THE TIPSTER May 23, 2010 BHP BILLITON hosts its AGM on Monday. The decision by the Australian government to impose a 40 per cent tax on mining profits, the rise in the value of the dollar and the general slump in commodity prices has seen BHP Billiton’s shares fall nearly 23 per cent in less than a month. With the [...]
SPREAD BET GURU May 23, 2010 MARKET STRATEGIST josh@cityindex.com Q. Why did Germany’s ban on short selling cause the markets to fall by so much last week? A. It is important to note that this decision came at a critical time for the markets. Investors were already feeling incredibly jittery about the European sovereign debt crisis spreading from Greece to other [...]
Shares seen higher but the age of austerity looms May 23, 2010 AFTER last week’s jitters and ensuing sell-off which resulted in 200 points being shed from the FTSE, all eyes are on the UK market to see if it will hold up above 5,000 today after testing the psychologically significant level last week for the first time since October. We foresee a mildly positive open for [...]
Eurozone debt fears weigh on FTSE as investors flee from risky asset classes May 20, 2010 MOUNTING fears on Eurozone debt and doubts about the global economic recovery sent investors fleeing from riskier assets, shoving Britain’s top share index 1.7 per cent lower by close yesterday. In a volatile session, the FTSE 100 ended down 84.95 points at 5,073.13, its lowest close since 5 February having fallen 2.8 per cent on [...]
Wall Street tumbles on banking reform despair May 20, 2010 US stocks sank nearly four per cent yesterday on growing fears the Eurozone’s efforts to tackle its sovereign debt crisis will fall short, jeopardizing the global economic recovery. Selling picked up speed late in the day and indexes closed around their session lows after the US Senate voted to end debate on the sweeping overhaul [...]
Make sure you use all of your options when it comes to pensions May 20, 2010 THE long-standing debate over whether those planning for retirement should pay as much as they can into their pension or make the most of their Isa allowance has taken on more significance of late due to changes that will affect both of the savings vehicles. Pensions are changing and higher earners will probably no longer [...]
A champion of British grub May 20, 2010 FOUNDING a restaurant would test the nerves of even the most hardened entrepreneur. Ensuring the food and décor are both delicious and attractive is one thing, but in London a new restaurant can sink or swim based on a review. Iqbal Wahhab, founder of Borough Market’s Roast, which opened in October 2005, swam, but not [...]
When you just can’t let go of your business May 20, 2010 ALL is not well at low cost airline easyJet. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, its flamboyant founder, dramatically resigned from the board last Friday after clashing with the management team over its expansion plans. In the latest instalment of the saga, Haji-Ioannou, who floated the company in 2000 and now owns 38 per cent, has issued the [...]
Q&A: PAYE May 20, 2010 Q. I have recently started my business and I am in the process of hiring staff, what should I know about PAYE? A. Pay As You Earn (PAYE) is the way that HMRC collects income tax and national insurance. As an employer once you start hiring people you have a legal obligation to collect PAYE [...]
FTSE hit by German ban on shorting May 19, 2010 BRITAIN’S top shares fell steeply yesterday, as commodity-linked stocks and banks were hit by Germany’s attempt to stop speculators driving down the euro, bonds and share prices by limiting short-selling. The FTSE 100 closed down 149.26 points, or 2.8 per cent, at 5,158.08, having added 0.9 per cent on Tuesday, as Germany’s move shook markets [...]
