An Interview with Chris Guillebeau, author of the $100 Entrepreneur As the FT reported in January 2012, “…in the United States and other developed markets, SMEs commonly account for half or more of gross domestic product…. A recent study from the European Commission indicates that SMEs generated 85 per cent…
An Interview with Interbrand Chairman, Rita Clifton In February 2012 in a paper titled, “The Role of Brands in Human Culture” I noted the significance of branding in our world. To illustrate this, we should note that the top 10 global brands (as measured by the Interbrand index) have a…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/04/30/a-life-changing-600-million/ Impact Investments are a maturing asset class. These are investments that go beyond financial return to deliver a measurable positive social or environmental impacts for the beneficiaries they affect. JP…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/04/26/the-brand-of-hedge-funds/ With almost US$2 Trillion under management, the hedge fund industry is a significant component of the global financial market. To put their size in context however, it is important to…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/04/19/finding-alpha-in-israels-emerging-market/ Since the nation’s establishment in 1948, Israel has existed in a perpetual state of conflict. There is little doubt that these conflicts have had a negative impact on the country’s…
It’s Time to Get Business Spending In March 2012, The Economist reported that UK corporate surpluses reached more than £700 billion last year, amounting to almost 6% of GDP. The United States told a similar story with the 1,100 non-financial corporations rated by Moody’s showing cash balances of over £1.24…
In 1919, a man started a small business selling surplus groceries from a market stall in East London. His first day’s sales were £4, giving a profit of £1 (around £178.00 in sales and £44.00 profit in today’s money). Fast-forward around 90 years and this business now generates over £50…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/03/29/alpha-hunter-lauren-templeton-on-generating-alpha-from-value-investing/ Value investing has been a successful strategy for many investors since the earliest days of equity markets. The principle is quite simple. Investors select stocks they feel are trading for…
Has Conflict of Interest Created a Check-Mate in the Reporting of Economic Data? In February 2012 The Economist took an astonishing step, removing Argentina from their much respected financial indicators page. Their rationale being that, “…since 2007 Argentina’s government has published inflation figures that almost nobody believes. These show prices…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/03/01/alpha-hunter-louis-vincent-gave-on-opportunities-in-china/ In a 2010 working paper titled “The Chinese Economy: Myths and Realities” Lawrence Lau of the Institute of Global Economics and Finance at The Chinese University of Hong Kong notes…