(PRWEB) March 10, 2010 — IG Markets, the leading Contract for Difference (CFD) provider, has announced that its Smart Order Routing technology will now be extended to incorporate liquidity from BATS Europe, the operator of an innovative and technology-leading European Multilateral Trading Facility (MTF).

Smart Order Routing searches out the best offered price for clients across multiple liquidity venues, something that has become increasingly significant as the traditional execution venues, or primary exchanges, continue to see their market share eroded by the Multilateral Trading Facilities (MTFs). Covering in excess of 1000 European-listed equities, the technology also offers clients the alternative of free price and depth-of-market feeds on the respective stocks, where previously they may have had to pay to receive live exchange data.

Tim Howkins, Chief Executive of IG Group, commented:
‘This is another innovation by IG Group to ensure we continue to build on our position as the worldwide market leader for CFD trading and financial spread betting. We were the first company of our kind to start working with the MTFs last November, and by extending the markets our clients can access even further, better liquidity will result in more competitive pricing when they trade with IG Markets.’

MTFs are seeing rising levels of popularity, with up to 40% of FTSE 100 share transactions now taking place away from the main exchange. Without the ability to interact with these markets, clients are unable to see the whole array of prices on offer, and as such are putting themselves at an immediate disadvantage. In addition to drawing from the lit pools at BATS Europe, Chi-X and Turquoise, IG Group will also feed any orders of size through the dark pools to ensure that clients’ trades are filled at the very best prices available.

IG Markets clients can trade online, over the telephone or via mobile devices such as the iPhone. Furthermore, clients also have access to a comprehensive training and education scheme through its TradeSense programme. This is specifically designed to help those new to trading to understand the financial markets and risk-management tools they have at their disposal.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/CFD/Trading/prweb3697944.htm

(PRWeb UK) March 9, 2010 — Designed to showcase the full range of new and used cars and bikes in stock across Ireland, the site ushers in a new era of Web presence for Kearys, showing their dedication to embrace the latest technology. The site employs the latest Web technologies and design layouts, all selected to make visitors feel comfortable and to allow for simple navigation. New features include the ability to reserve a car online and unique ‘web only’ pricing. It also features the ability to calculate finance options before making any application.

One of the main features to undergo redevelopment has been the car and bike search function, intended to provide a refreshing approach to buying a car or bike. Visitors are able to search using a wide range of variables including make, model, price, mileage, age, fuel type, body style, transmission type and CO2 emissions. As consumers begin to consider the impact their car or bike has on the environment, and with car tax being directly linked to emissions, the ability to search by CO2 emissions will be something expected on every car site in 2010.

Chairman of Kearys Motor Group, Bill Keary, commented; “Each dealership can now upload their current stock to the site which means visitors can browse our entire range at any time. This central management of car stock should be of huge benefit to our customers and to us as a group. Even when our dealerships have closed for the night we’re able to provide finance offers, take test drive bookings and even reserve a car for an individual customer.”

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://uk.prweb.com/releases/kearys-motor-group/new-website-2010/prweb3698734.htm

(PRWEB) March 10, 2010 — GemaTech has developed the technology to enable any organisation or individual to voice record any phone call made from a smartphone or triggered via a web-enabled device, which is digitally recorded, stored and replayed via GemaTech’s highly secure and resilient data storage network and super fast search and retrieval portal. Users of GemaTech’s smartphone voice recording solution can also benefit from lower calling charges as it uses traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) to deliver the calls.

For years organisations have realised the benefits of voice recording landline phone calls, especially in helping to resolve disputes with customers and suppliers quickly, which itself helps to minimise damage to brand and reputation. But until now the technology has been limited in its ability to voice record phone calls made from mobile devices both securely and reliably.

The requirement to voice record phone calls made over the mobile network is increasing as the number of people working remotely has risen dramatically. According to the UK National Statistics Agency, 3.1 million people are now officially home-based workers, of which 2.4 million are teleworkers. The financial sector is also under increasing pressure to record calls due to present and likely future regulation:

Since March 2009 financially regulated organisations have had to record and store all telephone conversations and electronic communications relating to client orders and the conclusion of transactions in the equity, bond, and derivatives markets as required and regulated by the FSA (Financial Services Authority) in the UK. Voice recording phone calls is also the best way to identify market abuse and to increase visibility of financial transactions and processes.

The FSA is expected to make an announcement shortly on the current mobile recording exemption included in the 2009 regulations.

GemaTech CEO Graham Chick explains further, “Working patterns are continually evolving and the steady increase in the mobile workforce will continue. Mobile working, coupled with the anticipated increased FSA regulation means that voice recording of both landline and mobile conversations will become the accepted standard by everyone. By deploying a cloud-based, fully distributed service, organisations can build additional resilience into their mobile voice recording solution as well as taking away the cost of maintaining office based voice recording equipment. ”

GemaTech have also partnered with Voxsmart, official BlackBerry Alliance members, to provide a fully managed cloud-based specialist voice recording solution for BlackBerry smartphones. Both the GemaTech smartphone and BlackBerry solutions enable GemaTech to provide a hosted mobile voice recording solution to the vast majority of the corporate mobile phone market.

For further information please contact Karen Jones on 0845 345 8718

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/march/prweb3704374.htm

(PRWEB) — It’s a fact that consumers’ existing credit card debts are being compounded by rising interest rates, despite lowest Bank of England lending rates since records began. Ask Developments Ltd, initially set up in 2004 to provide free information for UK consumers to make more informed decisions about their everyday personal finances, is a well respected company now offering a new Credit Card Guide and free Credit Card Calculator from their AskFinancially.com website, in recognition of the challenges existing and new credit card holders face.

Latest figures from the Bank of England show that credit card debt write-offs doubled to £1.6bn as at the end of December 2009 and average credit card interest rates offered by banks and building societies have risen to their highest levels since June 2006, reflecting the higher risk credit issuers are facing. Finance industry research also shows a continuing decline in approvals for unsecured credit cards, with consumers who have bad debts or low credit scores being the most likely to be refused a new credit card.

UK consumers who currently have 66 million credit cards in use, are finding it increasingly difficult to walk the credit tightrope. Ask Financially addresses these issues with their new credit card guide, walking consumers through what they might potentially want from a new credit card; explaining credit card types available in the marketplace, including balance transfer, prepaid and store cards. Understanding credit card charges and where to shop around for deals including links to reputable comparison sites and what to expect when applying for credit cards.

Ask Financially recognises it’s more vital than ever that prospective credit card holders should be made aware of how their current credit ratings and ability to repay affects their options, before being enticed by cheap sounding deals. Unbiased and informative, Ask Financially prepares consumers for the credit card marketplace before they get into it, avoiding disappointment and more importantly reducing the risk of escalating credit card debt.

Managing credit card debt appropriately with the assistance of Ask Financially’s Credit Card Calculator enables credit card holders to take positive steps towards reducing their debt and therefore improving their own credit ratings. Users’ information is securely stored and retrieved at any time. Being easily updated, the calculator becomes an essential tool for managing existing and new credit card debt. Taking a look at Ask Financially’s Credit Card Guide and calculator today, means taking control of your credit card before it takes control of you.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/creditcards/03/prweb3697274.htm

London, UK and Wilmington, DE (Vocus) March 8, 2010 — Corporation Service Company® (CSC), the leading domain management and brand protection company, announced today the findings of a recent study that found the most infringed terms within domain names are “www” and “online”.

CSC analyzed more than 445,000 domain names to determine the most popular prefixes (words that appear before a brand name, like “my” in “mycsc.com”) and suffixes (words that appear after a brand name, like “store” in “cscstore.com”). The data looked at more than 100 randomly selected brands and all domains filed through the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). The top terms found were:

CSC validated the most common prefixes and suffixes against the main Web site addresses for 100 of the top corporate domain owners in order to determine whether brand owners or third parties had registered these popular variations. The results indicated that 64% of the top corporate domain owners do not own common variations of their domain names that include the “www” prefix or “online” suffix.
Furthermore, the research revealed that third parties do a better job of monetizing traffic to domain names containing the “www” prefix than brand owners. Of the domain names containing this prefix registered by third parties, more than 80% point to pay-per-click advertising sites. Of the domain names containing the “www” prefix owned by brand owners, 67% did not point to any active Web site.

To understand how much traffic these domain variations could potentially drive, CSC analyzed the “wwwcscglobal.com” variation of the “cscglobal.com” domain name. The variation “wwwcscglobal.com” currently drives 1% of traffic to the main site.

When the same logic is applied to a consumer brand with an average of one million Web site visitors per day, a 1% difference in traffic can make a substantial impact. By failing to register a common variation of its domain name, that consumer brand could be missing 3.65 million visitors per year. In fact, consumer Web sites may experience significantly higher traffic losses than a B2B site like www.cscglobal.com.

“Companies cannot register every permutation of their brands in all domain extensions,” said Vincent D’Angelo, Director of Global Brand Advisors with CSC. “However, brand owners can understand infringement patterns and use that knowledge to help mitigate risk and drive growth in Web traffic.”

D’Angelo continued, “With more pressure on marketing departments to drive traffic to their Web sites, simply reviewing their current domain name strategy could increase these numbers at a much higher return on investment (ROI).”

To learn more about this research and how to protect your brand against infringed terms, join a free Web seminar from CSC on March 9, 2010. To register for the web seminar or to request additional information about the report, visit www.cscglobal.com/seminars.

About CSC
Corporation Service Company, a privately owned service organization, provides matter management, corporate compliance, and trustee services for companies and law firms worldwide; corporate identity protection services for top global brands; and due diligence and transactional services for the world’s largest financial institutions. It is one of the largest registered agent providers in the United States. Founded in 1899, CSC has 1,000 employees located throughout North America and Europe. Visit www.cscglobal.com to learn more.

For More Information, Contact:
Justin Hartland (Europe)
+ 44 (0) 207- 854- 6183 or jhartlan(at)cscinfo(dot)com

Michelle Lau (North America)
302-636-5401 x3492 or mlau(at)cscinfo(dot)com

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/03/prweb3698134.htm

(Vocus) March 9, 2010 — The Social Enterprise Networks of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) announced the winners of the 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Award, recognizing YPO members and graduates for their contributions toward making a difference through their companies and charitable organizations. Awardees were recognized in the categories of Economic Justice/Community Impact, Leadership, Employee Impact, Sustainability, and Philanthropic/Non-Profit Organization.

“It’s great to see a shift from shareholders to stakeholders, with companies focused on the triple bottom line of people, planet and profits,” remarked Jim Kenefick, chair of YPO’s Corporate Responsibility Network. “And it’s YPO members and graduates who are leading the change.”

YPO’s Social Enterprise Networks connect members through their shared interests in community, philanthropic and humanitarian endeavors.

The 2010 winners are:

Gareth Ackerman, Chairman of Pick n Pay (www.pnp.co.za)

Winner of the CSR Award for Leadership
Pick ‘n Pay supermarket chain is one of the first companies in South Africa invited to join the Clinton Global Initiative. The company’s broad-based programs include assisting small farmers build capacity, a mentoring program pairing retired executives with farmers, green initiatives, and the development of a franchise model encouraging collaboration between communities, local food suppliers and retailers.

Thomas Darden, CEO of Cherokee Investment Partners (www.cherokeefund.com)
Winner of the CSR Award for Environmentally Sustainable Business Practices

Cherokee Investment Partners is a private equity firm that has acquired more than 525 hazardous locations around the world and restored them to productive use. The company’s philanthropic arm, Cherokee Gives Back, receives a minimum of 10 percent of Cherokee’s profits, which fund the Global Orphan Care Initiative, as well as job creation, sustainable development and education.

Audette Exel, CEO of The ISIS Group (http://www.isis.bm)
Winner of the CSR Award for Economic Justice and Community Impact
Audette Exel heads The ISIS Group, which consists of a financial services firm that was established for the principal purpose of funding its own non-profit foundation, The ISIS Foundation. The ISIS Foundation funds and manages projects focused on health and education of mothers and children in extreme poverty in Uganda and Nepal. The ISIS Foundation specializes in residential care of children rescued from child traffickers, neo-natal care in rural Africa, and village by village deployment of alternative technology in high mountain areas. Through The ISIS Foundation and its partnerships with local community groups and NGOs in Nepal and Uganda, The ISISGroup provides support to more than 11,000 people a year.

Marc Lubner, CEO of MaAfrika Tikkun (www.maafrikatikkun.org.za)
Winner of the CSR Award for Philanthropic/Non-Profit Organization
MaAfrika Tikkun is a non-profit NGO helping improve the lives of South Africa’s children by employing a holistic approach to poverty intervention that begins in early childhood and continues through young adulthood. Offering assistance for 20,000 children, MaAfrika services include youth centers, family support, and computer and literacy training. Lubner also is executive chairman of the South African Israeli Chamber of Commerce, as well as founder and executive chairman of the Smile Foundation, established with the support of former South African President Nelson Mandela, for which Lubner previously received a YPO award for philanthropy.

Dennis Overton, Board Director of Ikirezi (http://www.ikirezi.com)
Winner of the CSR Award for Employee Impact
Ikirezi works with small farmers in Rwanda to cultivate geraniums for the essential oils that are highly marketable in the U.S. and Europe. Through Overton’s leadership, Ikirezi is helping farmers become self-supporting, transforming communities, and strengthening agribusiness in Rwanda.

About YPO

YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) is a not-for-profit, global network of young chief executives connected around the shared mission of becoming Better Leaders Through Education and Idea ExchangeTM . Founded in 1950, YPO today provides 17,000 peers and their families in 100 countries with access to unique experiences, world-class resources, alliances with top learning institutions, and specialized Networks that help them enhance their business, community and personal leadership. For more information, visit www.ypo.org.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/charitable_organizations/prweb3699724.htm

Berlin ITB, Germany (PRWEB) March 9, 2010 — Gay marketing agency Out Now announced today the launch of the largest ever gay travel marketing tourism research study of the LGBT market. Results will be released at WTM London’s World Travel Market this November.

The ‘2010 Out Now Global LGBT Market Study‘ researches tourism markets of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people living in 14 countries across Latin America and Europe - the first time a gay travel marketing study has been conducted across so many countries at one time. The region is home to more than 35 million lesbian and gay people.

Countries researched are France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, Sweden; Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay.

LGBT travel marketing data including preferred destinations, annual tourism spending, lifestyle leisure preferences, air travel frequency, incomes, expenditures and gay honeymoons will all be researched.

Research sponsors include Delta Air Lines and Berlin Tourism Marketing (BTM).

Sales Director of BTM, Ralf Ostendorf said: “Berlin Tourism Marketing and Out Now have worked very successfully for over five years to enhance our product’s unique advantages in the gay market, so sponsoring this new Out Now LGBT marketing study makes strategic business sense for Berlin.”

“WTM is the logical place to release the findings of Out Now’s new LGBT marketing research study,” said Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of WTM. “Out Now and WTM share a history of five years leading the industry in understanding and development of lesbian and gay tourism market strategies. Delegates attending our event in November will gain access to the latest and most comprehensive market insight into LGBT marketing in the world, from Out Now.”

In Latin America, the study is being undertaken in partnership with LGBT business networking leaders, GNETWORK360.

Out Now, established in Australia in 1992, has LGBT marketing consultants in markets across the world.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Ian Johnson, CEO, Out Now Global
info(at)outnowconsulting(dot)com
http://www.outnowconsulting.com
FR: +33-647 880 555
US: +1-310-878 4878
UK: +44-20-8123 5288

ABOUT OUT NOW

Out Now clients include leading brands such as Barclays, Citibank, IBM, Toyota, Volvo, Time Inc. Magazines, VisitSweden, Tel Aviv Tourist Association and German National Tourist Office. Services include research, strategy, communications and training.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/03/prweb3699784.htm

(PRWEB) March 10, 2010 — Qhub.com launched on the 17th February 2010, enabling anyone to build a Question and Answers website of their own, for any subject in minutes. It is a way of encouraging and assisting knowledge sharing between like-minded people, groups, societies and companies through online communication - Q&A.

Sites are completely free to set up, customise and manage and in just 17 days Qhub has seen over 1,000 new site creations by people and organisations across the globe.

Qhub.com is an easy way for anybody – individuals or businesses to develop their own Q&A website targeting a specific topic. All sites can be easily customized and are simple to manage. Premium services are available for those wanting even more control than is offered as standard.

Key features:
• Free domain forwarding
• Easy customisation
• Spell checking
• Abusive language and spam filters
• Automatic member notifications
• Member mailshots
• Widgets for easy integration
• Powerful and easy to use moderation control
• Facebook Connect
• Twitter integration

Key benefits:
• Build your own online community
• Generate engaging content
• Simple alternative to blogging
• Great for customer service
Find out some tips & tricks about setting up your own Q&A website on their blog.

Co-Founder of Qhub, Chris Lee said “We are ecstatic that Qhub has taken off so quickly with so many great reviews and articles all in the first month. We have received some fantastic feedback which we are paying close attention to. We want to better understand how people want to use Qhub and make sure that creating a Q&A site is easy enough for anyone to do it.”

Start your own Q&A website for free

About Qhub:
Qhub.com has been set up as a new venture following the success of www.Blurtit.com - UK’s number one, independent, question and answer website. Managing Director, Tim O’Shea and Co Founder Christopher Lee who created the site, work with a team of nine people and run the sites independently of investment funding.

Contact:
For further information contact Charlotte Bullock on:
T: +44 (0)1692 403531

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/qhub/1000/prweb3697904.htm

London, UK (PRWeb UK) March 9, 2010 — From March 28th 2010, China Airlines will launch a new service from London’s Heathrow Airport to Taipei Taoyuan Airport, becoming the only carrier to offer non-stop flights between London and Taipei.

The new route forms an historical link between the two countries as the first time that the UK has been connected by a non-stop service to Taiwan.

The thrice-weekly flights will be operated with an Airbus A340-300 aircraft, with 30 seats in business class and 246 in economy.

Departing Taipei on Tuesday and Sunday at 09.25 and arriving London Heathrow at 17.05, the London Heathrow – Taipei flight will depart at 21.15 and arrive at 18.15 the following day. A third weekly Thursday flight will depart Taipei at 09.25 and arrive London Heathrow at 16.55, before returning from London Heathrow at 22.05 arriving Taipei at 19.05 the following day.

Following the launch of the London–Taipei route, China Airlines will serve five destinations in Europe, with a total of 21 flights per week between Taiwan and Europe. China Airlines growing European presence, combined with its extensive network, provides passengers with more flexibility in planning business or leisure trips to Taiwan and onward destinations including Bali and Sydney.

Philip Wei, Chairman China Airlines commented “As the leading airline in Taiwan, China Airlines is committed to promoting tourism, culture and the economic development of the island.”

Taiwan was first known to the West as Ilha Formosa, or ‘Beautiful Island’, and visitors will discover countless arresting landscapes and alluring coastal vistas as well as a rich cultural heritage. As a ‘high-tech island’, with products made in Taiwan available throughout the world, the destination also offers a wealth of futuristic attractions, modern art and world-class cuisine, providing a fascinating and unique visitor experience.

Return fares from London Heathrow to Taipei cost from £370. For reservations visit www.china-airlines.co.uk or call 0207 436 9001.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://uk.prweb.com/releases/China_Airlines/London_Taipei_flights/prweb3699344.htm

On Friday, the FTSE 100 closed at its highest level in 18 months and the index is now in positive territory for the year. So, why aren’t equity markets worried about the withdrawal of massive economic stimulus, or for that matter the sovereign debt crisis in the European periphery? And can equities make progress?

For the London market, at least, there are grounds for being positive. One reason is the weakness of the pound. The FTSE 100 is home to many big dollar earners, which benefit when overseas earnings are converted into sterling. Indeed, this translational effect is already being seen in the current reporting season. For example, Pearson, the owner of the Financial Times, this week reported a 17 per cent increase in annual revenues. Adjusted to take account of currency fluctuations, sales were actually up 4 per cent. The international make-up of the London market – over 75 per cent of earnings come from outside the UK from industries such as mining, oil and pharmaceuticals – has other benefits. This is especially the case at the moment as investors are looking for exposure to emerging markets where there are fewer doubts about the sustainability of the economic recovery. Many investors are also keen to avoid too much exposure to developed markets, where governments are attempting to tackle the large fiscal deficits run up during the financial crisis.

As such, it is hardly surprising they are looking to increase their exposure to international businesses such as Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Vodafone and GlaxoSmithKline. It is also unsurprising that the FTSE 100 – which is long global GDP and short UK GDP – is benefiting as a result. Citigroup strategist Jonathan Stubbs says this is the right way to be positioned given the current economic backdrop and explains why large “mega-cap” stocks outperformed large and mid-cap stocks in February.

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