Dan Draper, global head of ETFs [...]
How to make better use of your time December 15, 2010 ONE of the curses of the modern workplace is having too much to do in the time available for the work, and so time-management is one of the most important of skills. Contrary to much supposed wisdom, says Roger Trapp in his new book What You Need to Know About Business, the key is not [...]
Negotiating your way to the bonus you deserve December 15, 2010 EVEN when times are bad, you can still persuade your boss to give you a good bonus if you go about it in the right way. Here are 10 tips. First, make it a one-time deal. Note that a bonus doesn’t increase overhead fixed costs since it’s just for performance during the period, the month, [...]
Don’t plan on making any knee-jerk moves in January December 15, 2010 A RECENT survey by Morgan McKinley found that the number of City job vacancies was up year-on-year for the 12th consecutive month, 9 per cent in November. Traditionally, the first quarter sees a flurry of hiring, following the clear-outs that accompany the bonus season. So will we see this in 2011? With all the kerfuffle [...]
FTSE 100 nudges higher on oil firms but miners miss out December 14, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading share index pushed higher yesterday, led by energy stocks with BP boosted by Royal Dutch Shell bid interest talk. The FTSE 100 index ended up 30.46 points, or 0.5 per cent at 5,891.21, a closing level not seen since June 2008. “Volumes remain thin, but the FTSE keeps going up, with oils adding [...]
Dow surges to close at a two-year high December 14, 2010 US stocks cut gains to end mostly flat after a late-day sell-off yesterday as yet another cautious statement from the Federal Reserve on the economy offset strong retail sales data for November. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 47.98 points, or 0.42 per cent, at 11,476.62 – its highest close since 8 September 2008. [...]
Looking ahead to 2011: some likely winners and laggards December 14, 2010 FROM sovereign debt crises threatening the very future of the euro to currency wars and more quantitative easing, 2010 has been an eventful year in the foreign exchange markets. Currency traders will be pleased to hear that volatility, which has been so characteristic of the FX markets since the crisis, is unlikely to disappear any [...]
