INTERIORS May 5, 2011 Tim Hassell DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL LONDON LETTINGS FIRM DRAKER LETTINGS, SPECIALISING IN BELGRAVIA, CHELSEA, KENSINGTON AND PIMLICO Q. I have received an offer on my property from a tenant who has a dog. Should I allow tenants to have pets? A. Generally pets such as dogs or cats can cause a lot of wear and [...]
What bouncing dead cats can teach traders about markets May 2, 2011 WHEN it comes to free-falling stocks, as the adage goes, if you can keep your head while all around you are losing theirs, you have probably failed to properly grasp the situation. However, when the market starts to dive, you should keep an eye out for stock prices to do what has long been known [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD in association with GFT April 17, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● On Tuesday, RBS will hold its AGM. The Treasury, on behalf of British taxpayers, still owns the majority of its shares. ● Tesco will report on Tuesday. Every little helps. Fellow FTSE 100 companies Reed Elsevier and Hargreaves Lansdown will be posting first quarter and third quarter results respectively. It’s a busy [...]
Look east for high ISA returns with a fund invested in Asia March 23, 2011 Despite interest rates that are no match for inflation, savers still fail to make full use of their ISA allowance. However, if they are saving for the long-term, and are prepared to deal with volatility in the short-term, they might be better off using their ISA allowance to invest in an Asian exposed fund instead. [...]
Commodities drive FTSE 100 higher as prices tempt buyers March 17, 2011 COMMODITY stocks powered a bounce in Britain’s top shares by close yesterday, as heavy selling this week made equities look attractive from a technical perspective, with volatility set to persist. The FTSE 100 index closed 97.88 points or 1.8 per cent, higher at 5,696.11. It had fallen in each of the previous six sessions and [...]
Fat cat pay cheques push up the cost of civil service March 10, 2011 SURGING pay for public sector fat cats is pushing civil servant staffing costs out of control, according to a report published today by government watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO). Rising wages for those at the top accounted for half of a 10 per cent increase in costs over and above inflation since 2000, the [...]
Gaddafi’s UK assets are frozen February 28, 2011 GEORGE Osborne last night froze the British assets of the Gaddafi family, as the international community tightens the screw on the flailing Libyan regime. Following a special meeting of the Privy Council at 5.15pm yesterday, the chancellor acted to freeze the assets of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and five members of his family, including the second [...]
House swapping and geopolitcal disaster February 23, 2011 BEFORE I KNEW YOU BY AMANDA BROOKFIELD PENGUIN, £6.99 MID-Atlantic at 35,000 feet, two couples pass in opposite directions. They are on the seemingly perfect credit crunch vacation, an international house swap with suitably affluent, never-to-be-seen hosts. Sophie and Andrew Chapman leave their Victorian family home in south-west London, their teenage daughters and Sophie’s recent [...]
Catlin shakes off cat loss February 10, 2011 LLOYD’S insurer Catlin returned solid full-year results yesterday despite taking a $218m (£136m) hit from catastrophe-related losses. Catlin saw pre-tax profit fall by a third to $406m from $603m last year, but beat analysts’ forecasts of $382m. Underwriting profits grew five per cent to $683m, as it added ten per cent to the net premiums [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS February 9, 2011 42 PER CENT PREFER DOG TO PARTNER It is a sad day for British romance when 42 per cent of British people prefer their dog or cat to their partner. A survey conducted by M&S Pet Insurance shows that when it comes down to the “me or the dog” question, 42 per cent would always [...]