by The Investor
on February 2, 2010
I feel a bit sorry for this banker – especially as the reliably-hypocritical Daily Mail is already spreading the story – but the video is funny.
An employee of Macquarie Bank in Sydney found Australia’s non-interest rate hike earlier this week even less interesting than you or I. Presumably bored of recalculating his annual bonus in Excel for kicks, he instead turned to a photoshoot of model Miranda Kerr in GQ.
Miranda isn’t wearing a great deal of clothing.
Everyday life for a banker – maybe even for a financial blogger – but most of us have a gut instinct to avoid doing it while one of our banker chums is being interviewed behind us on live TV.
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by The Investor
on February 1, 2010
Just a quick note to say the London Stock Exchange’s move to improve government and corporate bond trading starts today.
According to the LSE’s official blurb:
Traditionally private investors have only been able to invest in bonds via a managed fund or ETF (Exchange Traded Fund). However, their ability to invest has just become a whole lot easier.
Why? Through the introduction of our new electronic trading service for bonds – investors, via one of our many member brokers, now have the ability to buy and sell bonds in retail-size (typically lots of £1000) as simply as shares.
The centralised trading mechanism concentrates liquidity, provides all market participants with equal opportunity to see price information and trade at the best available price.
This means that the UK gilt and corporate bond market is no longer just the domain of market professionals, it is now open to investors like you*.
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by The Investor
on February 1, 2010
I continue to think the UK economy will surprise ‘to the upside’ in 2010, as city boys – and rappers – like to say.
Today’s booming manufacturing PMI figure will be shocking if you’ve read too many gloomy pundits still partying like it’s 2008.
Yet this jump from one superficially meaningless number to another (to 56.7, for the record) represents:
- Manufacturing activity expanding at its fastest rate for 15 years
- New orders rising at their quickest pace for six years
- Output growth back at mid-2006 levels
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by The Investor
on January 30, 2010
My regular roundup of the week’s blog and financial site links.
I think you can divide the world up into people who have a spiritual epiphany when they learn about compound interest, and those who just shrug and buy more tat on their credit card.
When I first learned about compound interest, my life changed forever. I won’t say it changed for the better – saving half your income and writing a blog about it isn’t a surefire way to win over the ladies – but after 20 minutes playing around with a compound interest calculator I was an investor for life.
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