Why some businesses will fail to see the writing on the wall February 17, 2013 IMAGINE you invent the pen in a world of only pencils. You are so excited – you are going to change people’s lives! Pens are easier to write with, easier to read, and don’t need sharpening. You dream of success. Mixed in with your excitement is a dose of paranoia. Of course, anyone could steal [...]
Salesman who still has faith in the high street February 17, 2013 SOME entrepreneurs stumble upon their calling accidentally. Not this one. The founder of one Britain’s few contemporary retail success stories describes himself as the archetypal entrepreneur. Jason Bannister had always wanted to start his own company, but didn’t always know where. A brief stint working in a golf club pro shop when he was 15 [...]
Export assistance is close at hand February 17, 2013 IN A study released last year, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) found that British companies that export see a 34 per cent increase in productivity within their first year of selling abroad. Unfortunately, according to Ernst & Young, only one in five small to medium-sized UK firms currently do so, compared to one in four [...]
FTSE falters as Vodafone and Amec see falls February 14, 2013 BENCHMARK share index fell from five-year highs, hit by weakness at telecoms group Vodafone and engineer AMEC, although many traders stayed positive on equities for the longer term. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index, which touched a five-year intraday high on Wednesday, closed down 0.5 per cent, or 31.75 points lower, at 6,327.36 yesterday. Some traders [...]
Wall St treads water despite surge in M&A February 14, 2013 THE S&P 500 eked out a small gain for a third straight session yesterday, helped by a flurry of merger activity, though investors see no catalysts to lift the market further with major averages near multi-year highs. The market’s slowed advance took the S&P 500 to its highest intraday level since November 2007 on Wednesday. [...]
Late rally sees FTSE 100 hit a five-year high February 13, 2013 THE FTSE 100 staged a late rally yesterday when shorts got squeezed by the continued resilience of the market on the back of rising investor confidence. Britain’s top share index closed up 20.73 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 6,359.11, and touched an intraday high of 6,384.70 – its highest in five years. The index, [...]
Caution keeps volumes low and Wall St flat February 13, 2013 US stocks drifted in light volume yesterday, ending little changed, as investors remained cautious after the S&P 500 index briefly hit its highest intraday level since November 2007. The S&P 500 was buoyed by General Electric after cable company Comcast said it will buy from GE the the part of NBCUniversal it didn’t already own [...]
Barclays leads FTSE to top day of month so far February 12, 2013 ASURGE in Barclays’ shares led the FTSE 100 past the psychologically important 6,300 level yesterday, as the blue chip bank’s planned overhaul raised hopes for the troubled sector’s revival. Barclays gained 8.4 per cent, leading FTSE 100 gainers and adding over 12 points to the index alone, after unveiling plans to slash annual costs by [...]
Dow heads to highs ahead of key speech February 12, 2013 US STOCKS closed modestly higher yesterday, putting the Dow within striking distance of an all-time high, as investors looked ahead to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Investors will be listening to Obama’s speech for any clues on a deal with Republicans to avert automatic spending cuts due to take effect on 1 [...]
How to gain emerging market exposure February 12, 2013 IT IS a well-known story. Emerging markets are playing a more significant role in global economic growth. Recent research from PwC has highlighted that emerging market GDP will exceed that of developed markets, in terms of purchasing power parity (which adjusts for differences in exchange rates), for the first time in 2013. Since 2002, the [...]
