July 2010

Weekend reading: Is Kindle a tax on reading?

July 31, 2010

The new Kindle is a tempting toy, but it’s not the cheapest way to get your reading fix. Plus some good reads on the Web.

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The bewitching appeal of Lloyds suspended preference shares

July 29, 2010

Why take one unloved banking preference share into the portfolio when you could have two? Well, a few reasons actually, but they didn’t stop me.

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A brief history of behavioural finance

July 27, 2010

Behavioural finance unpicked the Efficient Market Hypothesis. But is it really the Holy Grail of investing insight?

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Weekend reading: The new gold rush

July 24, 2010

Americans have been heading to the hills to pan for gold. These are strange times, but they’re probably drawing to a close.

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What to do now you can’t buy National Savings certificates

July 21, 2010

National savings certificates offered attractive vehicles for our savings, but there are various alternative homes for your money.

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Weekend reading: On the road

July 17, 2010

A quicker than usual weekend reading due to travel chaos. (Self-inflicted travel chaos, unfortunately).

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Beware the lure of the exotic

July 15, 2010

Some people find complicated financial products compelling – especially advisers peddling a hot new fund for commission.

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The risks of buying mark to market investments on margin

July 13, 2010

If you’re going to risk borrowing to invest in volatile assets, you need long-term debt to do it.

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Weekend reading: House prices still over-valued

July 10, 2010

My regular roundup of the week’s best reads. The US blogger Barry Ritholtz says US houses are still significantly over-valued. That would be bad news for everyone, given that the US consumer is vital for a global recovery. Unlike in the UK, house prices in the US did actually go pop a few years ago. [...]

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