Playing the new uranium boom January 23, 2011 INVESTMENT COMMENT OVER the past six months, the price of uranium has risen more than 60 per cent to $68 an ounce and thanks to increasing demand and tight supply, prices could be headed even higher. There are 442 operating nuclear reactors worldwide but with 60 new ones under construction (a further 156 are in [...]
Mergers are needed to keep bourses in business February 13, 2011 TWO blockbuster stock exchange tie-ups were announced last week, sparking a rush of speculation that others may follow. But what are the forces behind this drive to consolidate, and is it sustainable? On Wednesday, the London Stock Exchangeagreed a merger with Canada’s Toronto Metals Exchange, to establish the world’s biggest trading exchange by listings, with [...]
ITV cheers profits surge on ad rebound March 2, 2011 ITV chief executive Adam Crozier was yesterday riding the crest of the advertising wave as his firm trebled its pre-tax profits to £321m. TV ad revenues buoyed by hit shows including Simon Cowell’s X-Factor, soared 16 per cent and the firm is on track to beat analyst expectations for the first-quarter of 2011. But behind [...]
The stress test: why great leaders find opportunities even in a crisis June 12, 2011 TO LEAD in today’s environment, you must go beyond tolerating stress and fear to actually using them as a motivator and tool to enhance your focus and your people’s focus. Even though it can render intelligent people incapable of complex thought, adrenaline is one of the most useful tools in the human arsenal, and in [...]
Adding a little power to your ETF portfolio January 27, 2011 GIVE me a lever long enough and I shall move the world”. So said Archimedes. Had the Greeks invented listed products, he might also have moved his stock portfolio. Leveraged exchange traded funds (ETFs), which trade like ordinary equities on the stock exchange, are now offering investors the chance to lever up, achieving the big [...]
Chi-X courts possible bidders with eye on £300m price tag October 17, 2010 EQUITY trading platform Chi-X is courting interest from a number of potential bidders, as speculation around a takeover of the upstart bourse intensifies in the wake of an approach in August. Chi-X is thought to be eyeing a sale worth up to £300m after sending out information to interested parties, though sources close to the [...]
CAR TALK February 1, 2011 VOLKSWAGEN UNVEILS WORLD’S MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT CAR This is Volkswagen’s XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) and the world’s most economical car, just unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show. Capable of a massive 313mpg, the hybrid XL1 is powered by an 800cc 48PS TDI diesel engine linked to a 27PS electric motor, which is enough power [...]
Crozier will have little time for backslapping February 27, 2011 THERE will be much to celebrate when ITV unveils fourth-year numbers on Wednesday. Advertising revenues recovered strongly, up some 16 per cent according to Numis, thanks to the World Cup and nascent economic recovery. Finance director Ian Griffiths has worked wonders on the firm’s balance sheet, with debt – which peaked at £730m in 2008 [...]
Double joy for England’s 4x100m sprint teams October 12, 2010 ENGLAND’S men and women completed a sprint relay double in Delhi last night as Londoner Leon Baptiste claimed his second gold of the Commonwealth Games. Baptiste, who won the 200m title on Sunday, helped the men’s 4x100m team outstrip Jamaica, who took silver, and bronze medallists India. Mark Lewis-Francis, fresh from his silver in the [...]
Double joy for England’s 4x100m sprint teams October 12, 2010 ENGLAND’S men and women completed a sprint relay double in Delhi last night as Londoner Leon Baptiste claimed his second gold of the Commonwealth Games. Baptiste, who won the 200m title on Sunday, helped the men’s 4x100m team outstrip Jamaica, who took silver, and bronze medallists India. Mark Lewis-Francis, fresh from his silver in the [...]