Q&A October 14, 2010 Q. Is forecasting essential to a business plan? A.While forecasting can be tricky, it is the core of your business plan. Many small businesses complain about being asked to predict the future. But as Bobby Lane of Denver Chase tells his clients: “Think about how that looks to the bank or investor, they need to [...]
Classic is best for Caribbean satisfaction October 14, 2010 CARIBBEAN hotspots come and go but Barbados is a sunny stalwart – a developed, cultured playground for the rich and famous (Simon Cowell, Cliff Richard and Andrew Flintoff all have properties here), as well as for more humble folk. Yet despite its stability as a British favourite for homes and holidays in the sun (80 [...]
Miners and hopes of more easing in US push London to a five month high October 13, 2010 Strong miners helped drive Britain’s top share index to a more than five-month closing high yesterday, boosted by firmer metals prices and hopes for fresh economic stimulus in the United States. The FTSE 100 index ended up 85.76 points, or 1.5 per cent, at 5,747.35, its highest closing level since April 26, and its biggest [...]
Wall St rises on strong earnings and weak dollar October 13, 2010 US stock indexes hit their highest in five months yesterday as stronger-than-expected earnings and lingering US dollar weakness increased demand for equities. Shares in industrials and materials led the way while commodity prices soared as China’s month-on-month import growth hit a record high. Completing a bullish trifecta, the S&P 500 broke a short-term technical barrier [...]
Look under the bonnet before buying the car October 13, 2010 WITH so many exchange-traded funds (ETF) on offer, it’s hard to know what difference it makes which one you choose. But one way to narrow it down is to examine the underlying benchmark the fund is tracking. In fact, it makes very little sense to choose an ETF without at least glancing over the structure [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS October 13, 2010 ETFS CONFIRMS INDUSTRIAL METAL ETCS ETF Securities confirmed on Monday that it is preparing to launch a range of physically-backed industrial metal exchange-traded commodities (ETC), subject to approval from regulators and the London Stock Exchange. The industrial metal range of ETCs will include physical aluminium, copper, lead, nickel, tin and zinc, as well as a [...]
THE TIPSTER October 13, 2010 THE German Dax 30 index finally broke out of its six-month trading range, blasting through the previous high of 6,385 and the 6,400 level to a high of 6,439.3. The area between 6,385 and 6,400 should act as support on pullbacks, so look to buy around these levels with a view to taking profits at [...]
A good quality MBA should be all about broadening horizons October 13, 2010 TRADITIONALLY, an MBA has been a generalist qualification which teaches fresh skills and opens up avenues. But a new breed of focused MBAs has emerged in recent years. These concentrate on a specific area such as the energy industry, defence, financial services, the BRIC countries or even corporate and social responsibility (see box). They are [...]
The right MBA can be career Viagra October 13, 2010 A RECENT report from the Institute of Leadership & Management found that many HR professionals were ambivalent about the value of an MBA when recruiting people to leadership positions. When asked how important an MBA was in recruiting senior management, 68 per cent replied “not at all”, or only “slightly”. Some felt that while MBAs [...]
FTSE down as mining shares fall October 12, 2010 Britain’s leading share index edged lower yesterday with weakness in commodity issues countering strength in defensive issues as investors’ risk appetite faded. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was down 10.81points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5,661.59, having earlier touched its lowest level in a week below the 5,600 level. Miners Xstrata, Kazakhmys, and [...]