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Wednesday 24 June 2015

Greece - still in trouble?

International creditors are still not happy with proposals from Greece over their debt. Talks are continuing  but I think Greece will have to make further concessions or leave the Euro. Although deep in the mire now, they would be in dire trouble out of the Euro with no support from the ECB for their banks.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33258624 .

Tuesday 23 June 2015

Greece - market relief?

This may be just a blip but the FTSE 100 share index bounced back today on the news that Greece has been "saved" in the short-term, although they still have a massive debt to repay and Greece is in a real mess. As I see it, this is a temporary situation and Greece is still in deep trouble. The simple fact is that the Euro could simply fall apart if Greece defaults and Germany would be left with huge losses and they are desperate to avoid this.

No, the Euro is still in deep trouble. This crisis has a way to go yet. There is trouble ahead for sure.

Monday 22 June 2015

Castle Trust - avoid?

The top of my Gmail seems to have regular ads for Castle Trust offering bonds with very good interest rates. I read somewhere that these funds are "dodgy" and you could end up losing capital. I have no idea whether true or not, but I shall be avoiding them.

Greece - a basket case?

Greece seems to be in a serious mess financially, although the EC seems desperate for the Euro to survive the current crisis. It would appear Greece became a member of the Euro club based on rather dubious figures. Tax avoidance and early retirement ages appear to be a way of life in Greece and this is anathema to countries like Germany. If Greece doesn't get kicked out of the Euro, they certainly need to change. We will see what happens. I expect we'll see yet another fudge and somehow Greece will survive, although it is not clear for how long. I'm very glad not to be Greek right now. Life there must be very hard, especially if you have no work.

UPDATE 1726z:  It sounds like Greece may be on the brink of a financial rescue. Time will tell.

Saturday 20 June 2015

Feedback forms

Whatever you do these days it seems there is a request for an online feedback form.Some of this data must be sold on so that you get bombarded with spam calls. I am sure many are genuine but the next time you fill one in think about ALL who may read it.

Friday 19 June 2015

The hospitality industry and overseas workers

Workers from Eastern Europe work hard and earn every penny. However, when was the last time you were served by anyone English in a cafe or hotel? In our current (excellent) hotel everyone seems to be from Eastern Europe. In the Botanical Garden cafe all the catering staff seemed to be from Poland. There was a TV programme a few years ago suggesting British workers are work shy. Or is it cheaper to employ Eastern Europeans on minimum wages?

Monday 15 June 2015

Further FTSE 100 falls

Not unexpectedly, the FTSE100 index has fallen further today and is now about 400 below its recent peak.