Cash and bonds will help protect your investments from stagflation August 29, 2008 It’s time to re-balance your portfolio to cushion the blow of the bear market, says Bill Jamieson Investors have arrived at a critical inflection point on portfolio planning. Many believe that key sectors of the equity market such as banks and house builders are now undervalued, yet they choose to remain markedly underweight in these [...]
Home loans plummet August 27, 2008 Deals for new houses remained close to a record low last month, with approvals for mortgages 65 per cent lower than a year ago. Mortgage approvals totalled 22,448 last month, according to the British Bankers’ Association (BBA), just above June’s series low of 22,369 but almost 12,000 below the average of the past six months. [...]
Pound slumps as recession fears mount August 27, 2008 Prospect of interest rate cuts pushes sterling and the euro down as the greenback surges Growing recession fears and expectations of interest rate cuts sent the pound tumbling to a two year low against the dollar yesterday. Markets are now pricing in a 75 basis point cut in interest rates over the next 12 months, [...]
Bet on inflation to beat the downturn August 26, 2008 The market climate has created just the right conditions to make a mint, says Katie Hope It’s pretty grim out there at the moment. Food and fuel prices are rising at the fastest rate on record, contributing to soaring inflation. Even Bank of England governor Mervyn King, who is charged with keeping inflation at around [...]
Don’t be spooked by inflation: there are ways to protect your portfolio August 15, 2008 Clever investors can protect themselves from the worst effects of rising prices, says Esther Shaw Figures out last week showed that inflation in the UK, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), jumped to 4.4 per cent in July, more than double the Government’s 2 per cent target. On other measures, the figure is [...]
Rights issue to fall flat at troubled B&B August 15, 2008 Bradford & Bingley’s attempt to raise cash could see a take up as low as 8 per cent Bradford and Bingley faces a meagre take-up of its rights issue when it closes at 11am today, with shareholder support expected to be minimal. Shares in the troubled mortgage lender have skirted the 55p issue price for [...]
Triple blow for battered UK economy August 12, 2008 Retail sales and housing market suffer as struggling consumers rein in spending Britain’s battered economy will be dealt a triple whammy today, with fresh evidence that the housing market and consumer spending are continuing to contract and that manufacturers are being hammered by soaring costs. This summer has been the worst on the high street [...]
UBS set for £2.7bn more credit crunch write-offs August 11, 2008 UBS IS expected to write off €3.5bn (£2.7bn) in assets damaged by the credit crunch tomorrow, as the interim banking results season limps to a close. The Swiss banking giant, which had significant exposure to US subprime mortgages, has endured a year of gloom, posting writedowns of $37bn since the beginning of the credit crunch [...]
Why Brussels red tape is threatening our credit market August 5, 2008 When markets hit turbulent times, we naturally look to regulators to provide stability and to restore confidence. Good regulation can be a real strength – I believe that the UK’s world-class regulatory regime contributes enormously to London’s ongoing success. The best regulation comes about through dialogue and consultation with practitioners. This is why last week [...]
Rio loses key mine rights August 5, 2008 Bid target Rio Tinto has lost control of one of its most important iron-ore projects that could generate annual sales of more than $10bn (£5bn), it was revealed yesterday. The Government of Guinea has told Rio that its licence to mine Simandou, one of the world’s largest undeveloped iron-ore deposits, has been rescinded. The company’s [...]