Abu Dhabi's bid to be a pioneer of clean energy

Abu Dhabi plays host to the World Future Energy Summit this week, bringing together climate change experts and investors from around the globe.

Despite sitting on one tenth of the world's oil, the emirate is trying to promote itself as a pioneer for of clean energy.
Its biggest project is Masdar, a sustainable, zero-carbon city that is attracting investment in the renewable energy sector to the region.
Abu Dhabi may have the financial clout to invest in alternative forms of energy but will its plans pay off in the long run?
Katy Watson reports from Abu Dhabi.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12258826

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Market Snapshot 31st January 2011

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sipp investments

What is a SIPP Investment

Self-Invested Personal Pension

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Sipp Investments

A Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) is the name given to the type of UK government approved personal pension scheme, which allows individuals to make their own investment decisions from the full range of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) approved investments.

SIPPs are a type of Personal Pension Plan. Another subset of this type of pension is the Stakeholder Pension Plan. SIPPs, in common with personal pension schemes, are tax "wrappers", allowing tax rebates on contributions in exchange for limits on accessibility. The HMRC rules allow for a greater range of investments to be held than Personal Pension Plans, notably equities and property. Rules for contributions, benefit withdrawal etc are the same as for other personal pension schemes.

http://www.360investgroup.com/sipp.php

Market Snapshot 28th January 2011

sipp investments

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Market Snapshot 25th January 2011

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Market Snapshot 24th January 2011

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Recession Changing The Face Of UK High Street

The recession has apparently changed the face of the UK high street - adding more betting shops but taking away estate agents and building societies.

The Ordnance Survey compared 27 million retail addresses across Britain between now and October 2008, when the financial crisis began.
It found that banks, recruitment agencies, estate agents and pubs were increasingly leaving the high street, while the prevalence of betting shops and car washes grew.
The number of building society branches fell more than 28% across the country but London saw the biggest change with a decrease of 46.9%.

Original Source - Sky News

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Market Snapshot 20th January 2011

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Market Snapshot 19th January 2011

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Inflation passes 3% in December 2010 !!!!

The latest measure of the cost of living index confirms that inflation is running higher than  the  Government's predicted target.

The Bank of England, which is tasked with keeping CPI at a 2% target, had already warned it may reach 3.5% in early 2011.

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose from 3.3% in November to 3.7% last month. (December 2010)

Link these increases with low public sector Pay Increases and the increasing gap between the cost of living in real terms ( food for thought).

Now is the time to think outside the box,Beat the banks, reprogram yourself and take a look at what is real and achievable.-take a look at our alternative investments, all of which are SIPP Approved.

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Market Snapshot 18th January 2011

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market Snapshot 17th January 2011

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Market Snapshot 14th January 2011

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Market snapshot 13th January 2011

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360investgroup markets 13th january 2011

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RBS And Natwest Fined For 'Multiple Failings'

Banks are facing new pressure with RBS and NatWest fined £2.8m by the financial regulator.

RBS and NatWest together make the second largest banking provider in the UK

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said there was an "unacceptably high risk that customers may not have been treated fairly" due to faults in the way RBS and Natwest handled customer complaints.
Specific reasons for the fine included delays in customer response, poor quality investigations into complaints and inadequate communication with customers.
The FSA said there were "multiple failings" in more than half of the cases they reviewed.
Margaret Cole, from the FSA, said: "The poor complaints procedure of RBS and NatWest came to light during our review of complaint handling in major banks.
"The review showed that banks need to make major changes to handle consumer complaints fairly and the FSA will continue to take appropriate action to ensure these changes are put in place."
Both banks have co-operated fully with the regulator, receiving a 30% reduction on the original £4m fine for agreeing to settle at an early stage of the investigation.
The banks have joined three others in agreeing to make significant changes to their complaints handling arrangements following the FSA review.
Brian Hartzer, from RBS, said: "We acknowledge the findings of the FSA investigation.
"It confirmed short comings in our routine complaint handling that we assessed in our own internal review and which we are committed to putting right."
Natwest and RBS are retail subsidiaries of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, which is 84% owned by the state.
The two banks together have approximately 2,200 branches and 15 million customers in the UK.
The group recently came under renewed criticism over plans to award a £2.5m bonus to its head Stephen Hester.

source skynews

Goldie Momen Putrym, Sky News Online

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Market Snapshot 12th January 2011

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Market snapshot 11th January 2011

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Market Snapshot 10th January 2011

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England beat Australia

England's heroic cricketers are celebrating after ending 24 years of pain by thrashing Australia 3-1 to win the Ashes series Down Under.

The visitors beat the Aussies by an innings and 83 runs to win the fifth and final Test in Sydney.
The victorious team celebrated on the field, grabbing stumps as souvenirs and hugging each other by the wicket.

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Market Snapshot 7th January 2011

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Battle of the Web Browsers

Google Popularity Ousts Microsoft From Top Spot

Internet competition heated up in December but this time between web browsers as Firefox knocked Internet Explorer off the top spot for the first time in a major market.

Internet Explorer is facing increasing competition from newer web browsers

Mozilla's open-source application became the most used internet browser in Europe with 38.1% market share, according to the web analytics firm StatCounter.
The Microsoft browser's popularity fell to 37.5% from nearly 45% a year ago.
However the change in consumer attitudes was more a reflection on Google Chrome's success than the Mozilla open-source application.
Whereas Firefox use has remained steady, over the past year Chrome has nearly tripled its share of the European market to 14.6%.
StatCounter chief Aodhan Cullen said: "We are probably seeing the impact of the agreement between European Commission competition authorities and Microsoft, to offer EU users a choice and menu of browsers from March last year."
Following an EU antitrust probe, Microsoft began offering European customers a choice of browsers on the 100 million PCs that use Windows software.

Top 5 Browsers In The UK

:: Internet Explorer 50.4% :: Firefox 23.3% :: Chrome 16.5% :: Safari 7.6% :: Opera 1.1% source: Skynews
2:41pm UK, Wednesday January 05, 2011
Goldie Momen Putrym, Sky News Online
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Market Snapshot 6th January 2011

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carbon trading

Home ownership should no longer be seen as a long-term financial investment

Home ownership should no longer be seen as a long-term financial investment, according to Housing Minister Grant Shapps.

Schapps: 'I think the answer is house-price stability'

Calling for a new era of stability, he said it was "horrendous" that house price growth had so outstripped earnings since the 1990s.
In an interview with The Observer, he suggested the Government could help to limit further price rises by encouraging the building of more homes

full story: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Housing-Minister-Grant-Shapps-Says-Home-Ownership-Should-Not-Be-A-Long-Term-Investment/Article/201101115877964?lpos=Politics_Second_Buisness_Article_Teaser_Region____2&lid=ARTICLE_15877964_Housing_Minister_Grant_Shapps_Says_Home_Ownership_Should_Not_Be_A_Long-Term_Investment

Market Snapshot 5th January 2011

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penny shares

Market Snapshot 4th January 2011

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VAT Increase and January Sales

Hundreds of thousands of shoppers have pounded the high streets to snap up post-Christmas bargains in a boost for retailers before VAT goes up in the New Year.

Shoppers in London's Oxford Street looking for bargains in the Christmas sales

Shopping centres up and down the country were packed while crowds queued up from the early hours for the first full day of discounts at major retailers.
Department stores John Lewis and Harrods both launched their winter sales today after staying closed on Boxing Day.
Queues formed outside Harrods department store and on Oxford Street in central London as early as 6am.
Shopping centres and high streets across Britain were packed yesterday despite only being open for six hours because of Sunday trading laws.
With VAT going up from 17.5% to 20% on January 4, many bargain hunters have been eyeing pricier items such as electronic goods and furniture.
Shoppers in London had to contend with a 24-hour Tube strike but crowds still descended on the West End where prices were slashed by up to 70%