| Global stocks rebound on US rate cut hopes
In Europe on Tuesday, London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares jumped 1.26 percent to 5,861.80 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 increased 0.93 percent to 6,881.93 points and in Paris the CAC 40 advanced 1.46 percent to 4,918.92. Investors also monitored top-level talks in London on Tuesday between leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy. The discussions hinge on recent global financial turmoil, and efforts to detect and prevent a repetition. On the other side of the Atlantic, the US central bank's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kicks off a two-day meeting on Tuesday to decide whether -- and by how much -- it will trim American interest rates. "The markets are likely to remain in limbo ahead of tomorrow's FOMC decision," said Calyon analyst Stuart Bennett. Asian markets clawed back some of Monday's heavy losses but persistent worries about the outlook for the US economy capped the rebound.
On Sale: 29 Stocks at Bargain-Basement Prices
IN THE END, 2007 WAS A WEIRD YEAR for tech investors. On the one hand, the shares outperformed the major indexes, and a select group of stocks -- Google, Apple, Amazon, Research In Motion, VMware -- produced spectacular returns. As I have noted several times in this space, large-cap, high-growth tech became a refuge for investors seeking protection from the hurricane blowing through the financial and housing sectors. But returns were a lot less compelling when it came to anything smacking of risk. Small-cap? Not so good. In the red? Bad. Highly leveraged? Worse. And therein, opportunity lies. Some names the Street shunned deserved it; others suffered undeservedly. The trick is separating the wheat from -- what's the saying? -- the crap. (Not the original, but I prefer my version.) This is not the first time the stock market has chosen to ignore small-cap tech.
Cost of Clean Energy Decreases to Compete with Its Dirtier ...
The Clean Edge report surveys clean energy, documenting market growth, strong stock performance, and expansion of venture capital investment, as well as projecting future trends. SocialFunds.com -- The drive toward "peak" oil production and climate change is fueling the emergence of clean energy as an economically viable and environmentally necessary alternative to oil addiction, according to the Clean Energy Trends 2006 report from Clean Edge. The report tracks the growth of the four primary clean energy sectors (wind, solar, biofuels, and hydrogen) as well as that of venture capital (VC) investment in clean energy. The report also maps five trends shaping the future of clean energy, complete with profiles of specific companies, top headlines from 2005, and organizations to contact for more information.
Is Gulf property in bubble trouble?
But at Dubai Marina, a $10 billion Emaar development offering 'exclusive waterfront property and . . . watertight investments,' signs of speculation, the bane of the developers, can clearly be seen. The towers of the Dubai Marina offer residential capacity for 150,000 people, and all of the finished blocks have been sold. 'But if you go there at night, you'll only see about 15 percent of the lights on in the apartments,' observes Ronald Hinchey, resident partner of estate agents Cluttons. 'This suggests that the majority of the apartments have not been bought by people who intend to live in them, a worrying sign for developers who will rely on a healthy secondary and rental market to sustain interest in their projects.' When speculators can buy offplan several months before a development is ready, and then sell close to launch for a premium of 15-20 percent, they have little need to worry about whether they'll find an end user to rent the property to when possession is taken.
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