Investing through a mutual fund: Many funds from big money managers have a fair amount of European exposure. Take the widely held Fidelity Worldwide Fund ( FWWFX ), which has 30% of its assets invested in Europe. Holdings include Swiss bank UBS ( UBS ), German automaker Volkswagen ( VLKAY ) and French food and consumer products giant Danone ( DANOY ). The Dodge & Cox International Stock Fund ( DODFX ), one of the top 25 mutual funds by total assets, also has a 30% allocation in Europe. It owns stakes in German conglomerate Bayer ( BAYRY ) and the U.K. bank HSBC ( HBC ). Then there are funds with an even bigger weighting in Europe, like the Vanguard International Growth Fund ( VWIGX ). About 55% of this fund is invested in European stocks, such as French cosmetics leader L’Oreal ( LRLCF ) and German athletic brand Adidas ( ADDYY ). Investing via ETFs: If you want to buy a fund that focuses more directly on Europe — and pay lower fees in the process — you have many more options in exchange traded funds. The largest dedicated Europe ETF by assets is the Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF ( VGK ), with about $13 billion under management. Top holdings include U.K.-based Royal Dutch Shell ( RDSA ), Swiss consumer products maker Nestle ( NSRGY ) and HSBC. Best of all, the costs are super low. The VGK fund charges just 0.12% in expenses, which works out to a measly $12 a year on every $10,000 you invest. Google+ Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes.
Europe Bases Suspending Work as Shutdown Begins
September 30, 2013 10:55 AM PDT (Credit: Josh Miller/CNET) As you might expect, new research out today shows that Android is Europe’s favorite smartphone OS by a wide mile. But Windows Phone is turning into a serious contender. According to figures out Monday from researchers Kantar WorldPanel ComTech, Android featured on just over 70 percent of smartphones sold in the three months up to August across Europe’s five biggest markets: Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Equally unsurprisingly, iOS is in second position with 16 percent of the smartphone market in Europe — a year over year rise of around two percentage points for both operating systems. Windows Phone, meanwhile, continues to grow its share in the five countries, hitting 9.2 percent — around double its 5.1 percent share for the same period last year. The jump has been fueled by significant gains in the three major European markets: France, Germany, and Great Britain. In the latter, its share has risen from 4.5 percent a year ago to 12 percent today, while in Germany it’s grown from 3.8 percent to 8.8 percent — the first time it’s hit double-digit share in either country. In Germany, that puts Windows Phone only one percentage point behind iOS in market share. Related posts Apple revives in-store pickup for iPhone 5S “Windows Phone’s latest wave of growth is being driven by Nokia’s expansion into the low- and midrange market with the Lumia 520 and 620 handsets. These models are hitting the sweet spot with 16- to 24-year-olds and 35- to 49-year-olds, two key groups that look for a balance of price and functionality in their smartphone,” Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, said in a statement. And despite recent turbulence and a proposed $7.2 billion takeover by Microsoft, Nokia, Windows Phone’s main hardware champion, is growing its own market share across some of Europe’s biggest markets. (Nokia accounted for four in five of all Windows Phone device sales across the five markets.) For the three months to the end of August, Nokia bagged 7.8 percent of all smartphone sales, up from 6.9 percent a year ago, inching up on third-place Sony, whose share stands at 8.2 percent, a slight rise over a year ago. LG is also seeing something of a comeback, increasing its European share to 6.1 percent from 2.1 percent a year ago.
Hub 2013 Europe – Anaplan Holds First European User Conference in London
The launch of the annual user conference highlights Anaplans rapid growth and market impact both in Europe and globally. In the last twelve months, Anaplan has tripled its European customer base, opened offices in London, Paris, Stockholm and Amsterdam, and doubled its European staff. As a company, Anaplan is disrupting the traditional business planning software market and our customers are the proof point of this fact, said Fred Laluyaux, Anaplan CEO. At Hub Europe 2013, we are pleased to have global leaders like Aviva, Kimberly-Clark Eastern Europe and HP present how Anaplan is fundamentally reshaping the way they align to business opportunities. Through a mixture of keynote and interactive sessions, Hub 2013 attendees will have the opportunity to hear how business users are innovating using the platform. Aviva, the sixth-largest insurance company in the world, will present how it is improving its global forecasting process through use of Anaplans cloud-based planning solution across the enterprise.Customers Kimberly-Clark Eastern Europe and HP will demonstrate how using the Anaplan platform can help enterprises become more agile. In addition to the customer sessions, Anaplan will showcase further breakthrough innovations in its patented HyperblockTM technology and business user interface. The Hyperblock advancements bring unparalleled scalability and power to business modelling, and the interface enhancements enable business users to engage, adopt, and control models in real-time for truly integrated operational planning. Projected to attract attendees from some of todays most prominent global brands, the event will be one of the largest EPM conferences held in Europe this year. To learn more about Hub 2013 Europe, please visit http://hub2013europe.anaplan.com . Also, follow our twitter feed @anaplan for live updates throughout the event and visit our blog for further information. About Anaplan Anaplan is disrupting the world of business modelling and planning. We built our platform from the ground up to empower companies to plan, collaborate, execute and reactin real time. Stay ahead of critical business events, rapidly model potential impacts and course correct on the fly. With Anaplans cloud-based platform, you can continuously align your people, plans and spend to your market opportunities.
Windows Phone gains ground in Europe
Air Forces in Europe-U.S. Air Forces Africa more than 80 percent of the commands appropriated-fund civilian workforce were to be furloughed, according to USAFE officials. This will certainly put undue stress on all of our Airmen as we adjust to this significant loss of manpower and professional expertise, Gen. Frank Gorenc, USAFE-AFAFRICA commander said in a message posted on the commands Facebook page Tuesday. U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa were still reviewing the number of employees furloughed as of Tuesday morning, partly because guidance changed a few times, both commands reported. Workers who were furloughed said, although they expected it, it was disconcerting. In Vicenza, Italy, Bryan Coleman, computer network manager for the 509th Signal Battalion, who was furloughed over the summer, said this second furlough was not unexpected. We all smelled it coming, we felt it coming and we all hoped it wouldnt come, said Coleman, 56. Im just angry that our politicians have made us the football. Jennifer Sherbert, an accounting technician for the Armys regional chaplain office in Sembach, Germany, said she was worried about when she would get paid. You dont know what to think or you dont know what to believe as far as what the outcome is going to be, she said.