Pre New Year and Investing.

Well we got through Christmas and the spending in retail was in the last two days only.Not enough to save some retailers in the U.K.The New Year will show who will not be around trading Christmas 2013.Sad as it is for those that lose their jobs at the present time we still have too much retail space in the U.K.Also some commercial landlords are holding debt on property that is worth less.They cannot sustain the debt levels on property in the High Street and also in some shopping centres.Watch the story unfold.

Now back to investing in local companies as they raise funding in 2013.

Many of those U.K.companies that have survived the recession are now looking to move forward in 2013.Raising finance without using banks will grow as banks do not want to lend at commercial rated deemed right for industry and other ways start to and will develop faster in 2013.Retail Bonds will now, we expect, move to fill that gap as they move into the mainstream in the U.K.Thay tick the boxes that finance directors require in some companies ,that are now taking notice of them.

Happy and successful investing to you all in 2013.

Retail Sales U.K. Christmas 2012.

So we are within a week of Christmas and the public are still not spending.It will finish some companies as even the cash flow is not there and those that have the cashflow what margins are some of them working on?

It is going to the wire as the public are waiting for price reductions on goods to similiar previous year.It is not going to happen as a lot of companies have kept their stock levels to a minimum.I wonder how many that have ordered online are not going to get the delivery they require?

Back to business,those of us that survive Christmas will look to take market share and to stabilise the business for the longer term.Too many have been working on thin margins and will not be able to increase their margins enough and consequently will suffer the results.

Planning for the long term reality is now coming into most businesses.However some will try and go the other way and push their prices higher than the market will allow and they will lose custom in being too greedy.

Planning for the long term requires a good base to work from,good ,efficient,qualified staff and acapital base that is stable.As banks are lending less other ways will develop to fill the gap.And fill it they will.

Retail Bonds will suit some ,as will non bank lending.

Happy and suucessful investing for the New Year from all at www.RetailBonds.co.uk

Spending and housing in the U.K. at Christmas.

Despite all the projections people are not parting company with their money this Christmas in the U.K. That will mean there will be some big name retailers go up for sale after Christmas as most of their profitability is in this 12 week period.

Even some that are 'profitable' should be looked at closely.There seems to be some retailers that call their staff in when they want them and send them home when they are quiet.Or have staff on work experience and dont offer some work afterwards even if they are competent and efficient.

The present way of employing people for 12hrs of 16hrs a week,ch is gaining in popularity with some companies does not bode well for house sales as fluctuating work patterns does not help in getting a mortgage.

So we will see a growing demand for rented property in the U.K. but let me tell you that a lot of rented property in the U.K.is now too expensive and we will see a re-alignment  in rented housing as people are not earning the money to keep up with what some landlords and agents keep pushing upwards.And there has to be a more concerted effort to offer longer rental periods.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Sales in the U.K.

12 days to Christmas and spending in the retail shops is struggling as customers hold off buying waiting for shops to start reducing prices,which they have now started doing. Some businesses make all their profit in this period and some are not going to make it as results will show after Christmas.

Part of the reason is there is too much retail chasing a market which is not there as much as all the data makes them believe.Supermarkets in the U.K. are going for bust with their expansion of smaller stores.
The buying public are a fickle breed and may turn against companies they are thinking trying to control the market they shop in.

I am sure some in the industry will not agree with me but history shows that however some in the world try to control totally the world they are in they never achieve that for long.

We are having that type of power develop in retailing in the U.K.Time will show when they are too big they will start to implode in on themselves with the mistakes they make and cannot control.

That is showing now in odd pockets.

Smaller companies employ more of the population than the large companies.It is making a living which is more important to most people. Surviving is what it is all about while big boys make big decisions affecting their lives.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

New Year Investment in the U.K.

As we move towards Christmas there are some of us thinking of the new year and what it will bring.For many they will be glad to see the back of 2012 but hey,it could have been worse at the beginning of the year.

There is obviously more secrets to come out about banks,which they would like to see kept in the dark but the sea change amongst the younger workers in banking seeing they can now disclose things to the authorities we will see more come out.

With the linking up of U.K. and American banking regulators in overseeing the financial markets of both countries I believe we will see more closer ties and business between the U.K. and the U.S.A. We are after all  their friend and confidant in Europe.

Many companies are looking forward to growing in 2013 and I hear more engineering is coming back to us because of the skills the U.K. has. It should have never gone in the first place ,the problems caused by substandard parts have cost some companies dear.I hope they have learnt their lesson.

More companies are looking for other forms of finance than banks.Banks being happy to take money from the E.C.B. and the British Government and think nothing of their customers cash deposits.At some time the funding will dry up for banks and they will be chasing customers cash.It may have moved on by then.The banks have not learnt yet have they.

Retail bonds will start to come into their own now as a way of company funding its debt and cash flow.Along with other new ways now coming about. See www.RetailBonds.co.uk

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Interest grows in Retail Bonds.

As more investors look for higher returns on their investments there is a growing use of funds specifically investing in higher rate short term Retail Bonds in the U.K.This is an interesting move as the market for Retail Bonds is beginning to get into its own stride as more companies look at issuing these type of bonds to replace bank debt.

The movement by fund managers into offering this type of investment is because their investment clients are looking to good reasonable stable returns , as nobody knows which way the economy is going to jump.

For more information regarding Retail Bonds go to RetailBonds.co.uk

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Austerity in the U.K.and business.

So it is the same old stuff called austerity.We are all in this together,I dont think.People in the U.K. are getting fed up with this old story.They do however realise things are difficult but  it is up to the Government of the time to at least show serious optomism.

It is really good that corporation tax is going down to 21% by april 2014  but many people in the real world of life think about JOBS, HOUSING and living costs.   Housing does not seem to come on the agenda as a major priority and  I think a period of temporary housing will have to be erected,similiar to after the war. (Some of this is still standing and being used today).


Housing and jobs must become a major priority now as that is at the front of peoples' minds.

The present business climate is not good and the need to settle peoples' minds and get them spending is the only way to assist the economy in moving forward.It will be an interesting Christmas.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Loans by banks in the U.K.

It has come out that some of the main banks borrowed money from the U.K. government and immediately reduced their loan portfolio,opposite of what the U.K. government wanted.Surprise surprise.It was not a surprise to most of the public.

However the government says it is early days in the loan scheme.Time alone will tell but do not hold your breath.I know the banks need more capital but now theyseem to do what they want with the money and not let it feed through.No wonder the U.K. economy is still in a mess and businesses and the public still have no respect for the banks.

Until banks start to behave with the U.K. in mind we are obviously going to get more of the same.The drying up of cashflow in the U.K. is doing severe damage and just because one or two major companies keep publishing the facts their turnover is up will not save the economy as a whole.

If there is a leader out there that can start to make the U.K. strong again and they are reading this please stand up and take your place at the front.Thankyou.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retailing and property in the U.K.

It has been reported in one of the national newspapers that a major bank has offloaded a substantial portfolio of commercial property in Ireland at 25p in the £ which means a discount of 75% to book value.Not good.Although it clears it off the books it is now setting a precedense without them realising .It is a second portfolio that they have sold and the previous was at a   90% discount,again in Ireland.

Back to the U.K. It is also reported that a large retailer,well known in the U.K. is starting to move out of the retail high street because of expensive rents and rates.This is not just a one off. High street rents and rates have been too high for years in the U.K. This has encouraged investors to pile into commercial property in a big way.Reality is here now and we are going to see a lot of lanlords disappear and commercial property prices will come down in value dramatically. Have our banks recognised this on their balance sheets? If they have they are keeping quiet about it.

Even if every high street shops have their upper floors converted to living accomodation it will not save the commercial side as they are too overvalued.

We still have a lot of adjusting in the U.K. to come too and it will start with the downward pricing on commercial property and then spread to domestic housing.
Mortgage lenders have accepted this in reality  because many want a 30% deposit on domestic property.This covers them in a fall of up to 30% as that percentage of risk lies with the purchaser.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

December is here and business loans.

December is here and we are still surviving in business in the U.K. I have read this morning in a national newspaper that pay day loan companies are moving into business loans in a big way.Is that a good thing,time alone will tell.

Being in business is hard in this present recession,which we are told we are not in ,but in borrowing money to sustain abusiness through difficult times needs to be looked at very seriously indeed.High interest rates will not help.

Confidence amongst those with money needs stabilising and they need to be encouraged to spend more.Cashflow is the thing that will save companies not borrowing more money unless it is to invest.

The U.K.business enviroment is not good at the moment ,it would be nice if it started to improve.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Bank Finance Lending in the U.K.

It looks as though our banks seem to be carrying more bank debt on commercial property in the U.K. than they have allocated for.It has always been there but I suppose they were hoping property prices were going to rise and get them out of the situation.As always they listen to reports analysis produced by big companies but they never seem to get on the street and look for themselves.

We have reports trade for November is better than last year.For many it is that they are selling more fore considerably less.That is not and never will be sustainable.Watch the damage done after Christmas because of financial stupidity pre Christmas with pricing.

As the shortfall in capital balances show through in banks so funding to small businesses will continue to fall.

Same old , same old story.
Other ways of funding for small businesses will develop faster.Retail Bond issues will be one for companies of such a size.Crowdfunding will develop faster as will peer to peer.
Main banks will be the losers in the end as small businesses do their best to stay away from them long term.

Many commercial landlords will disappear as their investments collapse.Reality needs to come back to commercial property. It hasnot been there for a long time.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Business Loans in the U.K.

Despite what we are being told about the increase in Business loans in the U.K. being available talking to business people they are being turned down for loans unless they have more than enough security to cover the loan.Overdrafts when offered are at a higher interest rate than necessary.It is not easy being in business in the U.K.

Many companies that have assets and are of a size to be able to issue retail bonds are beginning to do so to reduce bank debt.These types of retail bond issue are attracting really good interest of retail investors.

The tightening of commercial finance is still on going in the U.K. even though we are told otherwise.Also commercial activity is very dormant in many fields and is not helping.If cashflow in the U.K. does not improve soon there will be a lot of businesses close as they run out of funds.And I am not talking just about the inefficiant ones'.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Latest Retail Bond issue is Alpha.

The latest retail bond issue in the U.K. is by The Alpha Plus Group a group of private Schools and Childrens Nurseries.
For more information please go to www.RetailBonds.co.uk and go to bond issues.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Welcome American Readers.Retail Bonds.

Good Morning to those of you who read this blog from America.I hope all is well with you.

Retail bonds in the U.K. are a recent phenomenon and because of this you would be surpised how many active business people and retail investors still do not know what they are.This I put down to the fact that the marketing of such products has been kept very limited.

This we hope to change as the more commercial entities realise the benefits / risks   of Retail Bonds and the same with retail investors the market will grow into a very large market.We at www.RetailBonds.co.uk  will do our utmost to market  Retail Bond to the greater retail investor and businesses in the U.K.  so they can make an informed choice.

Happy and successful investing to you all and I hope the sunshine in life  is always with you.

Retail Bonds and investor access.

Although some of the larger issues of retail bonds come to market they seem to be taken up by investors in the  know and sitting on the sidelines.Although this is ok it inhibits other investors to get a bite of the cherry.

This definately needs altering and then the market for retail bonds can grow and be more open.By allowing retail investors into the open market more companies would be encouraged to issue retail bonds knowing there is a greater base of potential investors out there.

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Latest Retail Bond issue in the U.K.

The latest Retail Bond issue in the U.K. is by UNITE Students Housing.They are hoping to raise a minimum of £50 million and it will be traded on the L.S.E. Retail Bond Platform.

For further information go to Retail Bond Issues on www.RetailBonds.co.uk

Happy and successful investing to you all.

Pre Christmas quiet in the markets.

In the U.K. there is not a lot of activity in the retail bond market apart from Eddie Stobart Group Issue.It will now probably stay that way now a s there are only 5 weeks to Christmas and activity slows anyway.however as we come out the other side I do expect activity to rise,slowly initially and then quite fast as we approach the end of the first quarter of 2013.More companies could utilise the benefits of retail bond issue,but some are still not aware of what retail bonds can do for them.

It is surprising that so many people in the U.K. do not know what retail bonds are and many companies as well do not know.I would assume the same is in the E.U. so it shows what marketing has to be done to potential investors and potential customers both in the U.K. and the E.U.

Happy and successful investing to you all from all at  http://www.RetailBonds.co.uk

Local Investors in Retail Bonds.

As it seems that activity is going to grow through local investments both in the U.K. and Europe, peoples attitudes are changing from looking at global projects, and to more local projects and companies ,to see how local Investment will help change their lives through better employment and assisting local companies and projects to flourish and become sustainable.
Through this style of investing overall the economies of the world ,that achieve this balance of investment, will grow strongly again.We have to think of how the balance of local growth and stability fits into the bigger picture of global activity.To many people it is here and now and where we live that matters.The global picture does not come into many peoples minds.
However local activity and global activity must work together to achieve the right balance so we all have a better life in the vicinity where we live.
Happy and successful investing to you all and lets all think local for some of the time.

Fund Raising moves from Banks.

As time progresses companies are looking for other ways of funding.A local authority up the north of England is joining forces with a crowd funding company to offer loans to credit worthy companies in their area which turn over more than £100,000.
These types of development in financing are going to grow more and be more localised as people start to realise that they cannot wait for banks to sort themselves out.
This localised form of financing for growth will start to pull the U.K. out of recession (of which we are not supposed to be in) and along with Retail Bonds, when the system allows local retail investors to invest in both local projects and locally based companies, will allow companies to employ and develop.
Waiting for investment in the U.K., with austerity still being the policy, is like watching butter climb a wall in the middle of summer.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bonds stepping up to fill financing gap.

As we move towards 2013 many companies are looking now for other finance than bank lending.It has come to the point now where many businesses are not even bothering with asking a bank for a loan or overdraft with the fact they might get refused and it then shows on their credit rating.
Retail Bonds can and possibly should  fill that gap for some companies.However many companies that could benefit are unaware of retail bonds .More marketing has to be done by those involved.
www.RetailBonds.co.uk
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bonds and for profit housing associations.

As more and more companies gain permission to set up trusts to operate for profit housing associations,some by building companies enabling them to buy houses off their own sites,financing comes to the for.as part of financing they are openly discussing issuing retail bonds.This can only increase the market in retail bonds and may be the way forward in the U.K and Europe for a better supply of housing by associations as Government funding dries up.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bonds latest issue.

As we move into November activity is beginning to lift in the retail bond market.
The latest issue is from the Stobart Group.Find the link on www.RetailBonds.co.uk   under latest bond issues.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

November activity quiet in retail bonds.

November is still quiet in the retail bond market in the U.K.How much longer are we going to wait for some push to get the U.K. economy going.5 years is too long now and people are getting tired of it dragging on.Somebody or some country has to be the first mover in gaining momentum.The American election over this will boost things but the European Economy has to get its act together.The cash is out there in many companies coffers.If moves dont take place soon I can see this dormancy dragging on for ages.
Lets hope we have the brave country/s and leaders to start doing things now.Not in 2yrs time.
happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bond activity and Brokers.

As we move into early November markets are still quiet ,however Brokers who have spoken to a national financial newspaper expect Retail Bonds to feature high in their activity to assist in increasing their profitability.Retail Bonds have assisted in increasing brokers revenue stream.Brokers need to establish their reputation in the Retail Bond market and those that do and have an advantage in marketing will win the day.
Marketing increasing awareness  is what we expect to achieve with the retail investor through our websites  www.RetailBonds.co.uk and  www.RetailBonds.eu    .
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bond activity and deposit returns.

As we progress out of October in the U.K. activity is subdued.Although behind the scenes I believe there is a lot of activity by companies looking at ,and considering issuing retail bonds as it looks as though bank lending is tightening and will do for a year or two.Banks do not seem to want to pay much interest to the public for deposits .It seems to me that banks are getting sufficient capital other ways cheaply
.A lot of the public are being offered 0.5% on their deposits ,not even covering inflation .They will be looking for other forms of investments for better returns.This will start to make Retail Bonds an attractive form of investment for the public now.But more information and marketing will need to take place.We intend to fill most of that gap.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bonds and Retail Investors in E.U and U.K.

As the year goes on many investments that retail investors have had in 2yr ,3yr, and 5yr investments are coming to the end.This means that a lot of capital is coming on line for reinvesting.What a shock they are having as some are finding they will not get very decent returns on investing in the banks.Some as low as 0.5% and they are getting annoyed on this type of return.
Some will now start to turn to Retail Bonds as investments but 3 things have to happen to start to make the market grow more than it is now.The first is to increase marketing of Retail Bonds to Retail Investors and show them what is expected and what they can expect.The second is for more companies to decide that Retail Bonds are a benefit for their company in assisting in development and cashflow.And the third is for it all to work nicely together.Something that it doesnt quite do at the moment.This will develop into a very large market as Retail Investors both in the E.U and U.K. get used to investing this way.
This we hope to assist in doing at www.RetailBonds.co.uk  and www.RetailBonds.eu  .
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bond market in U.K. reaches £1 Billion.

The Retail Bond market in the U.K. has exceeded £1billion in this year so far and there is talk of an issue possibly from Eddie Stobart Transport.This shows the appetite for this type of financing is growing and will become an established form of raising finance for companies as part of a diversified Funding Balance.
Happy and successful investing to you all from www.RetailBonds.eu   and www.RetailBonds.co.uk      .

Cash Flow ,Companies and the U.K.

Reports are coming out that banks are likely to restrict funding for small and medium size businesses.even to the level as at 2006. That is not good ,how will the U.K. economy start to recover?.As the cash flow tightens more companies will start to progressively look at other forms of funding.Retail Bonds fitting the bill.As I have said before finance directors will have to adjust to this type of funding as retail investors look to place their investments rather than just all in banks.
Good cash flow is important and control over it is what companies require.The issue of retail bonds will ,I believe, start to accelerate and retail investors will start to buy those of good quality companies whose bonds will trade on the Stock Exchange Platform allowing clarity.       www.RetailBonds.co.uk
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Germany's Retail Bond Market.

The  German retail bond market,which has started to develop fast, has had a bond issuer default.Wind turbine maker SIAG Schaaf has filed itself for insolvency.Although this is a slight setback for the market it is also a test for it.We do expect the market to solve this problem and to continue to grow as in any developing market you get the odd casualty from time to time.It is a natural progression within development.
Retail bonds will fill the gap in cash flow that many Mittelstand companies will find useful.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bonds and Europe.

As Europe starts to stablise ,apart from the occasional problem that will arise,it seems people are beginning to work together better.I still think more could be done to alleviete the problems at the bottom of those countries such as Greece by other countries at least sending some food consignments to at least to alleviate the pressure on those that are suffering the worst effects of the situation.Are we not all humans,do we not at least feel for those struggling to feed themselves.We must help with this starvation situation in Europe.
The companies that have survived so far will now be looking to stablise more their cash flow situations and start to look to grow.Retail Bonds will now start to develope in the minds of the finance directors as a way of raising finance to fill this gap.Expect Retail Bond issues to start taking more of a preference within Europe.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Quiet October in Retail Bonds.

Although you should never wish away time I will be glad when we are through October,always a quiet unusual month.Quiet in most things but lets hope things are getting better starting November.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

European Retail Bonds.

We have initially set up our site www.RetailBonds.eu  .It will over time incorporate all Countries in the European Union and will provide information on Retail Bond issues in the European Union Countries at the point when the Retail Bonds are issued.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

European Investors and Retail Bonds.

As the European Union pulls itself off the ground and more investors are starting to look for relatively stable types of investments, Retail Bonds in European Companies are beginning to get issued in greater numbers.As in any market confidence is important and that is beginning to appear in the way sovereign bonds of Spain are starting to attract foreign investors.Within the E.U. investment is covered by E.U. rules and Regulators there fore enabling investment to be attracted from those initially in the E.U.
At www.RetailBonds.eu we aim to give you as an investor up to date Retail Bond issues as they take place enabling you to decide on your own investment strategy.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

European Retail Bonds and accessibility.

Italy has raised a substantial amount of money issuing a Retail Bond directly for retail investors.This market will start to grow as retail investors look to diversify and balance their investment portfolio with Retail Bonds from different European Countries and Companies.Again though a lot of the money was sitting on the side lines waiting to jump in to this type of bond but there was just as many that did not know that this investment was available till it was too late to invest.We are therefore going to activate www.RetailBonds.eu  and build the site to try and alter the balance of those that do not find out about Retail Bond issues in Europe until thje issue is closed.In the U.K. the problem is the same.Over time we hope to remedy both situations to allow those retail investors that want to know about the Retail Bond issues when they are first presented.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bonds latest issues.

The latest issues in Retail Bonds 18th October 2012 are by The London Stock Exchange themselves and St.Modwen (Property Developers).The current information is at www.RetailBonds.co.uk  and links to both companies can be found.
As we move out of October we expect more Retail bond Issues to be forthcoming as economies readjust and improve.
We also expect Retail Bond Issues in Europe to develop as Europe starts to help itself to climb out of its various problems.

October and European and U.K. Retail Bonds.

Oh how quiet October is.It seems the papers are preoccupied with black monday,black wednesday or even a black friday.Despondency abounds.It is a good job some of us are optomists.
Although there are many problems to overcome in the finance of the world they will be sorted out.Meanwhile if everyone got on with living life would get better.
As we climb out of the October hubris and believe in the capability of survival and success we will find that we have capable people to resolve the problems.
Back to business European and U.K. included will start to come out of their problems and companies will start to look at  developing again.Retail Bonds will, as many will recognise, give them the availability of capital to assist in the well running of their companies.
Access to retail investors is therefore paramount and we at www.RetailBonds.co.uk will do our utmost to expand that part of the market in accessability to issues as they become available.
Accessability  to a larger part of retail investors will only help the market in total to develop in Europe and the U.K.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bonds and mid market companies.

With the successful completion of Cambridge Universities bond issue we do expect mid market companies now to seriously look at the issuing of retail bonds to assist in their capital raising as interest rates are constantly changing again and cashflow is as important as ever.

Retail Bonds and investment access.

Cambridge University has just successfully closed a 40 year bond issue of £350 million which was oversubscribed by almost 5 times. Successful indeed.Some investors are nigling that they were unlucky in getting hold of any of the bonds because of low distribution.Where as this is a debatable subject many people were aware of the issue but many who would have bought into it were not.It was oversubscribed so more money was chasing the bond than was possible to purchase them.However is shows that an open market to bond issues that are of good quality will attract a substantial amount of investors .It is important to open the bond issues to all retail investors therefore widening the market and attracting more good quality bonds for investment.
Opening the market to all Retail Bond investors that they may know about good quality bond issues when issued is something we are working at .      www.RetailBonds.co.uk  will be the window into the Retail Bond market for retail investors of the future.

Nov 1st changes.

As November 1st comes and market makers are drawn into completing deals in a set short time or fines follow we believe more companies will start to issue Retail Bonds .This will only help in increasing the size of the market but more has still to be done to let the investing public Know what retail bonds are and their investment possibilities.

Growing use of Retail Bonds in Europe.

The latest market figures have came out and seem to show that companies in Europe are now raising more capital by issuing retail bonds.In the first 6 months of 2012 it seems 50% of capital raising in Europe was through issuing bonds. It seems to be following the American market where up to two thirds of the capital raisings are by bonds.
Within Europe and especially the U.K. interest in Retail Bonds is growing fast and it is estimated will grow substantially as bank borrowings are reduced.That will alter the way banks look today as banks trading structures change.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail Bonds and Shares.

Their are investment advisors that are suggesting that investors swap out of some corporate bonds and turn to shares for better returns.As we always advise all investment advice you receive should be given by those authorised by the F.S.A..Where as some bonds are slipping behind on their returns relative to other investments it must be the investors choice and decision.
It is however expected, for companies issuing retail bonds ,that they will make the further issue of bonds attractive relative to other forms of investment.And as most investors know a diverse investment portfolio is always wise.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

helpful banking and the future.

We have a sister site www.helpfulbanking.mobi that we have had on line for a few months to settle into google and other web search engines.This is until we decide how the site will develop.We also have 10 other helpfulbanking domain names .
We have been approached by a representative of a financial company with a view to them purchasing the whole package of 11 domain names.The initial figure offered is quite substantial but we have not decided which way we will go although we are seriously considering the offer.
As we progress we will inform you of the conclusion of the negotiations and what we decide on the offer.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Welcome and Successful Investing.

This is just to say  WELCOME  to all of you from around the world that are starting to follow this blog.We wish you all happy and successful investing from all those at www.RetailBonds.co.uk  .

Retail Bonds and their Investor interest.

Workspace having closed their latest Retail Bond issue have raised£57.5million which was £7.5million more than they initially issued.So it shows investor interest is larger than the retail  bond issues that are coming to market.
As the market grows and investors get used to it so the retail bond issues will grow.We at www.RetailBonds.co.uk expect both issues and investor interest to start growing markedly from 1st Nov 2012 and increase more from 1st Jan 2013 as new regulations alter the market for market makers and investor advice accordingly.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Quantative Easing and Retail Bonds.

There is talk that the Bank of England might issue some more quantative easing in November.Why isn't this getting through to businesses at street level.We have the same old excuses,one after another.Businesses cant wait for the turn of the coin and will want to progress on to there next stage of development.
Retail Bonds will start to fill that gap for many as companies will not wait for banks to change direction.Quantitive easing seems to be only getting as far as the banks funding departments as many people will admit.Businesses just cannot wait any longer.The restrictions on cash flow is getting stronger as the money is kept out of the economy.
Happy and successful investing to you all.The world is a big picture let us all put in our part to make it the picture we want.

Retail Bonds and the autumn period.

As we approach October we stretch out of the summer period and start to adjuct to progressing into a new year.October is a funny month for most people as adjusting doesnt seem easy but it always will feel like that.However ,progress we must and start thinking of next year and how we can make it a better year.Companies must also think about next year in investment in the business and securing trade.Securing finance is also important and as the banks seem to be sitting on their hands issuing retail bonds is a way for some companies to raise the finance they need to stabalise a business,invest in the business or both.
And when banks realise that business has changed its mindset and are looking for and finding other ways of finance it may be too late for the banks' bottom line.Time alone will tell.

Retail Bonds and a changing world.

As the time moves towards Jan 1st 2013 ,the date when advice for those with investments under £100000 will not be obtainable from many sources that they are used to getting.As it is always wise to have a diversified investment portfolio it is probable that Retail Bonds will be an investment that many will have as part of their medium term package.
This will see the market grow but as we have said before that companies that offer Retail Bonds as a form of public investment must approach this in a different way to others they have of raising capital and must be more open to their investors who would probably like to be kept up to date.Email being the necessary option.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

I.S.A.'s and Retail Bonds.

If you purchase retail bonds with a run date of 5yrs or more you can pklace them in an I.S.A. therefore saving you income tax.
Happy and successful investing.

Equity and retail bonds.

The requirements for equity settlements are changing on Nov 1st and require market makers to settle in 4 days in stock purchases or they will get fined.Market makers say that in smaller and mid cap shares trades direct to smaller purchases(2000 shares)  probably wont be of interest to them in trading.Therefore smaller companies will struggle to get money for investing because of their share customer purchase base when issuing new shares.We at www.RetailBonds.co.uk  believe that smaller and mid cap companies will now be serious in looking at retail bonds as a way of raising capital to invest.That will only make the market for retail bonds to grow larger and faster.
Happy and successful investing to you all.

Retail bonds and investor interest.

As the interest grows in retail bonds more companies are beginning to show interest in issuing them.Ther process between thinking about issuing them and actually issuing them apart from the legalities takes time as if it is a new way of financing for the company involved in the issue physicologicaly they have to adapt their thinking.Also The general investing public are often not aware of such retail bond issues.We at Retail Bonds.co.uk  intend to try to remedy the situation by comprehensively marketing retail bonds as a form of investment for public investors.All advice however in the relativety of buying retail bonds for investment must be given by an advisor regulated by the F.S.A.
Happy and successful investing.

Bond Issues as they are issued.

We are intending to keep you up to date with Retail Bonds as they are issued.The latest one is Workspace today being Thurs 20th 2012.We have put the links to Workspace at http://www.RetailBonds.co.uk    . Happy and successful investing to you all.

Business loans and advice.

On our Website http://www.helpfulbanking.mobi    we have added links to Community Development Finance Initiative with regards business finance and a link to the Governments free Money Advice Centre.
We hope both of these may be useful to some of you.
Happy and Successful Investing.

Loans and Debt advice.

As bank financing seems to be getting tighter and tighter we have put links on 2 of our sites to assist you,family or friends in surviving todays economy.
We have put free links to a free debt advice centre and a free link to Community Development Finance Initiatives on http://www.helpfulbanking.mobi     also on   http://www.SustainableBanking.co.uk We hope these are some help to you or people you know.  

Bonds and their attraction to the retail investor.

Retail Bonds are attracting great interest from the retail investor as they start to diversify their portfolio and returns from banks seem to diminish further.As we have said it is ideal to get advice from those regulated by the F.S.A.This will become more important from the 1st of January 2013 when it is officially obligated by the law as those not registered cannot give advice.
More Retail Bond issues will now start to appear as we move out of the holiday season.
Successful investing to you all.

Bonds and Future Income.

If as expected, and the figure is true ,this financial year £97 billion will come out of tied investments and looking for a home to make an income from.Also from 1st Jan 2013 rules about investment advice comes in and some investment advisors will not remain qualified to give advice.Banks have already started getting rid of financial advisors and there is talk that banks are looking for investors with a minimum of £100000 to invest.
This will leave many people without investment advice.It is therefore necessary for retail investors to get more knowledgeable about investing.It is also necessary for the market for Retail Bonds to give out more information on a regular basis to enable retail investors to have a balanced view.Therefore enabling them to consider Retail Bonds as an investment for their portfolio.

Infrastructure Bonds.Project Bonds.

As we progress out of the severe downturn we have been in the E.U. infrastructure projects will inevitably start up again .Their funding is openly discussed and many ways are suggested.One of the ways is to issue Project Bonds supported by the Governments of the countries involved.Obviously some countries are not in a position to do this yet but the U.K. Government is.Psychologically it is not yet quite there but we expect it  to get there soon.
Project Bonds will ,if as expected,secure the initial investment in the projects when they are at their most delicate stage of investment.
If this does develop in the way we expect we will keep you up to date through www.ProjectBonds.eu
In the U.K. any information will come through www.ProjectBonds.co.uk

Bond Investment Direct.

There seems to be an interest in investment direct into Retail Bonds rather than through Bond Funds.This is because Bond Funds incur a yearly management fee and direct purchase of Retail Bonds do not.Although Bonds held in a Fund are protected up to £50,000.
The choice of purchase of Retail Bonds must be by the investor alone but as some are finding a yearly fee does reduce the overall returns on the investment.
At www.RetailBonds.co.uk we will endevour to keep you up to date on movements within the Retail Bond market.

America and Retail Bonds.

Their is talk of a movement by an American Stock Market to create a platform to enable investors to invest and trade in European Retail Bonds.As the U.K. is part of Europe I would assume that should include  U.K. Retail Bonds.I would therefore expect those Retail Bonds that were accepted on the American platform would come under American legislation. If and when this does or may take place we at http://www.retailBonds.co.uk will keep You informed of the progress.It is believed that the American Market is collating trade from 2 of its markets to place in the new platform to enable it to be successful from the start.

London Stock Market and Retail Bonds.

The London Stock Market set up a platform to enable Retail Bonds to be traded on.Although most Retail bonds will be traded on this platform some are not so investors should be aware of this.Any advice for investing in Retail bonds should be by advisers registered with the F.S.A.
The platform will enable Retail Bond issues to grow faster as investors will see the bonds traded and availability if they wish to purchase the Retail Bonds after the closing date only if some investors wish to sell.
The stability that the stock market platform will give Retail Bonds will allow the development of the market in them to accelerate.

Affordable Housing and Retail Bonds

Many Housing Associations are issueing Retail Bonds as Banks have dried up lending to them.Some Housing Associations cannot issue Retail bonds because of their legal setups.If society wishes to reduce homelessness more social housing is required but one of the biggest problems with it is councils send the money direct to recipients instead of straight to the social housing operators.
This affects controlled cashflow and problems when the money is spent by the recipients and not used to pay the rent.Perhaps it is time the Government changed its rules in order to secure Social Housing Operators.
Banks also should consider selling the Housing Association loans to the pension funds.Although you can understand the Banks not wanting to take a hit on the loans I am sure if there is a will aggreements between Banks and Pension Funds could be concluded successfully for both sides as I am sure the Banks dont want the loans on their books.
Now is the time we need to review social housing and make it a necessary and important part of the structure in the U.K.

Local Authorities and Retail Bonds

It is being discussed that it may be possible for Local Authorities, with the Governments Blessing, to possibly issue Retail Bonds for infrastructure projects in their areas and attract investors within their authority areas.To enable this to actually take place and be successful marketing of the ideas need to start well before the issue of such bonds.To just raise funds by issuing Retail Bonds and expecting residents in their area to just invest is just pie in the sky as it is at the moment.
A long term push into letting residents know what benefits a project should have and expecting them to invest is not feasable. Long term planning should begin now and if a Local Authority does raise funds via Retail Bonds and is successful they must continue to inform their investors as a Company would do.
To let down their Retail bond investors once will put back their raising of capital this way for a long time.

Open Information Market in Retail Bonds.

As Retail Bonds start to be accepted into mainstream investments so more capital will become available by investors to enable Companies to diversify their capital loan base.As both sides start to work together and the Market grows so both Investors and Retail Bond issuing Companies will start to settle into the requirements of the Market.Open information is necessary for the Market in Retail Bonds to flourish and any Company that does not provide that will find that investors will be reluctant to invest with them.

The Summer months have been quiet for issues of Retail Bonds but as we climb out of August Companies will be looking to diversify their borrowing facilities and Retail Bonds can fill that gap.
But as I have said before Companies will need to keep investors well informed to be able to have them as investors for repeat Retail Bond issues.Keeping potential Retail Bond investors up to date on companies progress and possible future bond issues are something we intend to do at http://www.RetailBonds.co.uk

Bank Lending is drying up.

It looks now as if Banks are going to tighten their lending for a long time despite them saying Companies do not want to borrow,but as we all know it is how much the interest and what is required controls our want to borrow.
Retail Bonds will now start to gradually fill the gap for a lot of Companies as they test the water with issues.Confidence will start to grow on both sides,issuer and investor.Investors, if they require advice, should always seek it from those advisors regulated by the F.S.A   .http://www.fsa.gov.uk/
From Jan 1st 2013 advisors must have passed the current of the F.S.A. exams and will have to charge for advise rather than as a percentage of the items they complete for investors.
Retail Bonds traded on the London Stock Market platform will provide some clarity for the investor.

As Banks seem to be more reluctant to sustain lending to small and medium businesses so they are looking more and more for stable finance and Retail Bonds seem to be filling that gap.It does require an altered way of financial thinking when a company has relied on Bank finance alone to change.It also requires the investor to regard Retail Bonds as worth putting in their portfolio.

The Bank lending in Ireland is also reducing so watch Retail Bonds develop there also.

As time progresses it is highly likely that the requirements of both Retail Bond issuers and investors will meet and they will both be comfortable with each other.It does seem that at the moment however that current Retail Bond issues are not marketed to a large enough retail base and are snapped up by those already in the swim.If all Retail Bond issues were marketed to a larger customer base it would encourage the market to grow and also Companies would benefit having access to a larger base and therefore a possible more diverse investor base.This we hope to assist in achieving . To keep up with current Retail Bond issues go to  .http:/www.RetailBonds.co.uk

Retail Bonds and Housing Associations.

RETAIL BONDS and Housing Associations.
There is talk that the Government is considering guaranteeing Retail Bonds of Housing Associations.This is not yet confirmed but if it happens it should attract a lot of investors to them.As a way of financing associations have raised approx £3billion so far as bank borrowing dries up.Well worth monitoring at this present time.
If the does happen we will keep you informed and up to date at http://www.RetailBonds.co.uk

helpful banking

Helpful banking is now the only way a financial banking or financial institution can go if it wants to keep its customer base or increase such base.playing lip service to the two words are not enough and it should now be used as amarketing tool for the future.
It entails investment in management,systems and staff on an ongoing basis and over a period if mananged properly will do what is required for the long term viabilty of the company.It is an attitude of mind which can and will succeed.Helpful banking will make such a company succeed and should be a positive force in marketing not kept on the side lines.http://www.helpfulbanking.mobi

Financing Smaller Businesses

Retail Bonds
As bank financing is changing and more and more small and medium businesses are looking for and now considering other ways to control the finance they require Retail Bonds are beginning to fill that gap.It gives them stable finance over a set period and opens the door to other types of investor.
As more and more small and medium size businesses see that even if they keep some form of bank finance then Retail Bonds will give them better control and stability.For Retail Bond Investors and further information.