Obama’s tax deal could boost US economy December 7, 2010 A TAX deal struck between the Obama administration and Republican lawmakers could lift 2011 growth by as much as a full percentage point by leaving more money in consumers’ pockets. Economists say the plan should help breath new life into the sluggish recovery, though it will only add to the already bloated budget deficit. The [...]
US is about to shoot itself in the foot December 6, 2010 IT is not just Britain and Europe that are shooting themselves in the foot with stupid, job and wealth-destroying policies. The same is true of America, where investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders face the threat of a wave of new taxes. This ought to matter to everybody who works in London, because the health of [...]
THE TIPSTER December 6, 2010 THERE will be no shortage of idle speculation as to why a French company wants to buy a British bank-note printer but overtures have certainly been made to De La Rue by a smaller Gallic rival. After stumbling earlier in the year over production problems, the shares predictably surged on this news yesterday, but with [...]
Prudential plans to double sales in Asia December 1, 2010 PRUDENTIAL boss Tidjane Thiam unveiled his strategy for expanding the company in Asia in the wake of the firm’s botched bid for AIA, sending shares up 5.6 per cent to 600p yesterday. Thiam, who came under intense shareholder pressure to stand down following his £22.7bn bid for the Asian life insurer, told investors he aims [...]
Wall St tumbles as Eurozone fears hit November 30, 2010 US stocks fell in a choppy session yesterday but showed resilience in the face of Europe’s debt crisis, recovering some of their losses on more encouraging signs from the US economy. The Eurozone’s troubles showed no signs of abating as news that Portugal could be downgraded reignited selling in a high-volume flurry at the close. [...]
Savvy traders can also benefit from dividends November 29, 2010 IN A world of high inflation, low growth and stock markets trading sideways, the investor is perpetually in search of ever-elusive income. Dividend income is understandably more appealing to the buy-and-hold investor community but the speculative trader should not ignore it either. Dividends can still play a part in the contracts for difference (CFD) trader’s [...]
Intermediate Capital on the hunt for banking sector assets November 23, 2010 BUYOUT lender Intermediate Capital Group said it would stay on the lookout for investment opportunities as banks, weakened by the debt crisis, look to shed assets. In August, Intermediate Capital bought a €1.4bn (£1.2bn) portfolio of European loans from Royal Bank of Scotland, and the company said yesterday that the sector would throw up further [...]
Inflation is like a hole in every saver’s pocket November 18, 2010 INFLATION is a global concern at the moment. In China, rocketing food prices have pushed up inflation to 4.4 per cent, prompting a 50 basis point rise in interest rates and a short crash in global equity and commodity prices. That must be galling for British savers – according to the Office for National Statistics; [...]
Expat expert: Potential offshore tax benefits November 18, 2010 Q.WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL TAX BENEFITS OF BANKING OFFSHORE? A.An attraction of offshore banking could be the opportunity to receive gross interest since interest on offshore accounts is usually paid without the deduction of tax. This may be tax efficient for you, depending on the tax rules in the country where you are resident. There [...]
How to turn Cameron’s vision of an entrepreneurial decade into a reality November 18, 2010 DAVID Cameron has called on the nation’s “doers-and-grafters, inventors and entrepreneurs” to save us from our troubled finances. He’s not wrong. According to research commissioned by Enterprise UK, a rise of just one per cent in self-employment rates could boost the UK’s GDP by around 1.5 per cent and add approximately £22bn to the UK economy. [...]