RAPID RESPONSES February 6, 2012 Shrinking R&D It is not correct to blame intensified regulation for the pharmaceutical industry’s woes [Regulation has pushed pharma off a cliff-edge, yesterday]. The statistics actually show that per new drug application, the FDA’s record of approving new drugs has stayed more or less unchanged over the past decade. The problem is that research and [...]
Grey trading on the Facebook IPO price February 6, 2012 AS THE buzz continues about the Facebook public offering later this year, IG Markets is offering grey market trading on the social networking site’s market cap. The grey market allows shares to be traded on an unofficial market ahead of the IPO expected in May. When it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on [...]
A NEW THEME FOR THE EURO DESPITE AN AILING ATHENS February 6, 2012 ANOTHER week has passed by without a deal from Athens and the currency markets are clearly starting to suffer from headline fatigue. While the risks are quite serious, the markets continue to believe in an 11th hour deal – which is why the fallout in the euro has been relatively modest. Yet the longer the [...]
THE TIPSTER BELLWAY HOPING TO CHIME IN PROFITS February 6, 2012 INVESTORS in housing firm Bellway will be hoping that the company won’t be dropping any clangers tomorrow when it releases its latest trading update, but instead will be looking for signs that the future is still relatively appealing. The last update back in December 2011 was positively ringing with optimism, with the company noting that [...]
China’s fate tangled with Eurozone February 6, 2012 AS CHINA’S economic power grows, its authorities are increasingly willing to punch their weight on the international stage. The decision to direct Chinese airlines to ignore the European Union’s carbon-emissions system is a slap in the face. But can China really afford to be sanguine? The latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests [...]
Analyst picks for 7 February 2012 February 6, 2012 STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short S&P 500, long euro-Swissie, long dollar-yen Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week The prevailing risk appetite run that has guided the markets since the beginning of the year ended last week with another thrust. There are a [...]
Give your face a winter’s break with a super-facial February 6, 2012 BATTLING the cold requires all sorts of snuggly warm vestments. The only bit of skin left literally in the cold is your face. The effect is dryness, redness and lost luminosity. Panic not, though, if a week at a Maldives spa is not on the cards this Februrary. There are two new facials in London [...]
FIT IN THE CITY February 6, 2012 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT SO apparently two-thirds of us have now ditched our new health regimes. One of the main reasons? Bordeom. Here’s my pick of the bunch for how best to mix it up for the rest of the year. For the daredevil: If the novelty’s worn off your bog standard 10K race, think [...]
Episode 45: a very private conversation February 6, 2012 “Is this where I’m supposed to – what? – just talk?” I ask eventually. “I wouldn’t say ‘just’ talk,” my interlocutor replies. “But yes, talking, freely, about whatever strikes you as interesting would be, well, interesting.” Silence.“Perhaps you could start by exploring why you’re here.” “I’ve just been to Perth. Well, a few hundred miles [...]
Sweeten your Valentine’s Day with our gift guide February 6, 2012 Valentine’s day can be a minefield for the unprepared. Come home on the day with a bunch of supermarket flowers and a box of Quality Street and you may as well bed in at the office and prepare for that big meeting the next day. The discerning partner expects far more. Thankfully, we have done [...]
