Booming Vietnam’s image is a generation out of date November 19, 2015 When most westerners think about Vietnam, they tend to think of war movies, chronicling the country’s relatively recent anti-colonial struggles against first the French and then the US. But such a view has outlived its shelf life, for Vietnam is now a country worth betting on. The Vietnamese Communist Party, much like its Beijing counterpart, [...]
Ladies who don’t lunch: Lady Barbara Judge talks first impressions and why moderation is boring November 19, 2015 Ping! A reply from Lady Barbara Judge drops in my inbox, exactly 15 minutes after I sent over an email asking her whether she would be available for a “ladies lunch”. “Dear Maike I would be glad to do it. The problem is to find a date. With best regards, Barbara.” Surprised and pleased at [...]
Alarm bells sound for global growth: What does it mean for investors? November 19, 2015 The state of the world economy is spooking analysts. In October, the IMF downgraded its global growth forecast for 2015 to 3.1 per cent, from the 3.3 per cent it predicted in July. Last week, the OECD added to the gloom, trimming its 2015 forecast for world output growth to 2.9 per cent on the [...]
Locked & loaded: Is buying a gun a good investment? November 19, 2015 Is a gun a good investment? “Only if it’s in tip-top condition,” says Giles Marriott, who runs the eponymous family dealer business. “The condition needs to be impeccable, and it must be from one of the best makers. Take a bet on a second-rate gun, and you’re playing a dangerous game.” If you know what [...]
The fossil fuel divestment campaign is deeply misguided November 19, 2015 In theory, the increasingly noisy campaign for fossil fuel divestment, which aims to convince people and organisations to get rid of their shares in fossil fuel companies, could be an excellent example of consumer pressure in action: few of us can do without petrol or electricity, but we can signal our disapproval of the businesses [...]
What will secondary markets look like in crowdfunding and P2P? And what should investors be thinking about? November 19, 2015 Imagine you’d loaned money to a company via a debt-based crowdfunding platform. The term of the loan was 10 years, but after five, despite earning a decent return on it, you decide you want the original loan amount back. This is where a secondary market comes in, allowing you to sell your previously issued security [...]
Fintech Lookahead 2016: The disruptors you should be looking out for November 19, 2015 What can we expect to see from the fintech industry over the coming year? And what kinds of companies are leading the charge? In its 2015 Global Banking Annual Review, McKinsey said that “banks are under attack from new technology companies and others seeking to poach their customers. To date, banks’ losses to attackers have [...]
Alt Fi Data on its new report, why transparency is so badly needed and what platforms need to do now November 19, 2015 It's been difficult to garner much substantive data on the equity crowdfunding industry. Reports have often been scanty, or just inaccurate. Evidently, the youth of the industry has meant that samples have not been large enough, or raises not long enough ago, to draw any meaningful conclusions. But with most of the larger players [...]
Tech unicorn bubble? When building a business, watch out or you could end up swimming with sharks November 18, 2015 We see it all the time: the latest tech darling pouring time and money into raising their profile. The company sponsors every event going, turn up to panels flanked by more advisors than a politician and their picture is in every newspaper going. Don't get me wrong. In many cases this is deserved attention, as good [...]
More than half of retirement savers are confused on pension freedom tax rules November 18, 2015 Over half of retirement savers are unclear on what the tax rules are following the launch of pension freedoms, according to new research. The study, by employee benefits consultancy Portcus, showed 53 per cent of those saving for retirement are confused on tax rules in the wake of new pension freedoms. The study pointed to a "worrying" view on tax, [...]
