Israel – a national hub of intense innovation February 20, 2012 WHAT INSPIRED STARTUP NATION? Israel has more startups than anywhere outside of Silicon Valley. It has two and a half times as much venture capital per capita as the US – 30 times as much as Europe. We realised it was a matter of culture and history, that there is a lesson about the nature [...]
A SELECTION OF LONDON’S START-UP HUBS February 20, 2012 TECH HUB Contact: [email protected] / @TechHub Locations: Old Street, London and Riga (Prague is due to open in May). Membership costs: £275 (monthly) for resident membership, or £375 (annual). Both include member-only events and up-to-date member network news (and more). Description: TechHub is “not just an office space.” Instead, “it’s a community hub for the [...]
The environment is vital for sowing start-up seeds February 20, 2012 Features Writer City PM IDEAS matter. H.G. Wells was onto something when he wrote: “Human history is, in essence, a history of ideas.” But they don’t happen in a vacuum – external factors to the individual entrepreneur establish what ideas and businesses are likely to arise. Interviewing Saul Singer (see article left) – author of [...]
Our pitiful pensions pots February 19, 2012 THE words “pensions” and “crisis” are used together with increasing reality – yet, through a lack of either money or foresight, the people of this country have yet to respond. Ignorance is bliss – but only up to a point. And that point will come like a bolt out of the blue for some people [...]
Changes to the lifetime pension allowance February 19, 2012 IN LESS than two months the lifetime pension allowance, i.e. the maximum value that can be accumulated within all pensions before incurring an exceptional tax charge, will fall from £1.8m to £1.5m. If the total value of all an individual’s pension schemes exceeds this amount, the surplus will incur an exceptional tax charge of 55 [...]
Splitting up may divide your pension savings February 19, 2012 THE courts have three separate powers to distribute capital on divorce, the first two, namely the ability to transfer a property from one party to another, and the ability to order one party to pay the other a specific sum of money, are familiar to most couples. The third power is the power to make [...]
FTSE bounces off lows after good US data February 16, 2012 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 closed off intraday lows yesterday as upbeat US economic data brought some cheer to an otherwise gloomy macro outlook, helping oil stocks pare losses, while banks and miners sagged as Greece’s debt crisis rumbled on. London’s blue chip index closed down 6.78 points, or 0.1 per cent at 5,885.38, bouncing off an [...]
S&P hits a nine week high on hope for Greece February 16, 2012 THE S&P 500 hit a nine-month high yesterday, fueled by strong US economic data and increased hopes for a deal on a Greek bailout next week. The benchmark index posted its strongest percentage gain in two weeks, bouncing back from several sessions of back-and-forth action. Sectors sensitive to economic growth paced the market, with technology, [...]
Apple drags Wall Street into the red February 15, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday for the third session in four, with market direction largely dictated by the swings in shares of Apple, the largest company in the world. The S&P 500 appeared set for a strong move off a nine-month high as Apple shares gained three per cent in early trading, helped by Tuesday’s disclosures [...]
FTSE falls in light trading as heavyweights go ex-dividend February 15, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index fell in light, choppy trade yesterday, pressured by heavyweights such as BP trading ex-dividend, and miners and broadcasters after analysts cautioned against further upside to recent sector gains. London’s blue chip index closed down 7.71 points or 0.1 per cent at 5,892.16. The FTSE 100 has barely moved outside of the [...]
