Forex Investment

Trade shows are a key component of most companies’ marketing efforts. And for small businesses, trade shows are especially beneficial because they provide an opportunity to reach a plethora of potential customers, investors, industry analysts and journalists over a very short period of time.

However, the limited resources of most small businesses mean you have to extract the most from each appearance as possible. Want to know the secrets to making the contacts you want? Susan McPherson, vice president of global trade show services at PR Newswire, shares her tips for leveraging your participation in a trade show.

What tools and resources should a small business use to plan for a trade show?

Susan McPherson: Trade shows begin booking exhibitors at least six months in advance. An important step is finding out if the trade show management offers any tools to help exhibitors reap the full benefits. These might include media lists, a Web site for posting exhibitors’ news before, during and even after the show, and special packages and pricing with service providers. These benefits can be especially helpful to a business with limited resources.

You should also consider asking the trade show management about their PR plans. In many cases, there’ll be opportunities for riding the coattails of the show’s promotional activities. For example, if they’re issuing a news release about the event, consider asking if your company can be listed in it as an exhibitor, or offer your participation as a case study for their marketing materials.

If you’re launching a new product or service, make sure to target the daily show magazine or newspaper, both online and in print. Also consult the editorial calendars of industry trade publications. Many will run show editions. Keep in mind that most magazines have long lead deadlines, so be sure to make contact early.

And last, but certainly not least, if you’re launching a trade show-specific Web site, be sure to have it populated with relevant content at least three to four weeks beforehand, and make sure that you’re able to update it while you’re on the road. Use your special event URL in all show-related correspondence, press releases and invitations, and include a link to it from your main Web site. A well-managed site could be the difference in converting leads to customers.

What’s the best way to manage a product launch at a show?

There are a few simple steps for getting the most out of launching products at a trade show:

Plan ahead. Develop a calendar of tasks to complete prior to the launch. The calendar should extend at least a month in advance and should account for such activities as drafting and finalizing the launch release and marketing materials, producing graphics or product photos, securing customer testimonials and performing media outreach. Then, align these activities within the timeframe of the trade show. Some tasks may need to be adjusted based on trade show rules and deadlines.

If media coverage of your launch is a priority, preview your product for select journalists and analysts ahead of the event. Doing so will enable those reporters to break the story the day of your official launch. Make sure to obtain the trade show media list as far in advance as possible.

A well-orchestrated product announcement is key to generating publicity. Check with event organizers to see if there’s an official newswire sponsor and if there are any regulations for issuing news at the event.

Create a standalone Web site or product page that can be updated quickly and easily. Populate the site with information about the launch, including marketing materials, the official launch release, photos, fact sheets and a link to encourage further communication.

Make sure you have the right people staffing your booth. Product managers are essential if you’re going to be demonstrating a new service. If you have happy customers who have used your product, you might consider asking them to act as live testimonials at the booth.

Unless you’re introducing the next iPhone or similar product, don’t hold a press conference. The cost will outweigh the benefits.

How should a company structure its product launch announcement if the news is being issued at a show?

Follow the same basic news release writing guidelines as you would for any other announcement. Make sure to address the five W’s — who, what, where, when and why — avoid jargon and write a catchy headline that directly relates to the news.

The only major difference between a trade show-based announcement and a standard release will be the dateline. The lead paragraph should indicate that the launch is taking place at the event. This’ll add an element of timeliness to the news and attract the attention of reporters assigned to the show.

What’s the best way to secure media interviews?

Again, plan ahead. Use the media list given by show management, and send out e-mails to reporters who’ll be attending. If the show doesn’t supply a media list, search for past articles on the event and develop a list of publications and reporters on your own. The same reporter may be assigned to cover the show again. And if not, he or she should be able to point you in the right direction.

Be sure to initiate contact at least two weeks prior to the show. Remember, your company won’t be the only one trying to set up an interview. Reporters’ calendars fill up quickly. And give the media a reason to take notice. Offer breaking news or a unique angle that distinguishes your company from the other businesses.

Also look for opportunities to secure speaking engagements, either as a keynote speaker or as a participant in a panel discussion. Speaking engagements require extensive planning and creativity, so start early and identify several themes you’re comfortable discussing. Don’t focus solely on topics directly related to your business. The most enticing speakers are those who can branch out beyond the standard subjects.

What marketing materials should you have on hand?

Minimal ones. No journalist wants to carry reams of paper, and with concern for the environment growing, no one likes to see waste. Consider placing all your marketing materials on branded jump drives. You should also include these materials on your trade show Web site for easy download by journalists when the show is over.

Stock futures pointed to a sharply lower open Thursday as credit market fears spooked financial markets. Nasdaq futures were down 16 points vs. fair value S&P down 16 points and Dow down 121.

There’s lots of earnings news, but that’s not the focus. Investors are very nervous about credit conditions with investment banks, lenders and home builders falling hard before the open. Oil prices are soaring toward record highs. Treasury yields are at their lowest levels since May.

A couple of big-cap leaders bucked the trend. Apple () traded higher by about 8% in the premarket. Late Wednesday, the iPhone maker delivered a 70% jump in fiscal Q3 profit, smashing views, on strong Mac and iPod sales. For the current quarter, Apple gave a very conservative outlook. But the company has a history of low-balling its guidance.

Baidu.com () was sharply higher after it continued its streak of triple-digit growth. Late Wednesday, the Chinese Internet search firm said second-quarter profit surged 128% to 57 cents a share, easily beating analysts’ estimates of 43 cents. According to Beijing-based research firm Analysys International Baidu had 58% of China’s search revenues in the second quarter vs. Google’s () 23%.

Meanwhile, Dow component Exxon Mobil () reported second-quarter income of $1.83 a share, missing views of $1.96. Shares edged lower in pre-market trading.

Fellow Dow member 3M () beat views and raised its full-year outlook. The Scotch tape maker now sees earnings between $5.40 and $5.60 per share, well ahead of views of $4.86 a share.

Intercontinental Exchange () delivered Q2 profit excluding charges ahead of views. But the stock slipped in pre-market trading.

Online real estate information provider LoopNet () beat views for the fifth straight quarter since coming public last June. The company also guided Q3 and full-year guidance mostly in line with estimates.

On the economic front, durable goods orders rose 1.4% in June, the biggest gain in three months. But that was below expectations of a 2% rise. Orders ex transportation fell 0.5%, while core capital goods orders also fell.

New home sales for June will be out at 10:00 a.m. ET. Economists expect 900,000 units. Pulte Homes (), D.R. Horton (), Beazer Homes () and Ryland () all swung to quarterly losses.

So what else did anyone expect?

The Shanghai stock market blew up today, dropping almost 9%. That was the biggest drop in the Shanghai index in a decade, and it wiped out more than $100 billion in stock market capitalization.

No one should be surprised. And no one should think this has anything to do with a slowdown in China’s economy.

The Shanghai market was a stock speculator’s wildest dream come true, with that speculator’s worst nightmare waiting in the wings. The game was fixed, and everybody knew it. While it lasted, the profits were too good to pass up — the Shanghai index was up 170% since mid-2005. Every investor hoped to be first out the door when the day of reckoning came — exactly the kind of rush to the exits that took place on Tuesday. Tale of Two Markets Notice I say the Shanghai market and not the Chinese stock market. Not all of China’s stock markets panicked. On the same day that the Shanghai Composite Index fell 9%, Hong Kong’s blue-chip Hang Seng Stock Index lost just 1.8%.

This isn’t a one-time differential, either. On Jan. 12, the Shanghai index fell almost 4% while the Hang Seng actually climbed by more than 1%.

Think the difference might have something to do with the peculiar nature of the Shanghai (and the smaller Shenzhen) stock markets? The Shanghai stock market is essentially a domestic market for the A shares of China’s publicly traded companies: Overseas investors are by and large not allowed to buy and sell A shares (although the rules have been relaxed a bit lately).

Who makes up this domestic stock market? By numbers at least, individual Chinese investors. About 82 million Chinese now have stock trading accounts — that’s about 1 out of every 20 Chinese — and the numbers of individual traders have been growing at an ever-accelerating rate.

Last year, 2.4 million investors opened new accounts and began trading on the Shanghai stock exchange. In January, 1.3 million Chinese opened new accounts. This influx of new domestic investors — and new domestic money — has been key to pushing domestic stock prices higher and higher.

Higher, even, than the share prices of the very same companies on more-international markets such as the Hong Kong exchange. In early February, out of the 37 Chinese companies listed on both the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges, eight traded in Shanghai at twice the valuation that they had on the Hong Kong exchange, according to a recent study by JPMorgan Chase. Just Like Capitalism That’s because the true big dog on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets, the Chinese government, has acted to restrict the supply of shares on the domestic stock markets. The Chinese government still owns majority positions in most of the companies that trade on these exchanges. Some figures say the government owns about two-thirds of all the shares of companies that trade on the domestic stock market.

That gives the Beijing government power over any rally. The government could stop any stock market boom dead in its tracks simply by selling its immense shareholdings. That would add enough supply to the market to overwhelm even the fast-growing demand from individual investors.

Of course, the government has a vested interest in not crushing domestic share prices. The biggest winners in the stock market rally of the past 18 months have been the wealthy elites of the Communist Party and the Beijing government, as well as the entrepreneurs and corporate managers connected to those officials. Fortunes have been made by corporate managers — who officially receive meager salaries — from stock options that have soared in value during this market run.

The overnight stock selloff in China is reigniting fears that the country’s economy could slow down and, in turn, affect the U.S. economy.

The stock market has become a prime tool for passing a big hunk of the country’s growing wealth to the elites whose support the Communist Party needs to maintain its hold on power. (You’ll be excused if you think this is strikingly similar to how capitalism works in overtly capitalist countries.)

But the government also doesn’t want the stock market boom to get too far out of hand. Too much wealth in too few hands will stoke the resentment that those left behind in China already feel. It also contributes to inflation and could produce exactly the kind of economic bust that the government desperately wants to avoid in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A Toe on the Brakes So the government has taken steps to damp the stock market boom. For example, margin lending — borrowing on stocks in order to buy more shares — has been restricted. Banks have been required to keep higher reserves, cutting the amount they have to lend.

But the biggest changes have been in regulations that cover all those state-held shares. Under the old rules, the government sold its shares in bulk on the basis of their net asset value instead of the much higher market price. That meant the government could either sell shares below market prices — in volumes large enough to crush a stock and devastate the portfolios of the economic elite — or do nothing. Not surprisingly, the government did nothing.

New rules that are being drafted now would require the government to sell its shares at market prices and in smaller lots no larger than 5% of the government’s position. (Larger sales would require special permission from the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.)

Because the new rules make limited selling less disruptive to the market and to the interests of the country’s elite investors, it’s logical to see the rules as the first step toward greater government sales of shares and a gradual decline in share prices until they are at par with those on the Hong Kong exchange.

Savvy investors in China — those who work inside the government and corporate structures — know how this can work. They’ve circled next week’s National People’s Congress on their calendars as the date when the new rules and a policy of greater government sales of shares could be announced. They know that in this meeting in 2005 Premier Wen Jiabao voiced concern about declining share prices, and that a few weeks later the government put into effect new rules on stock ownership that sparked an 18-month rally.

So the elite decided to hit the door first. Other investors, watching them, joined the rush. Soon the market was down 9%. And other markets joined the tumble as hot-money speculators there rushed for the door, just to be safe.

As I said, nobody should be surprised.

Action Insight | Written by ActionForex.com | May 22 07 07:33 GMT |
Forex Daily Technical Report Could Euro Draw Support from ZEW?

Euro recovers mildly against dollar ahead of ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment. The German ZEW index bottomed at -28.5 Nov and has been recovering steadily since then. In May, it’s expected to rise further from 16.5 to 24.0. If comes in as expected, the reading will be the highest since last Jun. Meanwhile, the current situation index is also expected to rise further from 76.9 to 79.0. EUR/USD has been heading lower since making a high at 1.3681 in Apr despite relatively solid data and expectation of of June hike from ECB. Such pattern is not expected to change yet and hence, ZEW’s impact on the Euro could be muted unless we have a really strong number.

BoJ minutes for Apr meeting was released earlier today. Some members said that BoJ should be aware of how revisions to services price in April will affect CPI whole some said upward pressure on consumer prices will gradually rise as the economy expands. Business fixed investment is unlikely to decline significantly since corporate profits remained at a high level. However, Cabinet Office representative said that Japan has yet to overcome deflation and Finance Ministry official urged the BoJ to continue to support growth with monetary policy and that . Yen recovers mildly after the minutes but remains generally weak against dollar. Market’s opinion is divided on whether the next hike from BoJ will happen in Q3 or Q4 and nevertheless, the status of being a low yield currency won’t change any time soon.

Looking ahead, while no important economic data is scheduled to release in the US session, the bilateral Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) meetings between the US and China in Washington where officials will will review recent progress will be closely watched. Closing statements will be released tomorrow. Bernanke and Lacker are also scheduled to speak today. EUR/USD

Daily Pivots: (S1) 1.3424; (P) 1.3478; (R1) 1.3519; http://www.actionforex.com/forex_analysis_and_forecasts/pivot_points/pivot_points_summary_200603205734/

EUR/USD is temporarily supported by 55 days EMA (now at 1.3435), making an intraday bottom at 1.3435 and turned into sideway consolidation. Nevertheless, the fall from 1.3609 is still in force as long as 1.3525 resistance holds and further decline is still expected to follow towards 100% projection of 1.3681 to 1.3461 from 1.3609 at 1.3389. On the upside, above 1.3525 will indicate lengthier consolidation might follow first. But still, it will take a strong rebound to above 1.3609 resistance to confirm that decline from 1.3681 has completed. Otherwise, short term risk remains on the downside.

In the bigger picture, risk of 1.3681 being an important medium term top continues to increase. As discussed before, medium term up trend from 1.1639 is interpreted as having first move completed with three waves up to 1.2978, subsequent sideway consolidation completed at 1.2483. Rise from 1.2483 is treated as resumption of the whole up trend from 1.1639. With such interpretation, we’d expect risk of medium term reversal to increase significantly after EUR/USD met resistance zone between 1.3668 and 100% projection of 1.1639 to 1.2978 from 1.2483 at 1.3822. Hence, focus is now on reversal signals.

On the downside, break of the short term rising channel support is already a warning that the rise from 1.2865 has completed. Decisive break of 1.3364 cluster support (38.2% retracement of 1.2865 to 1.3681 at 1.3369) will confirm such case. More importantly, with bearish divergence condition in daily MACD and RSI, this will warn that the whole rally from 1.2483 has also completed, and, so is the whole up trend from 1.1639. Focus will then be back to medium term rising channel support (now at 1.3032).

GBP/USD

Daily Pivots: (S1) 1.9673; (P) 1.9715; (R1) 1.9753; http://www.actionforex.com/forex_analysis_and_forecasts/pivot_points/pivot_points_summary_200603205734/

Cable recovers mildly after reaching 1.9676 but outlook remains unchanged. Further decline is expected to follow as long as 1.9778 resistance holds and next downside target will be support zone of medium term rising channel support (now at 1.9551) and 1.9545 cluster support (61.8% retracement of 1.9183 to 2.0132 at 1.9546). Above 1.9778 will turn intraday outlook consolidative again. But still, break of 1.9874 is needed to indicate fall from 2.0132 has completed and bring strong rebound. Otherwise, short term risk remains on the downside.

In the bigger picture, risk of medium term reversal continues to increase. Firstly, the whole up trend from 1.7047 is not clearly impulsive. One interpretation is that rally from 1.7047 ended with three waves up to 1.9024. Subsequent correction ended at 1.8090. Rally from 1.8090 has already met mentioned target of 100% projection of 1.7047 to 1.9024 from 1.8090 at 2.0067. Secondly, regardless of the larger trend, rise from 1.8090 can be interpreted as being a five wave sequence with first wave ended at 1.9142, second at 1.8517, third at 1.9913 and fourth at 1.9183. The channeling property supports this interpretation too. In such case, the fifth wave rally from 1.9183 has also met target of 61.8% projection of 1.8517 to 1.9913 from 1.9183 at 2.0046 too. With bearish divergence condition remains in weekly RSI and daily MACD and key 2.0106 resistance (92 high) not decisively taken out, 2.0132 could be the important medium term top already.

On the downside, firm break of the medium term rising channel support (now at 1.9551) will indicate that the whole rally from 1.8090 has completed and add much credence to the case that an important medium term top is already formed and put focus to 1.9183 low. However, sustained trading above mentioned 2.0106 resistance will dampen the above interpretation and indicates that underlying bullishness in cable is much stronger then we thought.

USD/CHF

Daily Pivots: (S1) 1.2268; (P) 1.2298; (R1) 1.2334; http://www.actionforex.com/forex_analysis_and_forecasts/pivot_points/pivot_points_summary_200603205734/

USD/CHF retreats mildly after reaching as high as 1.2331. Nevertheless, intraday bias remains on the upside as long as 1.2268 support holds, and further rally is expected to be seen to 61.8% retracement of 1.2571 to 1.1993 at 1.2350. Touching of 1.2268 will turn intraday outlook consolidative and bring pull back. But still, a break below 1.2124 support is needed to indicate rebound from 1.1993 has completed. Otherwise, another rise is still in favor after completing brief consolidation

In the biggest picture, firm break of 1.2282 cluster resistance (50% retracement of 1.2571 to 1.1993 at 1.2282) confirms that fall from 1.2571 has already completed at 1.1993 with bullish convergence condition in daily MACD and RSI. More importantly, this will increase the chance that USD/CHF is about to complete a medium term head and shoulder bottom formation (ls: 1.1919, h: 1.1878, rs: 1.1993). Sustained break of 61.8% retracement at 1.2350 and neckline resistance (1.2768 to 1.2571, now at 1.2367) will add more weight to this case. Stronger rally should then be seen to 1.2571 first and then 1.2768.

However, below 1.2124 support will indicate that rebound from 1.1993 has possible completed and save the case that recent choppy price actions could merely be part of a medium term triangle consolidation. And, down trend from 1.3283 should still resume after completing such consolidation in such case.

USD/JPY

Daily Pivots: (S1) 121.10; (P) 121.35; (R1) 121.69; http://www.actionforex.com/forex_analysis_and_forecasts/pivot_points/pivot_points_summary_200603205734/

USD/JPY retreats mildly after reaching as high as 121.62. At this point, further rally is still in favor as long as 120.67 support holds and next upside target will be 122.17 high. However, as displayed in mild bearish divergence conditions in 4 hours MACD and RSI, USD/JPY could be losing momentum and upside could be limited by this 122.17 key resistance. On the downside, touching of 120.67 again will indicate a short term top is possibly formed. But still, as long as 119.43 support holds, rally from 117.60 is still in force and another rise is expected to follow after brief consolidation.

In the bigger picture, previous break of medium term rising channel support (108.99, 114.41, 117.87) indicates the whole medium term rally from 108.99 has completed at 122.17. However, current strong rally from 115.13 suggest that price actions from 122.17 is just developing into sideway consolidation to rise from 108.99 only, instead of a sharp reversal. Hence, a retest of 122.17 high is expected to be seen. But still, firm break above this resistance is needed to confirm medium term rally from 108.99 has resumed. Otherwise, medium term outlook will be neutral at best and there should still be another fall to retest 115.13 low before completing such consolidation.

On the downside, below 119.43 cluster support will indicate that the rise from 117.60 has finished and thus warn that the whole rebound from 115.13 has completed too. Focus will then be on 117.60 support and firm break will confirm such case. Deeper fall should then be seen to retest this low and probably further towards 114.02/41 support zone (61.8% retracement of 108.99 to 122.17 at 114.02).

EUR/JPY

Daily Pivots: (S1) 163.24; (P) 163.58; (R1) 163.93; http://www.actionforex.com/forex_analysis_and_forecasts/pivot_points/pivot_points_summary_200603205734/

EUR/JPY dips lower today and is pressing 4 hours 55 EMA again (now at 163.23). Even though upside momentum remains convincing, EUR/JPY could still continue to crawl towards 61.8% projection of 137.16 to 159.63 from 150.75 at 164.64 as long as 162.64 support holds. Below 162.64 will suggest a short term top is formed and bring deeper correction towards short term rising trend line (now at 161.80).

Also, we’d like to maintain that risk of short term reversal remains high after previous break of the short term rising channel, with bearish divergence condition staying in 4 hours MACD and RSI and with daily MACD remains below signal line. Also, it’s possible that EUR/JPY is now in formation of a diagonal triangle to conclude the rally from 150.75. Hence, upside could be limited by 164.64 on loss of momentum and bring reversal. Break of 161.05 support will add much weight that rise from 150.75 has ended and deeper decline should then follow to 159.60 support first.

In the bigger picture, EUR/JPY’s previous break above medium term rising channel resistance suggests that strength of the rally from 150.75 is stronger than we originally thought. But still, interpretation of rally from 130.60 remains unchanged. First wave up ended at 143.60, subsequent correction ended at 137.167. The third wave up ended at 159.63 while fourth wave correction has ended at 150.75. Rise from there represents the final advance in this structure, targeting 61.8% projection of 137.16 to 159.63 from 150.75 at 164.64 and could terminate there.

On the downside, rise from 150.75 could still resume as long as 159.60 support holds. However, sustained trading below 159.60 will warn that prior break of medium term rising channel resistance was merely a throw-over. Also, this will give a serious warning signal that the whole rise rise from 130.60 has ended. EUR/JPY should set to test the medium channel support (now at 153.51) in such case.

Forex News Digest

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601083&sid=azZR0DqxhxH8&refer=currency

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601083&sid=axDc1LBm8msY&refer=currency

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601083&sid=auUmVetg5PUI&refer=currency

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601083&sid=axpON9NWC0W4&refer=currency

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601083&sid=aGOE2y9YyBdw&refer=currency

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601083&sid=a6l1Y7RoUDPA&refer=currency

http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r943603199
Tue, 22 May 2007 00:48:00 GMT from Tehran Times

http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r943590518
Tue, 22 May 2007 00:37:00 GMT from Seeking Alpha

http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r943589985
Tue, 22 May 2007 00:36:00 GMT from Reuters

http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r943562991
Tue, 22 May 2007 00:12:00 GMT from Bloomberg

http://www.actionforex.com/latest_news/latest_news/forex_news_20060323537/ Economic Indicators Update
GMT Ccy Events Actual Consensus Previous Revised
05:00 JPY BOJ meeting minutes Apr
07:15 CHF Swiss Combined PPI M/M Apr 0.9% 0.50% 0.30%
07:15 CHF Swiss Conbined PPI Y/Y Apr 2.6% 2.10% 2.40%
09:00 EUR Eurozone Trade balance (euro) Mar 3.0 B -1.7 B
09:00 EUR Germany ZEW index May 24.0 16.5
09:00 EUR Eurozone ZEW index May 14.5 10.7
10:00 EUR ECB’s Trichet speaks
13:15 USD Treasury Paulson Meets Chinese Officials
22:00 USD Fed’s Bernanke Speaks
23:30 USD Fed’s Lacker Speaks On Inflation
EUR Germany Import price index M/M Apr 0.5% 0.6%
EUR Germany Import price index Y/Y Apr 0.0% 0.90%

http://www.actionforex.com/general_information/forex_newsletters/forex_newsletter_200507301487/

THE Scots-born actor Ian Richardson, remembered particularly for his universally hailed portrayal of the devious Francis Urquhart in the political thriller House of Cards, has died suddenly at the age of 72.

His agent, Jean Diamond, confirmed that the stage and TV veteran had died in his sleep at his Victorian family home in south London early yesterday.

A female relative said his widow, Maroussia, wanted to be left to grieve in private with close friends and family.

“It was very sudden. He died in his sleep in the early hours of the morning,” Ms Diamond said.

His death came as a shock as he had not been ill and was looking to start filming his next role in ITV show Midsomer Murders next week.

“He did his make-up and wig sittings only yesterday and was due to start filming at the end of next week,” Ms Diamond said.

“House of Cards was just so much his own,” Ms Diamond said, reflecting on Richardson’s role as the epitome of elegant evil in the BBC parliamentary trilogy.

Born in Edinburgh in 1934 and educated at George Heriot’s School in the city he studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

He subsequently appeared on the British stage, mostly with the Royal Shakespeare Company, of which he was a founder member.

He first gained nationwide fame in the TV spy drama Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy based on the John le Carr espionage classic.

He also worked in American theatre, appearing in Peter Brook’s Marat/Sade on Broadway in the Sixties and receiving a Tony nomination for his part as Professor Henry Higgins in a revival of My Fair Lady.

In 1981 he performed on Broadway in the original production of Edward Albee’s theatre adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita.

He was also familiar to American television viewers as the man in the Rolls-Royce who asks “Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?” in commercials for Grey Poupon Dijon mustard.

Among his most memorable TV performances were the roles of Sir Godber Evans in Porterhouse Blue and as Lord Groan in Gormenghast.

Richardson won the BAFTA Best Television Actor Award for House of Cards, and was nominated for the two sequels To Play the King and The Final Cut as well as for the 1992 film An Ungentlemanly Act.

Famous for his sonorous voice and stern demeanour, Richardson was made a CBE in 1989.

Other TV roles included Sherlock Holmes and more recently he was in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House as well as the voice of Death in Sky One’s Hogfather.

His many film roles included Terry Gilliam’s Brazil and the Jane Austen biopic Becoming Jane, due for release next month.

But it is for the devious Urquhart - a character he based on Richard III in the BBC political drama House of Cards - that he remains best known.

The Tory politician’s famous line - “You may very well think that; I couldn’t possibly comment” - has passed into Westminster parlance.

Speaking in 2005, Richardson said: “I’m grateful for the part as it put me on the map. The only trouble is getting rid of it. So many people seem to think that I am like him.”

However, before House of Cards, Richardson was renowned as one of the great Shakespearean actors of his day, bearing comparison with Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson, a generation earlier.

Author Michael Dobbs, who wrote the novel on which House of Cards was based, described Richardson as “a superb actor” who was “very careful not to let the fame get in the way of his personal integrity.”

Richardson is survived by his wife and two sons.