SPREAD BET GURU May 16, 2010 MARKET STRATEGIST josh@cityindex.com Q. Dear Josh, why is a huge budget deficit a problem for the equity markets? A. Spiralling deficits from several countries within the Eurozone and the UK have been one of the main drivers of equity weakness over the past few weeks. Stock traders tend to think about what is coming next [...]
FTSE hits two week high on stronger metal prices, but sentiment is fragile May 13, 2010 BRITAIN’S top stock index hit a two-week closing high yesterday as miners gained, tracking stronger metals prices, but persistent concerns about euro zone debt problems prompted investors to stay cautious. The FTSE 100 ended up 50.28 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,433.73, the highest close since 30 April. The blue chip index has gained [...]
Wall St plunges as fears of a fresh slump weigh May 13, 2010 US stocks fell yesterday as downbeat comments on the economy from tech company Cisco Systems and retail chain Kohl’s cast doubt on the strength of the US recovery. Cisco’s warnings about a still weak labour market and Kohl’s saying it was unconvinced a recovery was at hand underscored the downbeat mood among investors alreadly rattled [...]
What Clegg and Cameron will mean for your finances May 13, 2010 WHEN David Cameron and Nick Clegg stepped into 10 Downing Street together on Wednesday evening, it heralded a new era in British politics and a strong commitment to tackle Britain’s public finances. Unfortunately for those keeping a close eye on their money, their plans to get the country’s debts in order are going to have [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS May 13, 2010 POST OFFICE HAS NEW GROWTH BOND The Post Office has just launched a new growth bond, which offers one-, two- and three-year terms and with rates up to 4.10 per cent AER. The Growth Bond Issue 12 has a minimum opening deposit of £500 and a maximum of £1m. But additional deposits aren’t allowed and [...]
Kings of the pension world May 13, 2010 WHEN two people go into business together there’s always the potential that rivalry or a squabble could tear the whole project apart – just think of the Ambani brothers’ public spat in India. But in contrast to this are Robert Gardner and Dawid Konotey-Ahulu, the co-founders of Redington, an independent pensions advisory firm. Not only [...]
There is more to banking than just cash May 13, 2010 THE wealth management industry doesn’t seem like a natural fit for an entrepreneur. After years of building a business from scratch, why would you leave your hard-earned cash with a manager? But the industry is starting to directly target entrepreneurs and is actually tailoring packages solely for their needs. For example, Vestra Wealth set up [...]
Q&A: DATA SECURITY May 13, 2010 Q. I am a small business and all of the information I need is located on computers. How can I be sure it is safe? A. There are three main rules that every business should follow when thinking about making sure that all of their data is secure, says William Beer, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ director of OneSecurity. [...]
Fixed income ETFs or futures: the big debate May 12, 2010 WITH a sovereign debt crisis threatening to bubble over and corporate bonds regaining their popularity as companies strengthen their balance sheets, fixed income has once again returned to the forefront of investors’ minds as an alternative trade to equities. Traditionally, traders would turn either to the futures markets or to fixed income funds as a [...]
Access Islamic finance in the UK with an ETF May 12, 2010 THE last two years have shaken traditional western forms of finance to the core. Lax regulation combined with complex trading products proved to be a lethal cocktail and governments across the developed world are now picking up the bill for hefty bailouts. But should investors be looking at other financial models to invest their cash? [...]
