I’m in the mountains in the south of France. I’m supposed to be on my summer holidays, but I can’t go outside because the rain is so heavy I’d be drenched in seconds. Instead of swimming …
Look to a very liquid investment
Category: Investments
Can investment avoid a water crisis?
We wonder how many people know that water treatment has grown into a $400bn global market, that no one company controls more than 5% of that market and that in the US the sub-sector outperformed …
Where next as the US housing bubble bursts?
Five and a half years ago the equity bubble popped. Within six months, the US economy went into mild recession, and the global economy was quick to follow. Today, America’s housing bubble is finally bursting. …
Why UK homeowners should take a lesson from the chavs
There’s a new fashion outrage doing the rounds of the chav community — its members have started keeping the price tags on their clothes so that everyone can see them all the time. Why, you …
Should you invest in private equity now?
Private equity is attracting increasing political hostility because of job losses in companies subject to aggressive restructuring, tax losses through financial engineering, and ideological hatred. Private equity is dominated by American and British groups, and …
The Wall Street rally can’t last
After its turbulent patch earlier this summer, Wall Street has been in a more benign mood this month. The S&P 500 rose every day last week, as investors took heart from a combination of positive …
Firms stash cash as outlook stays gloomy
“Companies and institutional investors around the globe are holding record amounts of cash – an indication that they are growing more pessimistic over the outlook for future economic and profits growth,” says Joanna Chung in …
Canada is hot – but don’t buy in now
When it comes to resource-rich markets, it’s hard to top Canada. The country carries far less political risk than other countries, it boasts huge reserves of gold, nickel, timber and uranium, and its people will …
Could the drinks binge end in a bad hangover?
It may already seem like a distant memory, but this summer’s heatwave, combined with the month-long World Cup coverage, sent consumers on an alcohol binge. Drinkers downed around a billion pints of beer, and the …
The future of oil – and how to profit from it
High oil prices are driving the quest for new fuel sources. The end of the cheap-oil era could prove very profitable for smart investors, say John Stepek and Graham Buck Peak Oil – the theory …