Why critics of ETFs should be ignored June 5, 2011 IN the UK, like in many other countries, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are increasingly becoming a threat to old-school fund managers. ETFs, for those not yet familiar with the product, are investment funds that are traded on stock markets – like ordinary shares. But perhaps because of their growing popularity with investors, who enjoy their [...]
Nintendo says it was hacked but users safe June 5, 2011 NINTENDO has revealed it is the latest victim of online hackers after a security breach at a US data centre. The Japanese firm said it had experienced a “possible hacking attack” but said no customer or company information was accessed. Nintendo will be desperate to ensure it is not drawn into a crisis like the [...]
Opec may finally turn the production tap on June 5, 2011 IF you aren’t following the oil story, maybe you should be. I mean, sure, you probably know that oil prices are higher, and that you’re paying more at the pumps, but the importance of this Thursday’s meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) can’t be understated. Usually, a bunch of oil ministers [...]
Tony Hayward’s latest project Vallares set for a summer IPO June 5, 2011 FORMER BP chief executive Tony Hayward’s latest project, an oil acquisition vehicle set up with Nathaniel Rothschild, is due to unveil its intention to float as soon as this week. The project, known as Vallares, is in early talks with investors to raise around £1bn to buy up oil assets, and is thought to be [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 5, 2011 Merchant Securities Lindsey Hamilton, formerly head of wealth management at WH Ireland Group, has been appointed as sales director of Merchant Securities Wealth Management. In addition, Chris Theis will join Merchant Securities Limited in August as head of institutional sales and research, moving from Daniel Stewart & Co. AXA Real Estate The real estate manager [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS June 5, 2011 AXA Goldman Sachs rates the firm “neutral” and has raised its target price by €0.50 to €16.50 (£14.70). The broker expects the bulk of capital generated over the 2011 to 2015 period to be used shoring up its balance sheet. INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS Deutsche Bank rates the hotels group a “hold” and has raised its target [...]
FTSE set to drop as Dow has worst losses since 2004 June 5, 2011 THE FTSE is set to take a negative steer from the US this morning, with the Dow Jones blue chip index hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the weekend press, having hit its worst losing streak since 2004. In out-of-hours trading, GFT is forecasting the UK index to trade lower from Friday’s [...]
Expect a roller-coaster of a time with European equities June 5, 2011 AFTER a decent year, European equities had a volatile and underwhelming time of things last month. Looking forward, it is a tale of two futures: either strong international companies profiting on the back of emerging market growth, or national divisions bringing an end to monetary union. Either way, there will be opportunities for spread betters [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD in association with GFT June 5, 2011 COMPANIES ● Today, Eckoh reports its earnings. It provides the technology for automated call centres. Sorry, could you please repeat that? ● Also today, Gesco, which works with oil and gas companies, will report. Investors will hope that – like others in the sector – it has been able to drill into the gushing profits [...]
THE TIPSTER June 5, 2011 SHARES in online clothes retailer Asos tumbled nearly £2 on Friday, despite pre-tax profits rising 41 per cent to £28.6m. Asos is an AIM-listed company with a market cap of £1.6bn, so the question remains how sustainable the price is at almost five times sales. You can’t knock the ambition though. It has big plans [...]
