Bottoms up! March 20, 2019 | City Talk If an investor is specifically looking for reasons not to invest, he or she will always find them. Indeed, for one reason or another, it has been said that “now is the most difficult time to invest”, in perpetuity! At present, such reasons are in ample supply – geopolitical concerns, populism, punchy valuations, a lack [...]
Software developers beat average UK salary by 154 per cent February 28, 2019 Top developers earn 154 per cent more than the average Brit, a report released today has revealed, with blockchain fuelling a rise in employer demand for such skills. Read more: Blockchain oil firm taps former JP Morgan director as new chief Software supremos command an average salary of £71,000 a year compared with the UK [...]
Warren Buffett takes aim at Trump in annual letter February 24, 2019 Wall Street veteran Warren Buffett appeared to take aim at President Donald Trump over the weekend, after saying that individuals could not claim credit for success in the US economy. In a letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders on Saturday, the billionaire said that “it is beyond arrogance for American businesses or individuals to boast that [...]
Luke Johnson will see his reputation recover from Patisserie Valerie’s fraud scandal February 14, 2019 Warren Buffett once said that “bad things aren’t obvious when times are good”. It is a statement that rings painfully true in the case of Luke Johnson, who was riding high last year with a £250m fortune, when the bad things – an alleged long-term fraud of Patisserie Valerie accounts – were apparently far from obvious. [...]
International Investing – the whys and wherefores February 11, 2019 | City Talk In 1926, engineer, inventor and philosopher Nicolas Tesla, said “”When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance… and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with [...]
Vanguard founder and ‘father of indexing’ John Bogle dies aged 89 January 17, 2019 Vanguard Group founder and the “father of indexing” John Bogle has died at the age of 89, the company confirmed today. A pioneer of low-cost investing, Bogle formed Vanguard – which he described as the “Vanguard Experiment” – in 1975 and launched its first index mutual fund a year later, despite backlash from the rest [...]
Bank earnings the next big threat to Buffett’s portfolio after Apple profit warning? January 14, 2019 | City Talk Warren Buffett may invest for the long haul, but surely any money manager must wince at the thought of losing a $4 billion chunk of their portfolio. Apple shares tanked at the start of the year after CEO Tim Cook issued the company’s first profit warning in 12 years, blaming the US-Sino trade war and [...]
Will this be a year for investors to fear? January 9, 2019 A new year always offers the chance of a reset, of evolved thoughts, ideas and insights. Even though many will be pleased to see the back of 2018, numerous investors are beginning this year with new concerns: an oncoming recession. This fear seems suddenly rampant among many of my colleagues in the industry. But these fears [...]
Psst … Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway could be making a secret purchase August 15, 2015 Psst … Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway could be quietly making a secret purchase. The most tantalising element of a disclosure, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was what had been left out. "Confidential information has been omitted from the public Form 13F report and filed separately with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission," it said. [...]
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway risks downgrading by Standard & Poor’s after Precision Castparts deal August 11, 2015 Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway risks being downgraded by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, after its record deal to buy aerospace manufacturer Precision Castparts. The acquisition worth $37.2bn has caused S&P to worry about Berkshire Hathaway’s cash resources, putting it on "CreditWatch Negative". The company is currently rated "AA", the third-highest of 10 possible ratings. Read [...]