SPREAD BET GURU February 14, 2010 Q.Dear Josh, what should I keep an eye out for this week when trading equities? A.We are getting stuck in to the UK earnings season now and there are a number of firms announcing this week, including Barclays, Intercontinental Hotels, BAE Systems and the miner Anglo American. Barclays will be the major focus because it [...]
THE TIPSTER PROFIT FROM THE SELL-OFF AND BUY CHEAP February 14, 2010 A STRONGER dollar and concerns about the global economic outlook have caused a pullback in commodity prices in recent weeks. This has put downward pressure on the shares of oil majors such as BP and Shell, which have both fallen 10 per cent since 12 January. By buying these at current levels, you are getting [...]
Banks suffer as concerns over their Greek exposure weigh February 11, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed 0.6 per cent higher on Thursday, as gains in commodities outpaced falls in banks, which remained mired in uncertainty over Eurozone’s plans to deal with Greece’s debt problems. BT Group slumped 8.8 per cent, topping the losers’s list on the FTSE 100 and hitting a more than six-month low after [...]
Caterpillar’s profits give Dow a boost February 11, 2010 US stocks rose on Thursday after a pledge by European leaders to support debt-laden Greece eased fears of a broader Eurozone crisis and upbeat data from China spurred mining and material stocks. Data pointing to stabilisation in the US labor market gave the market a further boost, along with a broker upgrade of bellwether 3M, [...]
Why every firm needs a Facebook February 11, 2010 BACK when they started out in the corporate world Mike Powell and Ken Yeadon can remember a time when computers were rare. That was back in the mid 1980s when they both started work in HSBC’s trading department. A quarter of a century later and things have changed. Now, through their private equity company Thematic [...]
Business pitches in 140 letters February 11, 2010 EVERY budding entrepreneur dreams of meeting a Richard Branson or Alan Sugar, but for most people it never moves beyond the realm of fantasy. Not any more. Simon Dolan, an entrepreneur who made his fortune establishing accountancy firms including SJD Accounting, is investing £5m of his own money in entrepreneurs. But, Dolan’s investing style has [...]
Q&A SHARE PLANS February 11, 2010 Q. I am an entrepreneur and I am thinking about a share scheme for my employees. What are the benefits for the employer and employee? A.Typically, employee share ownership schemes, or share option schemes, are used by small businesses for the same reasons that they are used by large multi-national corporations: to incentivise, reward and [...]
Possible solution to Eurozone debt woes boosts FTSE 100 February 10, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading shares added 0.4 per cent yesterday as financial issues drew strength from a possible solution to Eurozone debt worries, offsetting a retreat by heavyweight commodity shares. The FTSE 100 ended 20.15 points higher at 5,131.99, recovering from a session low of 5,105.30 in the afternoon but still well below the morning peak of [...]
US stocks dip after Bernanke strategy February 10, 2010 US stocks dipped yesterday as worries over Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s strategy after the economy recovers offset optimism about a possible rescue for debt-burdened Greece. Trading volume was light, with many participants leaving early because of an East Coast snowstorm. The French daily Le Monde wrote that France and Germany were set to present [...]
ETFs are ideal for commercial property plays February 10, 2010 ONE of the biggest casualties of the financial crisis was the commercial property sector – capital values slumped 45 per cent in the UK, according to the Investment Property Databank (IPD). The recession also saw occupier demand contract, which drove up vacancy rates and forced down rents. But since the summer, we have seen an [...]
