FTSE hits lowest level since November on valuation fears January 28, 2010 RENEWED worries about the global economy dragged Britain’s top share index to its lowest close in nearly three months yesterday, with commodity stocks falling sharply and drugmaker AstraZeneca dipping on weak results. The FTSE 100 ended down 1.4 per cent, or 71.73 points, at 5,145.74, its lowest close since 6 November, after the index finished [...]
Wall St hit as tech results disappoint January 28, 2010 US stocks fell yesterday as poor outlooks from Motorola and Qualcomm dented optimism in the technology sector while worries about Greece’s fiscal health dragged on sentiment. Qualcomm shares tumbled 14.2 per cent to $40.48 and Motorola slid 12.4 per cent to $6.48 after both companies’ earnings and outlooks fell short of expectations. “They did exactly [...]
The man with the Midas touch January 28, 2010 FEW people can say that Gordon Brown gave them a great business idea. Paul Tustain, the founder of BullionVault.com, the internet-based gold trading firm, can. When the current prime minister, then chancellor of the exchequer, sold off the nation’s gold supply in the late 90s, Tustain decided that was a good signal to buy. But [...]
Update your business profile January 28, 2010 For the past couple of years Facebook’s primary use has been to keep in contact with old friends and family. Likewise, when people think of Twitter they might think of Ashton Kutcher or Stephen Fry tweeting their latest thoughts in less than 140 characters. But the need to cut overheads during the recession – especially [...]
Q&A VENTURE CAPITAL? January 28, 2010 Q. I would like to get venture capital funding for my new start-up, but how do I go about getting it? A.The first thing you should do is research. Most venture capital (VC) firms focus their funding in a particular area. Start by looking for VC firms that specialise in your area. Once you know [...]
London slumps to a five-week low led by bank and oil stocks January 27, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index hit a five-week closing low yesterday, dragged down by energy stocks and banks ahead of the conclusion of a US Federal Reserve policy meeting. The FTSE 100 closed down 59.38 points, or 1.1 per cent, at 5,217.47, its lowest close since 18 December. The index gained 0.3 per cent on Tuesday, [...]
Wall St rises after Fed rates held again January 27, 2010 US stocks rose yesterday after the US Federal Reserve said it will keep interest rates near zero and ahead of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address tonight. But the Nasdaq got a late surge from of almost one per cent in the shares of Apple after the iPad’s debut. Market analysts said the [...]
Moral hazard meets Greek tragedy for EU January 27, 2010 MOORAD CHOUDHRY HEAD OF TREASURY, EUROPE ARAB BANK THE public sector deficit issue in Greece appears to be heading for a dénouement with the market getting jittery about Greek government bonds and wondering whether the country will default, or even withdraw from the Eurozone. A sovereign default is a serious issue at the best of [...]
Only the severest policy can restore confidence January 27, 2010 IN ALL the furore surrounding Greece, it has been easy to forget about the other Eurozone members struggling to stay afloat. Portugal, Spain and Ireland have all been suffering from ballooning deficits and rapidly rising unemployment, to the extent that all three have experienced government debt downgrades by at least one ratings agency. But while [...]
Not all tracking is equal, and it can pay to know which your ETP uses January 27, 2010 ONE of the biggest attractions of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is that they track indices such as the FTSE 100, giving investors exposure to the performance of these benchmarks without requiring them to hold actual shares. In order to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible, the fund has to include exposure [...]
