When traders and chatrooms go hand-in-hand August 12, 2008 Investors can now exchange ideas online, Katie Hope assesses the pros and cons Social networking sites are nothing new. Millions of people every day log on to Facebook to update their profile, “poke” their mates and throw sheep at each other, but the trend has now hit Contracts for Difference (CFD) trading. While adding chatrooms, [...]
Volatile markets give London Capital Group a boost as interim profits soar August 8, 2008 Volatile market conditions helped profits more than double at spread betting firm London Capital Group over the past six months, its interim results revealed yesterday. Profits before tax rose 52 per cent to £5.43m in the six months to the end of June as sharp falls in share prices tempted more people to try spread [...]
Why running a spreadbetting giant is just the ticket for this maths buff August 7, 2008 The boss of IG tells Katie Hope how volatile financial markets are boosting his industry Question: what do mathematicians and spread-betters have in common? Answer: quite a lot, it turns out, as exemplified by the man at the very top of the UK’s largest spread betting and contracts for difference firm IG Index. Tim Howkins, [...]
Michael Page rebuffs bid from Adecco August 6, 2008 A bid significantly above £1bn will be needed to secure recruitment firm Michael Page, analysts said yesterday, as Swiss rival Adecco confirmed an approach. Adecco’s bid approach, which it said was at an early stage, was believed to be around 350p a share, a level deemed too low by analysts. “On valuation ,(the) rumoured 350-370 [...]
The top five tools to improve your trading August 5, 2008 Master technical analysis, but don’t get too bogged down in the details, says Katie Hope Any body logging onto a retail contracts for difference (CFD) trading platform for the first time could end up a bit dazzled. It’s like an online 80s disco, all flashing lights and neon colours. Just add some leg warmers and [...]
Water world August 4, 2008 Piedmont is wet, but perfect for the outdoors enthusiast, discovers Katie Hope Every nation has its eccentric national pursuits. The Japanese play pachinko – an addictive cross between pinball and a fruit machine which pays out metal balls; the Dutch eat chips with mayonnaise; the Spanish fight bulls. And in Northern Italy, come the weekend [...]
MPC decision on knife edge August 4, 2008 The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) decision on interest rates on Thursday will be a close call according to leading analysts who believe a hike is possible. The nine-member committee, which has left rates on hold at 5 per cent for the past three months, was split three ways in July with the [...]
UK recession looms July 30, 2008 The UK is drifting into a recession, leading economists warned yesterday, as approvals for British home loans in June hit their lowest level since records began and retail sales fell at their fastest pace in at least a quarter of a century. Home mortgage approvals, loans that are agreed but not yet made, fell in [...]
Tesco buys out RBS in £950m deal July 29, 2008 Britain’s retail giant is to take full control of its Tesco Personal Finance joint venture Tesco, the retail giant that already dominates the grocery market, is accelerating its push into financial services with a £950m buyout of the 50 per cent it does not own of its financial services joint venture with RBS. The buyout [...]
Knowing when to dip your toe in the water July 29, 2008 There are lots of indicators that can tell a trader when to take the buy and sell, writes Katie Hope One trader I know reckons whether he has a good or a bad trading day depends on whether he has had time for a bath that morning or not. A half hour soak at 5.30am [...]
