Will the £29.7m fine imposed on UBS by the FSA reduce the risk of future rogue trading? November 26, 2012 YES David McCluskey The extra capital requirements proposed by the Financial Stability Board reflect the global effort to make banks safer post 2008. But to really change the way banks deal with risk, we need a culture where risk management is prioritised and adequately resourced in all financial institutions. The FSA’s enforcement agenda increasingly focuses [...]
Rapid responses November 26, 2012 Bill please [Re: There must be no compromise on our own press freedom, Monday] Brendan O’Neill is right to invoke the spirit of the First Amendment that guarantees freedom of speech – and by extension, freedom of the press. He highlights a gaping hole in our political institutions: we do not have a simplified Bill [...]
Japan’s companies are in dire need of a boost November 26, 2012 THE Bank of Japan (BoJ) has a real problem. Japan has an astronomical debt burden, ailing exports (hurt by a strong yen), and a population that cannot be persuaded to spend its way out of recession. October saw the fifth straight month of export declines, down 6.5 per cent on the year. Japan has been hit [...]
How traders could pilot festive market sentiment November 26, 2012 AS CHRISTMAS rolls around, many market pundits will once again seek to explain away the typical bull market sentiment as a seasonal anomaly – or indeed, to give it full moniker, a Father Christmas rally. But is this actually something you can hope to trade successfully? Or is this seasonal sentiment nothing more than a [...]
The Tipster | Thomas Cook struggles to fly November 26, 2012 DOUBTS remain over whether tomorrow’s full-year results from Thomas Cook Group will launch another take-off for the travel company. Even though its shares are up by over 30 per cent over the last year, many seem unconvinced whether the firm can fly any higher. Chief executive Harriet Green is set to unveil a new strategy, [...]
No reason to fear UK downgrade November 26, 2012 THE downgrade of the UK’s credit rating by at least one of the three major agencies looks increasingly likely in the New Year. But losing the triple-A crown may not be such a big deal after all. The most important fallout from a downgrade will probably be political. George Osborne has hung his hat on [...]
Analyst picks for 27 November 2012 November 26, 2012 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Long dollar-yen and gold Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few days I closed my long Aussie-dollar position from $1.0318 at $1.0390, for a profit of +72-pips. I also closed my euro-dollar long position from $1.2720 at $1.2790 for a [...]
Minimalist running: is less really best? November 26, 2012 Minimalist SHOES are having quite the moment right now, helped, in part, by the success of the Vibram Five Finger shoe. The “barefoot” running shoe has appeared on the feet of high flyers, most notably actor Shailene Woodley, who ill advisedly sported a pair with a designer frock at this year’s Golden Globes. Their popularity, [...]
PPI fines to hit £16bn November 25, 2012 TOTAL PPI compensation payouts are likely to hit £16bn, according to new estimates out today, providing a £10bn boost to consumer spending but crippling shareholders and hitting banks’ ability to lend to firms and individuals. The PPI payouts are reaching such a scale that they are being described as a bank windfall tax in all [...]
Changing face of the City as workforce diversifies November 25, 2012 THE CITY is far more diverse than the UK as a whole, with proportionally far more ethnic minorities and non-British workers than the general population, research released today reveals. A report from recruitment firm Astbury Marsden finds that just seven in 10 financial services workers in the Square Mile and Canary Wharf are white, compared [...]
