Oil baron: How to profit from a chance discovery November 18, 2012 THE argan tree isn’t found in many suburban gardens. Native to southwest Morocco and the Israeli Negev, it grows knotted and thorny, thriving only in harsh semi-desert environments. But Dana Elemara, organic food enthusiast, import-exporter, and supplier to the cosmetics industry, found a way to capitalise on this exotic survivor. Formerly of Goldman Sachs, Elemara [...]
Deaf to all criticism: Finding inspiration in some unlikely places November 18, 2012 IT WAS the worst speech I’ve ever heard. The proud winner of an entrepreneurial award thanked the judges for their clever choice and then pranced around the stage, spouting his amazing life-story. He had struggled to grow up in poverty, living between an abattoir and a brothel. At an early age he started a business, [...]
Taxing times for Britain’s start-ups November 18, 2012 YOU’VE found your niche, you’ve written your business plan, you’ve arranged suitable financing. Surely that’s the hard part done? All that remains is the difficult work of growing your company, making your sales, and pleasing your customers. Unfortunately, it’s not true. Before a business is even registered, every entrepreneur becomes enmeshed in Britain’s complex, opaque, [...]
FTSE hits two-month low as fears over Eurozone drive sharp sell-off November 15, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index fell to a fresh two-month low yesterday, as news that the Eurozone had fallen back into recession provided an impetus to break out of recent ranges. The UK blue-chip index was down 44.26 points, or 0.8 per cent, at 5,677.75 at the close, finishing below 5,700 for the first time in [...]
Weak Wal-Mart sales weigh on jittery Wall St November 15, 2012 US stocks were little changed yesterday as the prospect of a drawn-out battle over impending tax and spending changes made investors wary of getting into the water, while retailer Wal-Mart tumbled after disappointing sales. The S&P 500 is down nearly two per cent for the week, adding to last week’s selloff and eroding more of [...]
Bullish US fails to prop up the FTSE as Eurozone fear weighs on stocks November 14, 2012 UK shares fell yesterday, testing a two-month low but failing to break a main support level as growth fears in Europe led stocks that are vulnerable to a downturn in economic activity lower. The FTSE 100 index was down 1.1 per cent at 5,722.01 points at the close, having gained 0.3 per cent in the [...]
Fiscal cliff fears hurt Wall St as talks continue November 14, 2012 US stocks fell one per cent yesterday as investors worried over US budget negotiations and a flare-up of violence in the Middle East. Investors are grappling with the impact of the US “fiscal cliff,” a series of mandated tax hikes and spending cuts that start to take effect early next year. US President Barack Obama [...]
Investor hopes over possible Spain bailout prop up shares on the FTSE November 13, 2012 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 share index closed up yesterday, recovering from an earlier two-month low in late trade on renewed hopes that Spain will ask for a bailout, a move which is seen as an essential step towards solving the Eurozone crisis. Spanish bond yields fell and its main bourse index rallied on the expectations that [...]
Retail bump fails to curb a fall on Wall St November 13, 2012 US stocks sold off late in the session yesterday, led by a slide in Microsoft shares, though retailers were a notable bright spot after Home Depot raised its outlook. Microsoft was the most actively traded on Nasdaq, weighing on the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite after the surprising departure of a key executive. The stock fell 3.2 [...]
US stocks flat ahead of policy debate on tax November 12, 2012 US stocks ended little changed after a lightly traded session yesterday as investors hedged bets before a policy debate aimed at heading off US tax hikes and spending cuts early next year. Firmer economic data from China and delays to an installment of Greek aid also were trading day topics. News that Chinese exports rose [...]
