February 2009

Weekend reading for investors: 28/02/09

February 28, 2009

My bet that HSBC (and Standard Chartered) were weathering the crisis better than other UK banks has taken another knock, with the FT revealing today HSBC’s plans to raise £12 billion to shore up its finances. The bad news has long been expected, and the is price down 45% since October 2008. (To think that [...]

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Video: The short simple history of the credit crisis

February 26, 2009

I was going to post this yesterday, but creator Jonathan Jarvis’ website was down, presumably under the load of thousands of Wall Street bankers (or their secretaries) desperately clicking to learn where they went so wrong: .

Portfolio diversification

February 26, 2009

When deciding whether to buy a particular asset, we should also pay attention to the assets we already own. A collection of assets is called a portfolio. By buying and holding assets with different characteristics, we can try to create a portfolio that offers the greatest return for the risk we’re prepared to take. Holding [...]

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How the bear market hit the high yield portfolio

February 23, 2009

Long-time Monevator readers might remember my series of posts from September 2007 on selecting a high yield share portfolio (HYP) to secure a growing dividend income. For those who missed it, the series so far comprises: Grow your income with dividends from high yield shares: HYP Part 1 How to choose a good high yield [...]

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Weekend reading for investors: 21/2/09

February 21, 2009

Every week I read a huge number of personal finance and investing articles. I thought you might enjoy a weekly shortcut to the best. First, a quick thought on this week’s money news Another action-packed week, with fears about banks continuing, manufacturers slashing jobs as if cutting grass, and house repossessions in the UK soaring. [...]

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The recession is not a lifestyle choice

February 19, 2009

Image by: Mangpages It’s been so long since we’ve had an economic downturn that people have forgotten recessions are about being fired, losing your home, and companies going under. The mainstream press is instead treating the recession more like a seasonal change in fashion. In a strange echo of the frivolous attitude that stoked up [...]

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Returns edge down at Zopa as new investors chase higher interest rates

February 16, 2009

A quick update on Zopa, the UK-based peer-to-peer lender that has been proving its worth for both lenders and borrowers during the credit crunch. As I wrote last month, interest rates had been rising for Zopa lenders, but the spike up in bad debt that I feared might have occurred due to the credit crunch [...]

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Weekend reading for investors: 14/2/09

February 14, 2009

Every week I read a huge number of personal finance and investing articles. I thought you might enjoy a weekly shortcut to the best. First, a quick thought on this week’s money news UK banking bosses past and present were hauled over the coals by MPs this week. Nothing we didn’t know came to light, though [...]

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Why a little passive income from a side project is worth a lot more than you think

February 13, 2009

It’s very easy to become disheartened when you first set up a side project with the aim of earning some passive income. You might well only make a few pounds or dollars a day, even after weeks or months of work to get your passive income stream up-and-running. Most passive income projects fail to make [...]

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Other kinds of bonds you may come across

February 12, 2009

You will find all kinds of ‘bonds’ or related terms being bandied about from time to time

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Sparking up an investment in electrical contractor T.Clarke (CTO)

February 11, 2009

Important: What follows is not a recommendation to buy or sell T.Clarke. I’m a private investor, storing and sharing notes. Read my disclaimer. Name: T.Clarke Ticker: CTO Listed: London (FTSE Small Cap) Business: Construction and materials More info: Digital Look / Google Finance Company: T.Clarke website Key numbers for T. Clarke (10/02/09) (From Digital Look) [...]

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Convertible bonds

February 10, 2009

If you’ve been luckier than me, you may wish to investigate convertible bonds.

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Coping with the guilt of losing money

February 9, 2009

It’s normal to feel frustrated, angry or even foolish when you lose money on your investments. But what about guilt? My portfolio’s fall from its peak value in summer 2007 to a low in October 2008 represents a big loss for a 30-something private investor like me: at least a couple of years of after-tax [...]

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Weekend reading for investors: 7/2/09

February 7, 2009

Every week I read a huge number of personal finance and investing articles. I thought you might enjoy a weekly shortcut to the best. First, my quick thoughts on the week’s news So the Bank of England has cut interest rates to 1%. While anyone relying on cash savings should already have diversified their income [...]

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The main types of corporate bonds

February 6, 2009

In this post I’ll explain the most important types of corporate bonds for private investors.

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Vote for Monevator (or my rival) at Free Money Finance

February 4, 2009

Update: Voting is now closed. We won and are into the second round. Thanks everyone!

10 reasons to be cheerful as an investor

February 4, 2009

A month into 2009 and the bad news continues. Perhaps I’m becoming immune to the economic gloom or maybe it’s the first sign of spring, but I can’t help feeling we should look on the bright side. Yes, the world economy is undergoing a severe contraction. Millions of people are losing their jobs, and investors [...]

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Why investing in overseas markets will diversify your portfolio

February 2, 2009

(Source: Yahoo) Books on investment often suggest investing overseas as a method of diversifying your portfolio. There are several reasons why investing abroad can be a good idea, including: If one country or region’s market is doing badly, another could be doing well. Mixing up the returns from several regions helps to smooth the return [...]

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