I first read Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds during the internet bubble. Although I can’t say it made me rich, it kept me from becoming poor. It is an evergreen book, having been written more than 150 years ago by the Scottish journalist Charles Mackay. I hate [...]
As contracts for difference are seen as a risky investment choice they are seen by many investors as something to be avoided if at all possible. This is a shame, as they can be very useful for most retail investors. There are two main roles for a contract for difference [...]
Capital Spreads is a division of London Capital Group Ltd (LCG) and is considered one of the top financial spread betting companies in the UK. Capital Spreads keep their spreads permanently tight and margin requirements low, ensuring they are considered the ‘The home of better value spread betting’. In [...]
When shares are in trouble there is often a call for a short selling ban either on all shares or on a specific “strategic” class of shares such as banks. A variation of this rule is the “up tick rule” where shares can not be sold short unless there has [...]
Yorkshire men and women are known for being canny, but it’s still some surprise to see that they are the top spread betting region in the UK. Or more precisely Leeds is becoming the spread betting capital of the UK. The betting company Capital Spreads has put out a report [...]
Contracts for difference are a futures contract and so they are taxed in quite a different way from many other investments. Despite having a similar terminology and providers that spread betting has they are treated in quite a different way. In the UK the government will not tax gains or [...]
Too Big to Fail is an examination of what went on in the insides of Wall Street when it looked like the banks were all going to fold. In some ways this is a great book. The author, who is a leading American financial journalist, has access to a wide [...]
One of the big differences between financial spread betting and contracts for difference is that contracts for difference have margin calls. For many investors this will be the first time they have come across them, so it’s good to know what they are. First let’s look at another difference between [...]
The Black Swan is not the high rollers bible that some people believe it to be, but it really should be read by any investor who likes to trade on the unexpected events in the market. Firstly we should look at the core thesis. This is that in a world [...]
Most small businesses, if they are successful and are not tied to their local area come to a point when they think about providing goods or services to a larger client. Or they may come to a point where they can think about buying in a good or service at [...]
