What the Finance

In a recent YouGov poll, commissioned by the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), 53% of the respondents said they wanted to know more about government spending on energy infrastructure and 46% wanted to know about climate change initiatives. 4 out of 5 also said that they did not think that ethical finance options […]

The average person in the UK can expect a state pension that equates to one third of the average wage. Therefore, for most some form of private retirement fund is a necessity. As the popularity of pensions waxes and wanes, people are looking into different ways of saving for their retirement. Investing in property and […]

With today’s low interest rates, putting your money in a savings account isn’t the most inspiring investment. It’s safe, but with such low interest rates, you could much make better returns by building up your own investment portfolio, and with little more risk. You have the chance to make your money work harder, creating greater […]

Not having to deal with banks ever again is certainly something we’d all like to achieve. So if you’re considering alternative forms of credit, peer-to-peer lending schemes certainly look appealing. But firms such as Zopa, which match people’s savings with those looking to borrow, aren’t for everyone. By far the biggest drawback although some would […]

More Britons are investing in buy-to-let schemes. The Council of Mortgage Lenders reports 1.5 million people in the UK now hold such investments. At the end of 2012, 11.5 per cent of mortgages were through buy-to-let schemes, up from 9.8 per cent in 2011. Buy-to-let is benefiting from strong tenant demand, which is likely to […]

Here we have three tips to help you avoid the common pitfalls that affect many of today’s potential investors. Anti-Diversity When you are preparing your portfolio it is vital that you don’t over-concentrate in one industry sector. Backlashes such as the technology crash in 2000, or the banking crisis of 2008 saw many investors, whose […]

European stocks declined for a fourth day signalling fears that the first quarter’s sucker’s rally (as it is very nicely put) is coming to an end. For those who still haven’t understood what a sucker’s rally is, this is that! Stock prices have risen substantially (some over 80%) over the past 3 months but was this rise […]

EURUSD is higher at 1.3030 as the US Dollar lost a little ground against most currencies. Today sees the release of economic data that may give further clues on the need for another rate cut from the ECB. Support & Resistance Support at 1.2985 should hold to keep the short term uptrend intact and the […]

Forex or Foreign Exchange Trading is an investment activity that has been around for a very long time. It is a worldwide market well known for its long trading hours (24 hours a day, except on weekends). It is also unique in terms of liquidity, a word so rarely heard in these credit crunched days… […]

Carrefour announced strong sales figures for the fourth quarter and it is expecting a further 6-8% sales growth in 2008 and operating profit growth above that range. And that is excluding acquisitions – the retailer just bought a 75% stake in PT Alfa Retailandon in Indonesia for $72m!