FTSE 100 stalls as traders nerves fail on banking sector May 28, 2009 RENEWED jitters over the health of the financial sector hit banks and offset gains by heavyweight oils yesterday, sending the FTSE 100 0.7 per cent, or 28.69 points, lower at 4,387.54. Banks were the worst performing large caps, with Barclays, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland down 0.8 per cent [...]
Ashley wallet suffers due to relegation May 25, 2009 SPORTS Direct owner Mike Ashley’s fortune looks set for another battering after the football club he owns, Newcastle United, was relegated from the Premier League. Ashley’s club stands to lose at least £30m a season from a drop in TV revenue which will wipe millions off the value of the struggling north east outfit, in [...]
The schoolboy bookie who turned into a spread betting evangelist May 20, 2009 JONATHAN Hufford has always had an appetite for betting, from running his school bookmaker to trading yen derivatives in the 1990s. But his biggest gamble took place 10 years ago this month when he left his job in the City to open up spread betting provider Spreadex He entered the then fledgling spread betting industry [...]
A moon buggy thats great in the country May 19, 2009 THE off-road market has come in for a lot of flak over the last few years and I’ve been a fully paid up member of the anti-league. However, my venom was more about those cars being driven in cities instead of actually doing the job they’re designed to do. I live in the country and [...]
MP expenses scandal has cut general election odds May 17, 2009 THERE is nothing like a good political scandal to get the blood flowing. Watching Question Time last week was a bit like watching Doctor Who when you were a child – best done from behind the sofa and through the fingers. Never has there been so much fury against politicians. The atmosphere is even worse [...]
Why running a spreadbetting giant is just the ticket for this maths buff August 7, 2008 The boss of IG tells Katie Hope how volatile financial markets are boosting his industry Question: what do mathematicians and spread-betters have in common? Answer: quite a lot, it turns out, as exemplified by the man at the very top of the UK’s largest spread betting and contracts for difference firm IG Index. Tim Howkins, [...]
It’s time to take a punt on politics August 4, 2008 The quick changes in the political landscape offer opportunities for spreadbetters, says Chris Shillington A week is a long time in politics, as Harold Wilson said, but the few minutes it takes to read a 1,000 word article can also be a significant period. Especially if the article in question is one written by foreign [...]
Sports Direct owner comes out fighting July 11, 2008 Mike Ashley, the boisterous billionaire owner of Sports Direct, yesterday pledged to become a “good guy on corporate governance” as the retailer saw its full-year profits halve as consumers tightened their spending. The retailer’s lack of transparency in failing to provide like-for-like sales in its quarterly results has been heavily criticised by City analysts. But [...]