There is zero virtue in involuntary high taxes October 18, 2011 WARREN Buffett has famously claimed that he is happy to pay a higher rate of income tax. He figures that, given all he has gained from society, it is only right that he give a lot back. President Obama’s proposed new tax on incomes above $1m has even been dubbed the Buffett tax. This week [...]
RAPID RESPONSES October 18, 2011 Innovation first Norman Lewis makes some good points [Steve Jobs was an amazing businessman – but Einstein’s the genius behind the iPod, yesterday] but while pure science is clearly important, many innovations precede the science. We flew long before we knew how, we used electricity long before we understood what it was and we continue [...]
Exiting difficulties give illiquid Scandis limited appeal as a safe haven October 18, 2011 WITH no end in sight for market volatility, options are dwindling for investors seeking safe haven currencies. Six weeks ago, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) made the bold move of putting a floor under the euro-Swiss franc exchange rate at SFr1.20. When it announced the move, the SNB said that it would protect the franc [...]
FAITH IN EU SUMMIT IS MISPLACED October 18, 2011 THIS week the focus in the currency market is squarely on the EU summit scheduled for 23 October, but the event itself may prove to be anticlimactic and could serve as a perfect sell- the-news moment even if the Eurozone officials manage to produce a reasonable plan to deal with the sovereign debt crisis. Over [...]
THE TIPSTER October 18, 2011 The rally in sterling from recent lows has hit the skids in the last few days, with sterling-Japanese yen playing the technical levels beautifully again. After topping out almost exactly on the 50-day simple moving average at ¥122.47 and just above trend-line resistance going back to the April highs of ¥139, it has pulled back [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS October 18, 2011 FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Scalp dollar-yen and short Kiwi dollar-dollar Expertise: Fundamental analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week I had a mixed bag last week with my short euro-sterling hitting its stop at its new resistance, while sterling-dollar hit its initial target. We are seeing [...]
Take a binary bet on currency pair movements with GFT’s latest offer October 18, 2011 GFT’S founder and chief executive Gary Tilkin is in bullish mood. This week, his firm launches its latest innovation, a platform for binary trades, where traders can simply make yes/no predictions about whether a financial event will happen. The platform covers foreign exchange, but also popular indices and commodities. “It’s an idea I had a [...]
Global standards are set to provoke continental shifts in accounting rules October 18, 2011 HEAD OF ACCA UK IN THE eye of another economic storm, the issue of whether the world will take a step closer to having one set of accounting standards may not be at the top of most executives’ minds. Yet, in less than a month, the way in which companies around the world report their [...]
Pampering your leather October 18, 2011 IT may sound obvious that the number one rule of leather-care is… to take care of your leather. But when you think about the amount of wear and tear that happens when you haul your holdall through customs, scrape your bag through tube doors, drop your wallet in puddles, you start thinking that maybe this [...]
HOW TO GET DRESSED October 18, 2011 FOUNDERS OF ROUS ILAND MEMBERS’ BOUTIQUE Q. I love the idea of wearing heels but can’t bear my feet being uncomfortable. In the summer I can get away with pretty sandals and espadrilles, but I find winter really hard. What can I wear that’s suitable? A. The historic answer to this question has been to [...]
