FTSE 100 declines on weaker metal prices and concerns over Greek debt April 8, 2010 Britain’s top share index posted its steepest one-day decline in six weeks yesterday, pressured by miners hit by weaker metals prices, and banks on revived concern over Greece’s debt. The FTSE 100 closed 49.36 points, or 0.9 per cent, lower at 5,712.70, its lowest close since March 31, after it shed 0.3 per cent on [...]
Wall Street rises on strong March retail sales data April 8, 2010 US stocks gained yesterday after strong March retail sales increased optimism that the economic recovery is on track. Investors snapped up retailers’ shares after top US chains reported a record year-over-year increase in same-store sales for March. The sales reflected a boost in consumer demand that some investors doubted would materialize so soon. Online merchant [...]
Continuing Greek crisis means euro is still facing a long fight for its life April 8, 2010 THE blowing out of the Greek bond yields this week brings the Greek government’s debt crisis closer to boiling over. Having met its funding requirement for April, the Greek government may have a few weeks to decide on its next step. That said, with every incremental increase in Greek bond yields a decision either to [...]
Take control of your pension plan and enjoy your old age April 8, 2010 IT IS estimated that only one in three adults under 30 are putting any money at all into a pension scheme. And little wonder when young people’s primary concerns are paying off debts accumulated in student years, saving up for those 40 per cent mortgage deposits and, truth be told, enjoying life. Retirement seems far [...]
From the outback to the City April 8, 2010 YOU wouldn’t expect the Australian outback to be the breeding ground for one of the City’s best-known entrepreneurs, but it was for Ian Gowrie-Smith. He’s the first man in his family not to be a farmer for five generations. The flamboyant entrepreneur made his name back in the 1980s and 1990s setting up companies including [...]
Facebook’s share scheme’s new rules April 8, 2010 USUALLY insider-trading rules are associated with large financial institutions, but earlier this week Facebook, the privately owned social networking site, had to implement its own insider trading policy. Facebook, which issued stock to its employees up until 2007, established the new policy to ensure that employees would not get into a legal wrangle with the [...]
GOING GLOBAL April 8, 2010 Q. I think there could be a market for my business overseas, but how easy is it to expand internationally? A. Even though it is getting more and more accessible to do this, it is not an easy process if you want to do it properly. Tony Cohen, head of entrepreneurial business at Deloitte, says [...]
Poor performance among miners pushes FTSE down April 7, 2010 WEAKER miners and energy stocks, weighed by falling commodity prices, outweighed gains in defensive tobacco firms and drugmakers to drag Britain’s top share index down 0.3 per cent by the close yesterday. The FTSE 100 index ended 18.29 points lower at 5,762.06. Volume was thin as many traders extended their Easter holidays, with just 74 [...]
Wall St slides on Fed rate concerns April 7, 2010 US STOCKS fell in a broad late-day drop yesterday after a top Federal Reserve official said interest rates should not stay low for much longer, giving investors an excuse to take profits. A speech by Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Hoenig drove afternoon selling after he said keeping interest rates too low for [...]
Get a shortcut to hedge fund gains with ETFs April 7, 2010 FOLLOWING a terrible 2008, hedge funds managed to bounce back last year both in terms of assets under management and performance. In 2009, the Credit Suisse/Tremont hedge fund index recorded annual performance of 18.57 per cent compared to a loss of 19.07 per cent the previous year, largely as a result of the financial crisis. [...]
