Marathon effort for green pioneer February 18, 2010 TO DO this job, you must be an optimist first and foremost, says Steve Mahon, founder of Low Carbon Accelerator, the venture capital firm that specialises in green technology investment. Set up in October 2006, it was the first green technology fund to list on Aim. Attracting institutional investors was a lengthy battle: “The investment [...]
Entrepreneurs head to school February 18, 2010 MOST profiles of Richard Branson tend to include his lack of academic credentials – he left school at 16. Similarly, Microsoft founder Bill Gates was a Harvard drop-out. This could lead some people to deduce that you are either born with an entrepreneurial spirit or you are not. However, the study of entrepreneurship has now [...]
Q&A PUBLIC SECTOR BIDS February 18, 2010 Q. What should I consider if I want to bid for work on a public sector project? A.The first thing to think about is whether a public sector contract is right for the size of your company, says Matthew Perkins, deputy regional manager for south-west London at Business Link, the government business resource body. Bidding [...]
British stocks hold their shine in spite of gloom February 17, 2010 UNEMPLOYMENT is high, the economy is barely out of recession and the UK’s fiscal deficit is cause for concern. Compared to emerging markets where growth is storming ahead, it seems like a no-brainer as to where to invest. Barclays Stockbrokers’ clients agree – half think emerging markets will deliver the greatest returns in 2010 while [...]
Industry rises from the ashes to drive growth February 17, 2010 AMERICAN industry appears to be benfitting from a second wind. As the world’s largest economy emerges from recession, it’s industry that’s leading the way while the service sector is only just managing to hobble back to life. In recent years the US has re-directed its economy towards the service sector and, in particular, the consumer. [...]
DOLLAR AND GOLD SPELL UNCERTAINTY February 17, 2010 STRONG demand for gold from investors in recent weeks has been prompted in part by the current issues surrounding Greece. For much of the past year, if gold was rising then the US dollar was likely to be falling, given that gold is often used as a dollar hedge – especially during the unprecedented monetary [...]
The Tipster February 17, 2010 SOVEREIGN debt troubles had created plenty of turmoil in the global markets, but over the past few days, equity markets have been discounting the negative news flow to stage a bit of a recovery. Traders should be aware that the strength in European equities is often preceded by a good performance in the Asian markets [...]
INVESTORS’ GLOSSARY February 17, 2010 CREDIT DEFAULT SWAP (CDS) A CDS is a derivative instrument that can protect the holder of corporate or sovereign debt from the event that a company or government defaults on their debt obligations. It works like a basic swap: the buyer of the CDS gives the seller a series of payments. In return, the buyer [...]
Good day for blue-chips sees FTSE flirt with the 5,300 level February 17, 2010 Britain’s top share index rose for the third consecutive day yesterday, led by financials and miners on bullish corporate results and economic data, and adding to growing optimism over the health of the global economy. The FTSE 100 ended up 32.58 points, or 0.6 per cent at 5,276.64, touching a two-week high during the session [...]
US shares gain as data boosts mood February 17, 2010 Stronger-than-expected corporate results and upbeat economic data drove US stocks higher yesterday as they fed expectations the recovery will bolster corporate profits. Deere & Co, the world’s largest farm equipment maker, led markets after its results beat expectations and it raised its outlook for the year ahead. Shares gained five per cent to $56.48. The [...]
