Kraft in Indian tax evasion probe over its takeover of Cadbury January 3, 2011 FOOD giant Kraft could face tax evasion charges over its takeover of Cadbury India. The Indian Finance Ministry has ordered an eight-week probe into the takeover, which was part of Kraft’s $19.6bn acquisition of Cadbury in February last year. The US firm will be desperate to avoid a protracted legal battle like the one that [...]
Spread betting vs. contracts for difference January 3, 2011 THE new year is underfoot, and with European sovereign debt still looking problematic, Chinese inflation sky high and the Federal Reserve still emptying a bathtub of money onto the world, it is looking to be at least as interesting a year as 2010. For ordinary investors, volatility is not very much fun. Most people are [...]
Whatever you want to invest in, there’s an ETF available December 22, 2010 IN THE United States, there is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) for everything you ever wanted to trade and plenty more that you had never even considered. While the likes of ophthalmology and nanotech ETFs have not yet made it across the pond, European investors should certainly be satisfied with the range of ETF products on [...]
The City is back but under new management December 21, 2010 BRITAIN’S financial landscape has been transformed since we last shone a light on the City’s most powerful figures two years ago. The City A.M./CityJet Power Hundred 2011 list ranks the most influential figures in UK finance as we head into the new year. It should be no surprise that it is very different from 2009. [...]
Emerging markets can give us all Christmas cheer December 19, 2010 WITH temperatures dropping to -15C and snow making it impossible to get to shops to fill those all important stockings, it’s hard to partake in this year’s Christmas cheer. It’s even harder to be jolly after a year that promised the beginnings of great things, which never came. But hope is the mantra for the [...]
Euro worries push banks down, leave FTSE flat December 15, 2010 THE FTSE tipped up to 5897 briefly this afternoon but sank again to close flat at 5882, dogged by Eurozone worries and poor performances by the banks. Barclays was the top FTSE100 faller, down 3.7 per cent as worries resurfaced over European sovereign debt, caused by Moody’s announcement that it was reviewing Spain’s credit rating, [...]
Obama’s tax deal passed in the Senate December 15, 2010 THE US bill to extend expiring tax cuts for millions of Americans and stimulate the sluggish US economy has passed a Senate vote by 81 to 19. The plan extends for two years all Bush-era individual tax rates, prevents a spike in taxes on capital gains and dividends and renews long-term jobless insurance, while providing [...]
UK tax breaks under review December 14, 2010 TAX breaks that encourage house “flipping” when selling could be ruled out as part of a government review. The Office of Tax Simplification has evaluated 13 tax reliefs in a provisional exercise to understand how to either scrap or simplify the UK’s 1,042 tax breaks. Capital gains tax relief on private homes “remains as valid [...]
Japanese tax received coolly December 14, 2010 Japan’s plan to boost its ailing economy by cutting corporate taxes got a guarded welcome from business yesterday, but is unlikely to help restore the fortunes of unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Kan gave orders on Monday for a five percentage point cut in the tax rate from the year starting next April, despite the [...]
London misses rates ballot December 14, 2010 RETAILERS across the UK will be balloted on whether they want to pay extra on their business rates to help bankroll local projects – but London has missed out because a rate has already been imposed. The government – under pressure from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) – has made it a legal requirement for rate-setting local [...]