If you are a normal investor, you will have a bias toward local even though there are stock markets around the world. Wherever there is a stock market the principles of profits = revenues – expenses rule. If revenues are greater than expenses, then profits will be made. If expenses including debt payments rise, then there are no profits. Those principles do not change, but still most investors are local in nature and that is not a bad thing. It is just something you need to be aware of.

In an article by Sinead Cruise and Yadarisa Shabong of Reuters, the second largest savings and mortgage provider in the United Kingdom, Nationwide Building Society has agreed to buy Virgin Money for $5 billion.

Nationwide holds almost 1 and 10 pounds saved in Britain and has 1 in 10 current accounts. This equates to 17 million customers and employs more than 16,000 people.

Virgin Money is the UK’s 6th largest retail bank by assets with 6.6 million customers with total lending of $126 billion including $98 billion in mortgages, with 7,300 people.

Virgin Money was founded by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group which owns 14.5% and will vote its shares to merge. Richard Branson started with Virgin Records, moved in Virgin Air and there is a host of Virgin companies in the Group. The companies were to be innovative and appeal to a younger demographic. This maybe the reason, the company said it will keep the brand and gradually integrate into Nationwide over a several years or Virgin was wonderful assets but a slightly different work culture.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, while most investors focus on the country they live in, which is a good thing, there are other markets outside of where investors live. For a dividend investor, looking for a company which has a very solid base of customers and the company can make profits on a consistent basis allows you to look at stock markets around the world. Sometimes there are gems to be found if the country you live in stock market is going sideways. There are opportunities to be found.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.