INSIGHT

The S&P 500 gained 16.8% during 2014. Following a poor first quarter when the U.S economy actually contracted due to extreme weather conditions, growth picked up markedly over the course of the year.

We have previously noted that UK banks were starting to look interesting from an investment perspective and we now examine this in more detail.

The price of oil has plunged in a manner no commentators were predicting at the start of this year. An initial conclusion should be to reinforce your scepticism of solemn analysts claiming to predict the future with precision.

“No good reasons have been put forward for why all the costs of investment management, both visible and hidden, should not ultimately be fully disclosed”.

Reuters reports that private equity owned companies face difficulties refinancing billions of dollars of existing buyout loans and raising extra debt for acquisitions.

The urban slang term “to be corzined” can be defined roughly as follows:

When something of value is stolen, and everyone who was in charge of safeguarding said item claims ignorance of just about anything.

The wishes in this title are, of course, for a truly effective risk management system for financial institutions. And the beggars, unfortunately, are us.

The Phones4U story provides an irresistible opportunity to discuss CSR, which has also been in the news recently.

It is rare that an established and profitable business goes into administration. The Phones4U story is significant, not just locally, but because of what it reveals about management, finance and investing.

The summer saw markets extend the pre-existing moribund state into out and out docility. There is a growing acceptance among financial institutions that central banks will apply the sedative of monetary policy should any instability emerge.

Gazprom earned $32bn last year and is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world. In a world of overpriced companies it looks startlingly cheap trading at just 2.7x earnings.

The Economist highlighted that Basilio Gonzalez is an “unusually well paid civil servant”. He earns $213,000 a year, which is not bad for a 70 year old. What catches the eye is that his job is President of the National Minimum Salary Commission.