Going public, going German, going east

Monday 28 May 2012

I don't wish to dwell too long on the Facebook flotation - whether there has been a technical breach of issuance law by the parties involved, that is a matter for the US courts to unravel and, frankly... Read More

Volte face on Facebook

Tuesday 22 May 2012

The flotation of social networking web site Facebook had been hyped to the heavens, but with the journey proving more exciting than the arrival, the finger pointing has already started. Read More

ECB funding to Greece about as secret as money from grandma

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Going to grandma’s house for Christmas always entailed that special moment when she would put her finger to her lips, glance over her shoulder to see what my parents were doing, allow her hand to dip ... Read More

Repeating is self-defeating

Monday 21 May 2012

Mark Twain once said that "history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes". This has been proven over the long term to be a very astute comment on the human propensity to repeat the same mistakes. We se... Read More

The French have a new one, the Russians an old one and the Greeks haven't got one at all

Monday 14 May 2012

I appreciate that this could apply to many things such as economic policies, fashion sense or even kettles for all I know. However, my brain was heading towards those trying to find some effective lea... Read More

Storm Warning

Tuesday 08 May 2012

In the midst of one of the more unusual droughts, it may seem odd to be giving a storm warning, but over the next few months our stock markets are far more likely to be driven by the vacuous actions o... Read More

The impact of the elections on market volatility

Friday 04 May 2012

"Worried about how political uncertainty will impact the stock market in this election year?" asks Mark Hulbert on MarketWatch. The concern is understandable, he says, because elections are not only ... Read More

Some South China Sea sores x 3

Tuesday 01 May 2012

1. Send in the Princess Coconut! (China vs. Vietnam)

Arguments with the Spratlys and the Paracels may sound like a tiresome family membership dispute at a local Surrey golf club. If only it were so eas...

Analysts wonder what could upset the Apple cart

Tuesday 24 Apr 2012

Apple is gearing up to report earnings after the US close on Tuesday night and analysts are watching for sales weakness in the Mac line of personal computers while worries surge over chip availability... Read More

The High Lords of Google

Tuesday 24 Apr 2012

The informal corporate motto of Google was originally 'Don't be Evil' - reflecting the young, fresh and enthusiastic tone of the business blowing away the cobwebs of dark corporate halls. Such attitud... Read More

'Risk-off' April for fund managers, further QE expected

Tuesday 17 Apr 2012

With Eurozone concerns re-entering the fray, April has so far been a very ‘risk-off’ month for asset allocators, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA ML). Read More

Tesco facing up to a few home truths

Tuesday 17 Apr 2012

Results from slumbering supermarket giant Tesco are due out on Wednesday and no matter how much the company bangs on about it being a global retailer - the third largest in the world by revenues - it ... Read More

Feeding the dragon

Tuesday 17 Apr 2012

The Year of the Water Dragon, whilst normally providing good joss for those followers of Chinese astrology, is also proving to be a challenging one on various fronts. Not only is there the change of l... Read More

The UK's exciting growth prospects! - and the world's worst Easter egg

Tuesday 10 Apr 2012

So is the UK economy flat-lining? Well, if we are to believe the figures, then it would seem to be true. OECD says one thing and the British Chambers of Commerce say something more positive. Frankly, ... Read More

Income portfolio worth contemplating as alternative to cash ISA

Thursday 05 Apr 2012

Since we reshuffled the constituents of the Fundamentalist Five, Digital Look's virtual high income portfolio, back on January 26th both the Footsie and our portfolio have taken a bath. Read More

Should the next generation bother to buy a property?

Monday 02 Apr 2012

There seems to be a given rule that we all have to own some property, and that's what we 'should do', and invest in good solid bricks and mortar. Surely it is usual for us in Britain, after all 'an En... Read More

China's changing - consumers and commodities

Tuesday 27 Mar 2012

Just in case we hadn’t noticed, there are some significant issues going on in this burgeoning economy. Unfortunately much of the coverage in the UK seems relatively simplistic without really appreciat... Read More

Are fashion fads fading faster?

Monday 19 Mar 2012

Have you noticed how the speed of corporate ageing seems to have been rising exponentially - corporate histories seem to have an ageing process worthy of various characters out of a Rider Haggard ripp... Read More

A Budget for business enterprise - not more business initiatives and acronyms

Monday 12 Mar 2012

So just how many company finance initiatives do you think we have? Political leaders have, over the years, taken great pride in launching their own initiative, their pet idea - new fresh and different... Read More

The USA: In Star Trek-speak, 'It's a recovery, Jim, but not as we know it'

Monday 05 Mar 2012

Well we shouldn't complain. The USA has had three months of consecutive growth in employment, and the number registered for unemployment benefits has fallen. We can add to this that most of the corpor... Read More