SPREAD BET GURU March 28, 2010 JOSHUA RAYMOND MARKET STRATEGIST josh@cityindex.com Q. Dear Josh, with the EU and IMF finally agreeing a bailout for Greece, what is the focus now for the euro? A. Make no mistake, the constant uncertainty within the Eurozone concerning the spiralling deficit problems of Greece and the other so-called Pigs nations has been a major factor [...]
THE TIPSTER March 28, 2010 SHARES in HMV have been on a general downward trend since reaching highs of 159.50p in April last year. However, after announcing a strategy review last week, which will see the firm increase its involvement in live music and ticketing, its share price jumped by 10 per cent. Spreadex has a June-based HMV contract with [...]
Cleaning up after the crisis March 25, 2010 BEING an entrepreneur is in Celestino Amore’s DNA, both his father and grandfather had their own businesses. “I knew that I would start something on my own, it was just a matter of when.” The moment came in January 2009 when Amore founded Illiquidx, a financial services boutique that specialises in distressed assets. As its [...]
Mixed reactions to yesterday’s Budget March 25, 2010 THE chancellor’s Budget speech contained many references to entrepreneurs, but what was the substance, and will small businesses actually benefit? The main announcement was a one-off £2.5bn package to help small businesses. However, not all of this money will go directly to helping entrepreneurs. “The package includes all sorts of things including the university regeneration [...]
TRIBUNALS March 25, 2010 Q. I am being taken to a tribunal by my employee, how can I best prepare for it? A.The earlier you take advice the better, according to Martina Murphy, a barrister and also a member of the Federation for Small Businesses’ employment committee. And you don’t have to go to a lawyer to get advice. [...]
FTSE 100 soars to 21-month high boosted by Greek bailout March 25, 2010 BRITAIN’S top shares hit a 21-month closing high for the third day in a row yesterday, helped by a rally in banks as sovereign debt concerns faded, while retailers were boosted by upbeat results from Next and UK retail sales. The FTSE 100 ended 49.77 points higher at 5,727.65, finishing above the 5,700-mark for the [...]
Wall St flat due to fears of debt crisis March 25, 2010 US stocks ended flat yesterday, dropping off earlier highs as a weak US bond auction and global debt concerns continued to weigh on investor sentiment. Indexes advanced for most of the session, with the Dow and S&P hitting fresh 18-month highs, but their gains mostly disappeared after the auction of seven-year notes and comments from [...]
Budget fails to boost market as FTSE 100 treads water March 24, 2010 BRITAIN’S top shares added 0.1 per cent yesterday as strength in miners and banks was balanced out by weakness in energy issues, with little overall impact from a Budget that contained few surprises. At the close, the FTSE 100 was up 4.25 points at 5,677.88, having hit a fresh 21-month intra-day peak at 5,698.87 early [...]
Sovereign debt hits Wall St sentiment March 24, 2010 AMERICAN stocks fell yesterday as Portugal’s credit rating downgrade and a weak Treasury note auction stirred concerns about sovereign debt. Major indexes eased a day after hitting 18-month highs, with losses across most sectors on light volume. Worries centered on countries’ ability to pay their debt, bolstering the dollar and hurting commodity-related stocks. Portugal’s rating [...]
How to make the most from the UK’s weak fiscal position March 24, 2010 CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling may have received jeers from the opposition while he delivered his Budget yesterday, but one thing all of the UK’s political parties agree on is that the projected £167bn budget deficit needs to be reduced. While the proposed timing of the deficit reduction differs between the parties, public spending will get the [...]
