SPOTLIGHT ON SMALL CAPS May 25, 2009 THE greatest bugbear of the year for Aim investors, at least on the face of it, has been the exodus of companies from the junior market as more and more are forced to delist amid the economic turmoil. But as the number of firms on Aim continues to fall back, many small cap experts are [...]
SPOTLIGHT ON SMALL CAPS May 25, 2009 THE greatest bugbear of the year for Aim investors, at least on the face of it, has been the exodus of companies from the junior market as more and more are forced to delist amid the economic turmoil. But as the number of firms on Aim continues to fall back, many small cap experts are [...]
Week of gains set back by S&P UK outlook downgrade May 21, 2009 A CUT in the UK’s ratings outlook from agency Standard & Poor’s weighed on the FTSE 100 yesterday, with weakness in heavyweight oils, miners and banks contributing to a 2.8 per cent slide by close of play. The index ended 122.94 points lower at 4,345.47, its biggest daily fall since 27 March, having closed 13.84 [...]
Investors fear US echoing UK woes May 21, 2009 US stocks slid in a broad sell-off yesterday as investors, concerned about the US fiscal condition, exited dollar denominated assets across the board. Markets came under severe selling pressure as a result of an outlook downgrade for the UK’s triple-A credit rating heightened fears that the United States, with its increasing budget deficit and weakened economy, could [...]
Mix of ethics and business is boosting CFA’s appeal May 20, 2009 AT a time of mass job cuts, it is no surprise that City workers are trying to make themselves more attractive to employers. One increasingly popular way to do this is to take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification, a globally-recognised certificate for those working in investment management and financial analysis. According to figures released on [...]
Mix of ethics and business is boosting CFA’s appeal May 20, 2009 AT a time of mass job cuts, it is no surprise that City workers are trying to make themselves more attractive to employers. One increasingly popular way to do this is to take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification, a globally-recognised certificate for those working in investment management and financial analysis. According to figures released on [...]
ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS THE CFA CODE May 20, 2009 Members of CFA Institute (including charterholders and candidates for the CFA designation) are obliged to adhere to a code of conduct designed to instill a high level of ethical and professional standards in the financial services industry. They must: • Act with integrity, competence, diligence, respect, and in an ethical manner with the public, clients, prospective [...]
CFA PROGRAMME WHAT’S INVOLVED May 20, 2009 To achieve the CFA charter, candidates are required to pass three levels of exams. They must also prove four years of professional experience, provide professional references and submit a professional conduct statement. CurriculumThe curriculum is split into Investment Tools, Asset Valuation and Portfolio Management, each covered to varying degrees at each exam level. Subjects covered [...]
Trading on metals is a great way to add a new dimension to a portfolio May 20, 2009 TRADERS are opportunistic creatures with an innate desire to search out new areas ripe for profits. But it is easy to get stuck in a bit of a trading rut, however profitable a rut it may be. You have your favourite pairs, your preferred trading strategies and your choice of analysis. But traders should always [...]
UNCERTAINTY STILL REIGNS IN MARKETS May 20, 2009 THERE is considerable confusion in the markets over the fundamental question of whether the global economy has bottomed out. This has resulted in wide swings in sentiment. At the time of writing, the S&P 500 had gained 5.8 per cent in the month to date, largely a result of relief over news coming out of [...]