Hemscott rankings show FinnCap continues to expand Aim client base October 31, 2010 FINNCAP continues to add to its Aim-listed client base, taking it up the Aim advisers rankings compiled by Hemscott, a financial data company owned by Morningstar. The new ranking for the beginning of the fourth quarter in 2010 show that Capita Registrars and auditor Grant Thornton have amassed the highest number of Aim clients, at [...]
CLIFFORD CHANCE’S MR GRUMPY PASSES OVER HIS MR MEN MANTLE October 31, 2010 IT WAS farewell to a City legend at the end of last week, when Michael Smyth CBE – head of public policy at Clifford Chance – hung up his legal briefcase for the last time. Smyth has been a partner at the Magic Circle giant for 26 long years, and has fingers in numerous do-gooding [...]
BILL OF THE WEEK October 31, 2010 A DISTINCTLY unusual bill this week, courtesy of the Searcys champagne bar at St Pancras. Not because of the healthy amount of fizz consumed – seven bottles of high-quality stuff (a Billecart-Salmon Clos Saint Hilaire 1998, an Henriot Cuvee des Enchanteleurs 1988, and more from the Bollinger and Charles Heidsieck houses), plus a few cocktails and [...]
Sideways trading forecast ahead of expected QE2 October 31, 2010 THE call this morning is for stock markets to open unchanged, with markets likely to trade in a narrow band as caution prevails ahead of a potentially monumental week for economic events. GFT is quoting the FTSE 100 index to open unchanged from Friday’s close, at a level of 5,675. The German DAX 40 is [...]
WALL STREET WEEK AHEAD October 31, 2010 THE wait is almost over. After a two-month rally in the stock market, some investors are about to see if they get what they wished for: more Republicans in Congress and lots of cheap money. The US stock market has priced in the Republicans gaining ground in tomorrow’s midterm elections, an outcome widely seen as [...]
Chinese demand will keep the German engine roaring October 31, 2010 GERMANY certainly is the engine of Europe at the moment; it has powered its way out of the recession. Exports are booming, unemployment is expected to fall to levels last seen in the early 1990s and its current account is firmly in surplus. The blue-chip Dax index is the model of this good health, outperforming [...]
SPREAD BETTING NEWS October 31, 2010 BECOME CITY A.M.’S CHAMPION TRADER If you have ever fancied yourself as the next George Soros or John Paulson, then here’s your chance. City A.M. today launches its Champion Trader 2010 competition in conjunction with Interbank FX. The fantasy trading game has a prize pot of £10,000 and is free to enter. All traders start [...]
In search of the modern El Dorado October 31, 2010 THE world has been watching South America. Yesterday saw the Brazilian presidential election, while Argentina has been surprised by the death of Néstor Kirchner – an event that, slightly worryingly, sparked a huge rally in the Argentinean stock market. More prominent still were the Chilean miners whose plight last month captivated millions. Given all that, [...]
THE TIPSTER October 31, 2010 THERE’S plenty of economic announcements and data for the markets to digest this week. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will give its verdict on quantitative easing on Wednesday, while the Bank of England and the European Central Bank announce their decisions on Thursday lunchtime. Markets have recently retraced and some good data could provide [...]
SPREAD BET GURU October 31, 2010 MARKET STRATEGIST josh@cityindex.com Q. Dear Josh, what is the market expecting from the Fed this week? A. The market is expecting the Federal Reserve to announce a second round of quantitative easing (QE2), designed to bolster the US economic recovery. Indeed, many of the recent gains in equity markets have been caused by this belief [...]
