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The Weasel: Money makes the circus go round

January 26th, 2008 by monies

The Cirque du Soleil may have revitalised circus as entertainment, but what I like is its very lack of circus glitz. There’s not a spangle to be seen and no roll of drums even for the climax of the evening, which occurred in a performance by a ragged gaggle of tumblers. One was thrown through the air to land on a wavering column of three men standing on each other’s shoulders. (Describing circus tricks is like describing cartoons. Best not attempted.) The whole thing was done so fast, so flawlessly that you can scarcely believe what you’ve seen.

The imaginative setting for such miracles is the major innovation of the Cirque du Soleil, though the company still places heavy reliance on those traditional circus time-fillers, the clowns. In between the astonishing diabolo act performed by a quartet of Chinese tots and the Cro-Magnon lookalike whirling in a metal wheel like Leonardo’s Vitrurian Man, you get a generous provision of clownish pratfalls and balloon routines for your money (tickets range from pounds 17 to pounds 37.50).

Not as transportingly strange as the circus’s previous London shows such as Saltimbanco, an illuminated medieval manuscript brought to life, Quidam appears to be mainly inspired by Magritte and the French film classic The Red Balloon. The gulf between its poignant mise-en-scene and the reality of Cirque du Soleil, a multi-million dollar business with two permanent shows in Las Vegas, is quite as breath-taking as anything you’ll see under the Big Top. The programme (pounds 6.50) explained that Quidam was a nameless passer-by, a person rushing past, a person who lives lost amidst the crowd in an all-too anonymous society.

Presumably in an effort to banish such anonymity, the Cirque du Soleil offers a range of branded souvenirs including an embroidered denim jacket at pounds 50 and a leather jacket at pounds 150. Should you desire to eat and drink the circus life, you can also acquire a plate (pounds 8), coffee cup (pounds 7) and saucer (pounds 5) emblazoned with the C du S slogan “invoke, provoke, evoke”.

The first four pages of the programme are occupied with full-page photographs of various administrative bigwigs of the C du S. There is, however, an informative selection of quotes from the diary of the show’s director Franco Dragone. “Ah! Times are tough but life is beautiful and I walked my dog this morning,” muses the maestro in one entry. Little escapes his attention: “Ah! These public benches. Ah! These teenagers. Ah! These kids. Ah! These old lovers. Ah! Life, death, love… Ahhh!

These penetrating insights are underlined by a manifesto from Daniel Gauthier, President of the C du S: “We must speak of the right to live. We must assert the right to be different. The forgotten must be brought back to the fore.” There can be little doubt that these sentiments were trembling on the lips of the City types who made up much of the audience for Quidam as they downed Veuve Clicquot at pounds 45 per bottle at the circus’s champagne bar.

Soon you’ll be able to enjoy the Cirque du Soleil on a year-round basis. London is about to join Las Vegas, Orlando and Biloxi, Missouri as one of the troupe’s permanent venues. I discovered this cheering news in a display adjoining the big top. This reveals that the ambitious development plans for Battersea Power Station include a 2,000-seat theatre in the form of “an iconic sculptural building” for the Cirque du Soleil. Presumably, its “300 VIP seats” will be reserved for “the nameless passer-by”.

The feverish prose which describes “the power station Battersea” appears to have been influenced by its future circus tenant. “The completed project should have the natural vitality that is inseparable in good city living,” it announces passionately, if ungrammatically, “but it should also make its mark with diversity, energy, culture, excitement, change and, most importantly, a sense of neighbourhood.”

How heart-warming to think of this New Jerusalem on London’s riverbank. Needless to say, I was eager to discover the nature of the other developments which will constitute this idyllic community. They turned out to include a 700-bed conference centre (58,950 sq metres), a “product showcase/exhibition building” (29,600 sq metres), 40,000 sq metres of office space, a 400- bed urban resort hotel (47,670 sq metres), not forgetting 3,500 parking spaces. Could anything be more neighbourly?

Author: Christopher Hirst

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Making more money than many with bonds

January 25th, 2008 by monies

I find that most investors neglect their bonds, treasury bills or guaranteed certificates. They buy the first thing their broker recommends, and then hold it until maturity, at which time the process is repeated. It’s a passive and expensive approach that costs investors a lot of interest income waiting to be earned. It can also be dangerous if credit warnings are missed and supposedly defensive investments suddenly plummet in quality.
Now I am not suggesting for a moment that you should start speculating with your fixed income securities in order to achieve better results. As a rule this is money you can ill afford to lose or need to generate steady income. What I am proposing though is that you have a plan for your bonds, mortgages and certificates. Decide what you expect this part of the portfolio to achieve and then, within those parameters, make sure that the money is earning as much as possible.

For example, if you dare not risk these funds, restrict your investments to short-term government bonds. But be sure to monitor them closely for opportunities to switch into new issues with slightly longer terms to improve your yield.

Making Money with a Plan

1. Am I sitting on the sidelines holding bonds and treasury bills until the stock market improves and I can start buying Great Stocks again? If so, most of your holdings should be liquid, low risk investments such as treasury bills. However, have a time frame in mind because this is an extremely expensive posture. At present 30 day treasury bills yield 3% and are fully taxed, so they provide a net return of 1.5%. With the Canadian cost of living rising at 2.9% per annum you are losing money.

2. Are these funds needed to generate a reliable, regular income? In that event, opt for higher-coupon government bonds trading at close to par in order to reduce any premium or discount and optimize your cash flow. If more income is needed, replace shorter-term, say less than three-year government issues that now provide a 3.5% return, with senior six or seven-year corporate debentures, currently yielding about 5.5%. However, it’s a good idea always to buy corporate issues with DBRS A rating or better.

3. Do you intend to hold your bonds and certificates for the foreseeable future as a hedge to offset other, higher risk sectors of your portfolio? This is often the case for many conservative investors who are willing to commit some money to trusts and equities but wish to preserve a part of their capital.

So safety is paramount.

However, these fixed income securities are essentially long-term holdings and it’s important to ensure they earn the maximum amount of income consistent with their defensive role. This requires active management but fortunately there are some tactics that make the task easier.

Making More Money

1. New Issues

Have your broker or advisor keep a sharp look out for new bond issues that suit your needs. They invariably yield more than comparable bonds already trading in the market and the higher the yields, the greater the spread. This is because underwriters purchase large blocks of new bonds from the issuer and finance them at the bank. So in order to unload them quickly and reduce their interest charges, they price them below the current market bids. When interest rates are high there is even more incentive for dealers to sell the bonds quickly, so they offer larger discounts are offered.

Note that while all brokers have access to new issues, they don’t all have equal access. Brokers employed by dealers that engage in underwriting bond issues can bet bigger allotments.

2. Tax Implications

Potential returns and risk should always dictate your investment decisions. However, it’s a good idea also to keep an eye open for any tax breaks that may increase your net yield without adversely affecting the quality of your securities. For instance, if you are in a high income bracket, shop for deep discount bonds because only half the capital gain (the difference between your purchase price and par at maturity) is taken into your taxable income.

To illustrate, say interest rates climb from their present levels and you could purchase either of the following securities.

a. Government of Canada 6% bond at $100 due in 2010.

Your before-tax yield would be 6% or about 3% after-tax.

b. Government of Canada 5% bond at $93 due 2010. First calculate the after-tax interest income.

Then calculate the after-tax capital gain of $0.75. Note that $1 of the eventual $7 of capital gain is taken into income in each of the seven years remaining until maturity. But only half of that income is included as taxable income:

Author: Slee, Tom

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Make money-management resolutions now

January 24th, 2008 by monies

Maybe you’re now loudly proclaiming that crooks are haunting the world of personal finance, what with scandals in boardrooms and at mutual-fund trading desks. But that’s just a weak excuse for sitting on the sidelines. There still are enough honest souls ready to help everyday investors make headway.

If you have done nothing to date, then start today, not tomorrow, and arrange to have money — like $50 or $100 or more per month — transferred directly from your bank into a regular or IRA account with a stock mutual fund. Make sure it’s a no-load fund, one that doesn’t impose a sale charge to enter.

You say you don’t know of any such funds? Let me kill that old and lame excuse right now by suggesting Ariel Fund, 1 (800) 292-7435; T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation, 1 (800) 638-5660; or Babson Enterprise Fund, 1 (800) 422-2766. I know I wrote about this get- going strategy back on Nov. 16, but did you react?

Maybe instead of being a slow starter, you already own a portfolio, but it’s tattered and torn through years of neglect. Chances are good its badly in need of reconfiguration because you’re overloaded in one investment, like too much cash or too much in stock mutual funds.

Too much cash was even a bad idea back when short-term interest rates were around 5 percent, but now that they’re around 1 percent, its really a bad idea. Most of that cash needs to go to work in the stock market, where a return of 6 percent is achievable. The best of the producers are real estate investments trusts. Consider putting a large percentage of your portfolio in the likes of Annaly Mortgage Management (NLY), Entertainment Properties Trust (EPR), Health Care Property Investors (HCP), and New Plan Excel (NXL), all with great yields.

You can also get a 5 percent yield in electric utilities like Ameren (AEE), Consolidated Edison (ED) and OGE Energy (OGE), as well as in a telecom stock like SBC Communications (SBC).

Research these stocks through Value Line Investment Survey at your library or via www.quicken.com Yes, I’m suggesting you do some work. Use the stock symbols in research and trading.

Cut back on all those stock funds, maybe down to about 15 percent of the value of your portfolio. Some may have come back to life in 2003 but still lack good long-term performance records. Ones that have been good to investors every year over the past 10 years include the three mentioned above, plus FAM Value Fund, 1 (800) 932-3271, and Fidelity Low-Priced Stock Fund, 1 (800) 544-8544. Since they’re all no-load funds with 800 numbers, you haven’t spent a dime.

Don’t flee to the bond market. Rising interest rates will depress bond prices. If you are already in bonds or bond funds, watch their values for signs of deterioration.

You have heard all this preaching before. In fact, I laid out a similar set of resolutions a year ago; and if you failed to act, you just missed out on a great year for the economy and the stock market. Don’t make the same mistake again.

Season’s greetings to all my readers.

Cliff Pletschet’s Personal Finance column appears Monday. Write him at P.O. Box 28147, Oakland, CA 94604, phone (510) 531-5620. or visit our Web site, www.investment-eductaor.com

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Commentary: Surprise! Ways to make money are still around

January 24th, 2008 by monies

“Yes,” says the latest S&P Outlook. The publication states, “Each of the following stocks posted a total return (gain plus income) of at least 45 percent from March 2000 through March 2003 versus a decline of more than 40 percent for the S&P 500 stock index.”

The list includes, with three-year total return percentages in parentheses: AmSurg (up 61 percent), Apollo Group (62 percent), Career Education (78 percent), Reebok (55 percent), Rent-A-Center (54 percent), St. Jude Medical (53 percent), U.S. Physical Therapy (59 percent), and UnitedHealth Group (49 percent).

Worth the risk?

“The average junk bond yield is now 12.5 percent while Treasury bond yields are at low levels,” says Smart Money magazine. “Thus, the yield spread is the greatest it has ever been, except for 1990 and 2000, suggesting that junk bonds are now undervalued.”

“The default rate, which hit 11 percent last year, is now down to 8 percent. The stronger companies have survived, so the default rate may continue to fall. If the U.S. economy stabilizes, junk bonds could be one of this year’s top-performing asset classes.”

Good math

“There are investors who choose to believe that the fees charged for managing a mutual fund involve money shareholders weren’t entitled to in the first place,” says a Vanguard mutual fund ad. The text goes on, “The truth is, it’s all yours and the impact of fees on performance over time can be significant.

“Take a hypothetical fund with an expense ratio of 1.3 percent versus one with an expense ratio of just 0.3 percent. Applied to an investment of $5,000, with subsequent annual investments of $5,000 returning 8 percent, compounded over 20 years, and the difference adds up to $28,194 in your account.”

April showers

“If there was ever a time to dump stocks, it was in 2000 or 2001 or the fall of 2002 — not now.” (Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine)

“Homeowner’s insurance may be especially important today, after years of soaring prices. You should be sure that you have a ‘replacement cost’ policy rather than an ‘actual cash value’ policy. Although a replacement cost policy will cost more, it’s well worth the extra outlay.” (Physicians Financial News)

“Even with the federal tax exemption, 529 college savings plans may not be for everyone. They’re ideal for people with young children who probably will go to college. People with older children in a low tax bracket won’t get as much out of these plans, so it may not make sense to put money there and give up control.” (Financial Planning)

“If you can’t raise salaries, try handing out new job titles. Sometimes it even works.” (Wall Street Journal)

“Buy stocks when brokers’ offices are empty and their phones aren’t ringing.” (My father, a New York Stock Exchange member many decades ago).

Julius Westheimer is special managing director of the Westheimer Group, Ferris, Baker Watts. His column, Julius Westheimer’s MoneyWi, is published Wednesday and Saturday in The Daily Record. To ask Westheimer a question, log on to the Ask Westy! page.

Author: Julius Westheimer

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Money Watch: THE ROUTE TO RICHES … MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE

January 24th, 2008 by monies

We are playing the Stock Market more too. The level of business generated by private individuals rose to pounds 29.2 billion between April and June this year - up from pounds 23.3 billion the same time last year.

So how do you start? There are two main options - either you buy and sell your own shares, or you get a fund manager to look after your money and make the investment decisions for you.

Christine Ross, an independent financial adviser with Willis National, says: “Set your guidelines first. Have a spread of investments - don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Observe the five- year rule: If you can’t afford to leave your money in a fund for five years don’t go in.”

If you haven’t got much cash, you will only be able to afford to buy a few shares and that means you would be taking a big risk by investing directly yourself. If one or two shares do badly you could loose heavily

A much safer way to invest is to give your money to a fund management company. And the safest way to do this is through unit and investment trusts.

You can invest as little as pounds 30 or pounds 50 a month, or put in an initial pounds 500.

Your cash - and that of thousands of other people - will be pooled to buy a spread of shares.

With a unit trust you buy units in the fund. With an investment trust you buy shares, because investment trusts are quoted on the Stock Market.

Ian Millward of independent advisers Chase de Vere says: “With individual shares there is a lot more risk, so collective investments are better.

“Go for a tracker - which track a stock market index - like Legal & General’s UK FT All Share Index. You are buying into a wide spread of shares

across the UK. As there is no fund manager there is no risk of bad management and it’s a nice starting point.”

Mark Dampier of Hargreaves Lansdown says: “Go for Foreign & Colonial’s Investment Trust. You can buy cheaply as the charges are only 0.1 per cent and you get a properly managed fund.”

One of the simplest and safest ways to get into investing is to start your own INVESTMENT CLUB. These are set up by groups of friends or colleagues who pool resources to invest in the stock market.

Members usually get together once a month - often at their local pub - to decide which shares to invest in with a sum of, say, pounds 50 each. You do not need experience or specialist knowledge, and if you meet often and discuss share news that you have read in the financial papers, you will be amazed at how much you pick up. There are even laws to help you.

For instance, each club is allowed only up to 20 members. Clubs nominate a chairman, treasurer and secretary.

You will still need a stockbroker to buy or sell shares for you, but many offer special rates for clubs. There are now 3,300 investment clubs around the country. One, the Sartis Investment Club, made a profit of over 74 per cent in a year. To find out more, contact ProShare on 0171 394 5200.

DIRECT INVESTING: If you want to buy just a few shares, make sure you pick a stockbroking firm which charges a low fee on an “execution only” basis. This means you will get no costly investment advice … they will simply execute the deal for you.

The higher the dealing charge, the more will be taken out of any profits. And remember that there is stamp duty of 0.5 per cent on all share purchases.

TRACKER FUNDS are one of the cheapest ways to invest. They can either track the FTSE 100 or the All-Share Index for you by computer.

If you are determined to play the market yourself, look at some of the smaller companies.

While the FTSE Index of the top 100 shares has been falling, the smaller companies index is still near its all-time high and is up by 50 per cent since last October.

FREESERVE, the UK’s largest Internet service provider, is planning to launch an online broking service which could see the number of share trades in the UK on the Internet rise from three per cent to 10 per cent by next year. And the Mirror Group’s ic24 Internet service on www.ic24. net/money/index.html offers a comprehensive share prices listing in its finance section.

Author: NIKI CHESWORTH

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Never mind the money, make me a movie

January 23rd, 2008 by monies

“I’m still a novice really, so this wouldn’t be feasible until about two or three films down the line. This is one I’ve had in my head for a while. It would take place in Ireland, in Derry, where I grew up, and be set in a part called Free Derry, a section cordoned off by the populace. It’s about a mysterious foreign man who arrives from the river, and no one’s sure who he is, but as the story unfolds, we find out he has strong connections to Derry, and that he’s come to avenge his father. It would have the feel of a Greek myth, I think. I like to do things that have a certain mythical feel but are still tied to reality. I’m interested in creating mental landscapes, which is where the large budget would come in. I’d need a lot to recreate Derry as it was - I’d want to build the big tower blocks once used as lookout posts, they’ve all been demolished now. It involves lots of monumental moments in Irish history, too, like the siege of Derry, and they would have to be recreated. As far as casting, I imagined a French actor in the lead, preferably Gerard Depardieu. The budget would be about pounds 40-pounds 50m, but first I’ll have to prove that I can handle a more humble amount without doing a Kevin Costner.”

Three Steps to Heaven, representing Britain in Directors’ Fortnight, is the first feature from Constantine Giannaris. He also made the acclaimed short Caught Looking.

“If I could make anything, it would be a huge epic, a medieval film set in the 14th century, around the eastern Mediterranean conflict between Islam and Christianity, in the aftermath of the Crusades, concentrating on that conflict and the displacement of people. I’d make it an amazing epic, with action scenes - very violent, but more European in tone, more moody, something like Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev rather than a Hollywood blockbuster. But it would need this unlimited budget because I can’t imagine who on earth would fund it. I’d love to work with Jeanne Moreau or Jean- Louis Trintignant. And Jean-Paul Belmondo, too, when he was younger. But he ain’t. I come from a low-budget background - the first film I made cost pounds 3,000 - and Three Steps to Heaven is my first feature; it cost about pounds 450,000. If we’d felt at all constrained by that budget when we were making it, I don’t think we would have gone ahead, because it’s quite ambitious. Luckily I’ve got a mad, inventive producer, Rebecca Dobbs, and the low budget disciplines you, it’s good for you. I’m working on Marchetti now, which is a sort of urban criminal thriller set in Holland and London.”

Ken Loach, who won the Best Director Award at Cannes for Raining Stones in 1993, returns to the festival with Land and Freedom, set during the Spanish Civil War.

“I can’t really answer that, because an unlimited budget would be a liability. The more you spend, the more restricted you are because the more money you’ve got, the bigger the investment, the more nervous the investor and the more they dictate who should be in your film and what the ending should be. In other words, the more it has to conform to the American pattern of film-making. I’ve never been in that position because I’ve never made large amounts of money. The budget is always appropriate to the scale of the film you’re making anyway. It’s like a musician composing; you’re always aware of your resources. The only time I’ve ever thought that money might have made things easier was on Black Jack. But really the only limit when you’re working on a film is your own talent, your own imagination. I can’t talk about casts in an abstract sense either. Like budget, you work with whoever is appropriate to the film. Casting is often about hiring stars, and I do find stars pretty boring, actually, because then a film becomes all about watching those stars. I carry ideas for films around in my head, but I’d never share them and show them the light of day, not until they were completed.”

Terence Davies directed Distant Voices, Still Lives and The Long Day Closes. His latest, The Neon Bible, is based on John Kennedy Toole’s novel, and stars Gena Rowlands.

“My dream film is one that’s already been made. It’s Singin’ in the Rain! Exactly as it is, with the same cast and everything, only with my name on it - I wouldn’t let Stanley Donen or Gene Kelly near it! I love it just the way it is, but I wish I’d made it. I first saw it when I was seven, and it was a revelation. I went with my sister, and during that scene in the rain I cried and cried and cried. She asked, “Why are you crying?”, and I told her, “Because he looks so happy!” Nothing does that for me like the old Hollywood musicals. I love Cries and Whispers, too, but it’s hardly a toe-tapper, is it? I wish I could say I’d made something as great as Singin’ in the Rain but alas, no, I haven’t. Can you imagine putting together something so wonderful? There isn’t anything today that fills me with so much joy. I was a child then and a lot of it is to do with the ignorance of childhood, that time when you didn’t know how films were made. When I started making films myself, watching them became a different experience, not so magical. In those technicolour musicals, everyone has wraparound teeth and huge kitchens; it was wonderful. Nothing else has affected me quite that profoundly.”

Author: RYAN GILBEY

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Sunday Mirror Money: MONEY Make your child a finance wizard

January 21st, 2008 by monies

And with some timely help, parents can achieve a little everyday magic with their children’s savings.

Now’s the perfect time to start because children get an average of pounds 50 in cash at Christmas. Using some of it to open a savings account is a great way to give youngsters an early lesson in the value of money.

Savings can also be fun. You get free entrance to Dudley Zoo if you open a children’s account with Dudley Building Society, a free book and membership of a book club with Bradford and Bingley and a money box with Loughborough Building Society.

But while young thoughts might be on saving enough for the latest Barbie doll or Action Man, parents should be putting money aside for their children’s future. “Building up a lump sum could help them pay for their time at university or provide a deposit for their first home.” says Rob Guy, of The MarketPlace at Bradford & Bingley.

“How large a pot you manage to build up for your child will depend on how much you contribute each month and the risk you’re prepared to take.” A savings account is a safe haven, but if your child is still a toddler, you might decide to take a greater risk and put cash into investments linked to the stock market. Historically, these have outperformed savings accounts over the longer term. The interest paid on savings accounts is typically low- about 3 per cent - so even if you put away pounds 20 a month for 18 years you will only have built up a nest egg of around pounds 4,800. A similar investment on the stock market could be worth nearer pounds 5,200.

Unit trusts are a good option as the risk is spread over a number of shares, although fund management charges can eat into capital growth.

Friendly society bonds also invest in the stock market through a fund. A similar pounds 20 a month investment over 18 years should generate a tax-free lump sum of pounds 5,208. But the monthly payments have to be kept up with heavy penalties if the plan is cashed in early.

The main player in the field is Tunbridge Wells, which pioneered the first bonds with their baby Bond. Others worth considering are Scottish Friendly, Family Assurance and Shepherds Friendly Society.

Case Study

James Donnellan is a big Harry Potter fan and his mum Eileen is determined that he’ll turn out to be a financial wizard. They live in London.

JAMES, five, says: “I know what money is and how it works. I also know that if Mum says she doesn’t have any, then it’s not true - she has a plastic card she can pay with.

“I do save up for things if I really want them - a new toy car or game. I have a big jar where I put my 50p a week pocket money and I love to see it fill up.

“When it is full this time Mum is going to open a bank account for me. I want the one with the best free toy, but she is going to look at the extra money it will give me for putting my savings with them.

“When I’m older I hope this will make me rich.”

His mother Eileen, 39, encourages him to save and has opened a savings account for his future.

She says, “I put away pounds 27.50 per month with the Co- operative Society. I hope that when he gets to 18 it will be worth at least pounds 5,000 and it will be tax-free.

“I think it is the right time for him to understand about money so I am looking for a children’s account to put his money into.

“Then he can see the amount in there grow - as he learns more maths at school he should understand what this means. And hopefully not buying him things and making him save up instead will teach him the value of money.”

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So, you making any money?

January 19th, 2008 by monies

That might still be part of it, but at the risk of going completely over to the dark side, if doing all those marvelous and fulfilling things doesn’t equal profits, cash flow or in a word, money, it’s not going to be around very long.

Money’s not everything, but it’s a pretty good way of keeping score.

Even in an industry that’s dealing with emissions, changing definitions of globalization, and product developments that are stunning if not revolutionary, the balance sheet or the P/L statement are always in the room, if not sitting at the head of the table.

Even the most remarkable engineering in the world will never see the light of day if it doesn’t make money for someone.

So, in many ways, this month’s issue is all about money, engineering and new products. In a sense, every issue is that way, this one is just more obvious.

Cat isn’t building a new engine operations in China because it expects to lose money. DDC/MTU didn’t upgrade the 4000 Series because it wants lower marketshare. Grove’s new crane or Liebherr’s new haul truck aren’t being introduced just for the heck of it.

It all comes back to money.

To start, this is our annual Forecast issue. Some of the brightest minds that follow these markets weigh in on how they see 2008 shaping up.

We probably should call this Forecast v1.0. Frankly, a lot of prognosticators just aren’t sure right now. No one is fully in the doom and gloom camp, but they are unsure. In fact, it was interesting to see the difference in tone as we received the forecasts. The ones we got first were clearly more optimistic than the last forecasts we received. Things can change in a hurry.

As a result, we’re going to let these same bright minds have at least half a mulligan and update their forecasts in our December issue. It’s that kind of year.

The financial world hates uncertainty more than just about anything. If the market’s going up or going down, they can figure out how to play it. If they’re not sure, that’s when the holders of purse strings get anxious, nervous and maybe a little weird.

And since we’re talking about money, one of the common targets of people in industry are financial analysts. In fact, for years I thought they were officially known as Those Damn Analysts.

I guess if you announce an all-time high in quarterly revenues and your stock gets hammered for the next four days, you’re certainly confused and probably not having warm and fuzzy thoughts about Wall Street.

As such, for the latest installment of our Diesel X series, we sat down with Bear Stearns’ Ann Duignan, who watches these markets for the New York financial giant.

Her comments on the markets, how analysts work, and why they do some of the things they do, may provide at least a glimpse of how the financial world thinks.

Because like it or not, in business at least, it usually comes down to one simple question: “you making any money?”

Mike Osenga

mosenga@dieselpub.com

Author: Mike Osenga

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The Weasel: Money makes the circus go round

Making more money than many with bonds

Make money-management resolutions now

Commentary: Surprise! Ways to make money are still around

Money Watch: THE ROUTE TO RICHES … MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE

Never mind the money, make me a movie

Sunday Mirror Money: MONEY Make your child a finance wizard

So, you making any money?

Make money as a mystery shopper

Money makes the industry go `round?