Not for the light reader. (The Financial Times)

Member Name: polydeuces

Product:	The Financial Times
Date:	29/05/08 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: yes

Disadvantages: yes

The Financial Times (FT) is one of the longest established newspaper titles in the world. Its only equivalent for global influence in the commercial world is probably the Wall Street Journal.

To many casual readers it is probably largely incomprehensible. A huge source of data on currency markets, stock exchanges in the UK, US, Europe and indeed throughout the world as capitalism is now the dominant economic force since the collapse of the Soviet communist economies. Of course one can quickly point out that it is unlikely you will have a casual reader of the FT. Quite simply because you would have to have much more than a passing interest in economics to read it. The FT is enormously detailed and articles are often written to a depth rarely encountered in any other newspaper.
In my business we often use the FT as a source of data particularly for currencies. Most global trade needs to have some form of currency exchange eg from US dollar to the Euro or Sterling. It is to the FT that we turn for the definitive figure. Indeed many commercial contracts use an FT published figure as the agreed exchange rate.

There is very little other news covered other than commercial and business news. There is some political coverage but this too is more geared towards economic impacts of government than personal ones.
Many of the listings which appear in the FT because they have to. Companies which sell unit trusts or investment trusts for example have to have available to investors the current value of their investments at any time. This they do by appearing in the FT. It is a little known fact that these companies have to pay the FT to have the values updated and listed.

If you require advice on investments in shares and trusts then the FT does not provide. For this you should read the various investment journals and magazines which are now published. Better still seek professional investment advice from a bona fide independent financial advisor.
Once you have made your investments though the FT is the publication to check their value.

Summary: !