Investing with a conscience July 22, 2010 FEW property developers can thank the financial crisis for leading them to their next business idea. Omari Bowers and Andrew Skeene are a rare exception. They could see that banks were pulling back on their lending since they specialised in arranging bridging finance loans for property developments. When they asked why, the genesis of Global [...]
Why now is the age for private equity July 22, 2010 THE venture capital and private equity industries had a bruising time during the credit crunch. But now that banks are less willing or able to lend they have found some good investment opportunities. Mark Lilley’s business Abokado, a takeaway lunchtime chain with six branches, recently benefited from a capital injection from private equity group Kings [...]
H&S LAW July 22, 2010 Q. Does my company need to worry about health and safety law? A.The main requirement for small companies is to draw up a written risk assessment if you employ five or more people. There is no legally required form that a risk assessment must take, but it must involve assessing potential risks to one’s employees, [...]
London breaks five days of losses on strong US earnings July 21, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading shares broke a five-day losing streak yesterday after upbeat corporate earnings from the US and positive mergers and acquisitions sentiment spurred a rebound, led by banks and commodities. The FTSE 100 closed up 75.18 points, or 1.5 per cent, at 5,214.64, having shed 2.5 per cent over the previous five sessions. UK Banks [...]
Wall St falls after dour Bernanke view July 21, 2010 FEDERAL Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s dour assessment of America’s recovery hit US stocks yesterday, as the Fed chief’s comment on “unusually uncertain” economic prospects discouraged investors. Stocks sank after Bernanke acknowledged the labour market’s continued weakness while offering few specific options to stimulate lending and investment. “The market sold off because unfortunately there is no [...]
Volatility can’t keep the FTSE down for long July 21, 2010 THE UK equity market has lacked a champion of late, but analysts at UBS are taking up that mantle. They argue that the FTSE 100 will end the year at 6,250, about 1,000 points above its current level. But the road toward a higher FTSE will not be smooth. Stress test results for the European [...]
THE TIPSTER July 21, 2010 THE vacillations of euro-US dollar are never far from the headlines. And this week is no exception – the Eurozone stress test results are scheduled for tomorrow and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is continuing his testimony today. Euro-dollar has recovered an impressive 9.5 per cent since its low of $1.1875 on 7 June. But [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS July 21, 2010 RBS FREE SEMINAR ON EUROPE TONIGHT Europe has never been far from the headlines and the falls in European stock markets have garnered lots of interest from investors. RBS is holding another free seminar tonight where David Stevenson will be discussing why he feels that Europe and especially Euroland could be looking good value compared [...]
Sell safe-haven Swissie July 20, 2010 AMID the firestorm that has engulfed the world economy over the past few months, one currency has stood out more than any other as a refuge from the heat and the volatility of the markets. The Swiss franc’s perceived status as a safe-haven – first from the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis and then from the [...]
EURO RALLY IS AT RISK OF STALLING July 20, 2010 DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT IN MAY, at the depth of the Eurozone crisis when the euro was losing value nearly every day, the majority of currency market analysts were convinced that the pair would go to parity or, even worse, that it would collapse altogether. Yet a mere eight weeks later, the euro has [...]
