Short selling, a help or a hindrance? I am not talking about individual traders who enjoy the ability to short sell shares, I am referring to the existing shareholder. Whilst existing holders may not want anyone shorting their shares on a certain level, if the shares are shorted, and the shareholder has done their homework, [...]
It is nice to see that Warren Buffet, the Sage of Omaha, even had the power to halt an entire market move when he invested $5bn in Goldman Sachs.If I was sitting at my desk and was asked which bank in the world would I buy into, with any spare $5bn I happened to have [...]
When the Federal Reserve Bank facilitated the takeover of Bear Stearns by JP Morgan, they provided an object lesson in central bank responsibility which the Bank of England should study and digest.
The Fed’s intervention is startling due to the fact that Bear Stearns is not a bank. It is a financial intermediary, that is, an [...]
Many people are increasingly thinking about taking control of their finances; especially in the light of the positives and negatives drawn from the economic crisis.Being more tax efficient with your investments and savings is always a good idea. Looking to adjust existing stocks and shares portfolios is another sensible area of focus. And then there [...]
Credit Crunch Confusion
Where do I invest my cash in 2008?
Anyone lucky enough to have a lump sum of cash to invest this year will be forgiven for wondering where to put it. Should it be stuffed safely under the mattress? Far too risky, you might get burgled and like organic matter your cash doesn’t [...]
So it looks like we have avoided a 1930’s style depression however the current forecasts still suggest slow growth and a difficult time ahead. So what should you do in a difficult environment with your own finances?If we were to be honest with ourselves, then we should probably accept that we can improve on at [...]
As the major economies start to stabilise and the risk of a depression thankfully fades into the distance many people are reflecting on a few important points. Firstly, how did it all happen? Secondly, how can they better protect themselves in the future?Tax efficiency, opportunities in fluctuating markets, diversifying existing investment portfolios and planning investments [...]