CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS May 13, 2010 State Street Global Advisors The investment manager has appointed Lynn Blake as head of index equity. Blake, 45, is a long-standing veteran of the firm, having first joined 23 years ago. She has held positions as a portfolio manager and head of non-US markets in the global structured products group. She succeeds Paul Brakke, 53, [...]
BUSINESS GRANDEES RUB SHOULDERS WITH CELEBS AT ARK EXTRAVAGANZA May 13, 2010 HEDGE fund millionaires, business hotshots and celebrities alike flocked in their droves last night to the financial world’s most extravagant charity bash of the year – Arpad Busson’s annual ARK gala dinner. Busson himself is renowned in equal part for his stewardship of the EIM hedge fund, his phenomenal philanthropic efforts at the helm of [...]
FTSE hits two week high on stronger metal prices, but sentiment is fragile May 13, 2010 BRITAIN’S top stock index hit a two-week closing high yesterday as miners gained, tracking stronger metals prices, but persistent concerns about euro zone debt problems prompted investors to stay cautious. The FTSE 100 ended up 50.28 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,433.73, the highest close since 30 April. The blue chip index has gained [...]
Wall St plunges as fears of a fresh slump weigh May 13, 2010 US stocks fell yesterday as downbeat comments on the economy from tech company Cisco Systems and retail chain Kohl’s cast doubt on the strength of the US recovery. Cisco’s warnings about a still weak labour market and Kohl’s saying it was unconvinced a recovery was at hand underscored the downbeat mood among investors alreadly rattled [...]
What Clegg and Cameron will mean for your finances May 13, 2010 WHEN David Cameron and Nick Clegg stepped into 10 Downing Street together on Wednesday evening, it heralded a new era in British politics and a strong commitment to tackle Britain’s public finances. Unfortunately for those keeping a close eye on their money, their plans to get the country’s debts in order are going to have [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS May 13, 2010 POST OFFICE HAS NEW GROWTH BOND The Post Office has just launched a new growth bond, which offers one-, two- and three-year terms and with rates up to 4.10 per cent AER. The Growth Bond Issue 12 has a minimum opening deposit of £500 and a maximum of £1m. But additional deposits aren’t allowed and [...]
Kings of the pension world May 13, 2010 WHEN two people go into business together there’s always the potential that rivalry or a squabble could tear the whole project apart – just think of the Ambani brothers’ public spat in India. But in contrast to this are Robert Gardner and Dawid Konotey-Ahulu, the co-founders of Redington, an independent pensions advisory firm. Not only [...]
There is more to banking than just cash May 13, 2010 THE wealth management industry doesn’t seem like a natural fit for an entrepreneur. After years of building a business from scratch, why would you leave your hard-earned cash with a manager? But the industry is starting to directly target entrepreneurs and is actually tailoring packages solely for their needs. For example, Vestra Wealth set up [...]
Q&A: DATA SECURITY May 13, 2010 Q. I am a small business and all of the information I need is located on computers. How can I be sure it is safe? A. There are three main rules that every business should follow when thinking about making sure that all of their data is secure, says William Beer, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ director of OneSecurity. [...]
Buy into stability with a well-placed Tuscan property May 13, 2010 THERE have been many pretenders to the throne of Italian property gold, but the fact is that Tuscany is still the place everyone wants to be. The downside to any oversubscribed spot is inflated prices, but the upside, in the case of Toscana, is an extremely stable, not to mention lucrative investment – and proximity [...]