Directors’ Dealings by Kathleen Hall

Another month of falls for smaller company shares has tempted directors operating in sectors as diverse as property and resources to put their money where their mouth is. Read

Fund Manager Focus

Tom Howard, a member of the team behind the recently transformed Director Dealings Investment Trust, believes it offers investors a statistically safe bet in volatile markets. Read

Exploration Insights by Robert Tyerman

With gold, oil and other key raw materials firmly out of favour – for the time being – such investor interest as remains is focused on bargain bid candidates. Read

Spread Betting by Vince Stanzione

Readers of my past updates can hardly say they were not warned about the recent market events. September and October are well known for being rough months in the financial markets so it was hardly unexpected. Read

In the Hot Seat by Marc Barber

Media company Eros International released five of Bollywood’s top ten releases in 2007, and chief executive Kishore Lulla plans to take Hollywood head on. Read

FinnCap finds well-practiced financier

Broker and corporate adviser FinnCap has appointed industry veteran Naiem Hussain as its new director of finance. Read

Huntingford crosses Offa’s Dyke

Richard Huntingford, until last year chief executive of media group Chrysalis and until June this year executive chairman of Virgin Radio, has joined Welsh television production company Boomerang Plus. Read

Drury joins London Asia Capital

Small company financier Tony Drury has joined the board of London Asia Capital, the faltering China investment concern whose shares were suspended on AIM in June. Read

Eastern promise

Dr Hongwei Zhan may be senior lecturer in control engineering at the University of Sheffield and his home base may be in Hong Kong, but just now most of his attention is focused on the industrial city of Harbin in north eastern China. Read

Weeden’s way for a useful board

These are challenging times for corporate headhunters. But Mark Weeden, leading light at natural resource-focused executive search specialist Opus Executive Partners, is finding the current environment providing abundant choice for companies needing to strengthen their teams. Read

Numis Securities

Cape – discount too great Read

Gall & Eke Corporate Partners

Buy Weir on weakness Read

Charles Stanley

Rotala’s scope to travel Read

Arbuthnot

Cookson – ‘negative sentiment overcooked’ Read

Numis Securities

Mixed bag on the high street Read