Independent Investor

Spread betting over the last decade has been on a constant rise and the number of investors whom are spread betting is very encouraging, especially given the fact that spread betting has been a victim of unsubstantiated misconceptions and perceptions. Now many providers in spread betting are bound by common interests but competition amongst them as well as regulation by authorities has ensured that the standards set limit any possible chance of fraud or short changing in the perspective of the investors.
The way in which spread betting brokers operate …

Spread betting as a financial investment is characterized by market diversity and in fact is one of the factors that have contributed to its growth in the last decade.  With different attributes spread betting has sometimes been classified as a different neighbourhood of financial investment and whilst there are quite a number of differences between this instrument and others, it is quite obvious to state that investors whom are looking to make profits should approach their spread betting account the same way they approach any other investment portfolio.  As an …

Remember the days when you had to stay glued to your monitor looking for trading opportunities and waiting to exploit short term volatility in the market? Spread betting was not for everyone as people did not want to give up their social lives for trading. Sitting at home and just patiently waiting for entering and exiting trades is something of the past now.
Spread betting companies surely know how to exploit latest technologies and IT developments and with introduction of smart phones and iPhone …

Talibi’s books “The Black Swan” and “Fooled by Randomness” argue, reasonably convincingly, that extreme events are under priced in the current market due to a lack of experience and the over reliance on mathematical models in trading.
To take advantage of this they advocate a “dumbbell strategy” which basically is that 80% of assets are kept in the safest types of stocks, blue chip corporate bonds or government gilts which slowly bear interest.  The other 20% of assets should be kept in stocks that will …

Paddy Power, the online bookmaker, is launching a spread betting service.  Now there’s no doubt that this will be a professional outfit and we wish them well.  However there is a concern that these bookmakers may find contracts for difference tough going.  They are an investment vehicle and not a way of gambling.
We had previously noted that Betfair was getting in on the act, but Betfair is a different type of online betting operation to Paddy Power. Paddy Power, despite its hi-tech reach and …