2011 saw an Arab Spring and the euro in crisis – get ready for even more drama in 2012 December 19, 2011 IT’S been quite a year: the Eurozone is in crisis and the US lost its AAA credit rating from S&P. But economists warn that next year could be worse. There might be a repeat of 2008 – a credit crunch and another recession. Worse, the head of the IMF Christine Lagarde warns of a “lost [...]
HMV’s last stand has new toys but not much future December 19, 2011 SIX years ago, David Cameron famously taunted Tony Blair in the House of Commons by saying “He was the future once”. And at that point, ahead of Christmas 2005, the HMV Group seemed to have a future. Annual profits were still well over £100m, the age of digital downloading seemed a distant threat and HMV’s [...]
Santa’s red coat hides true Christmas magic December 19, 2011 THIS Christmas, my wife and I plan to watch a DVD of The Polar Express with our baby. It is a well-crafted, charming and magical film that we first saw in 2004. As we came out of the cinema into a cold, snowy Christmas Eve she asked if I’d enjoyed it. “Yes”, I said, “but [...]
RAPID RESPONSES December 19, 2011 US independence I greatly enjoyed Matt Ridley’s article on shale gas [In America, the shale gas revolution is creating jobs and growth. It can here too, last Thursday]. I believe it to be an important part of the USA’s strategy for becoming self sufficient in energy once more. The implications of America weaning itself off [...]
The City of London needs a Europe strategy that does not lead to it being sidelined December 18, 2011 FEAR is stalking parts of the city that Brussels is determined to undermine its competitiveness. But ask any senior banker or businessman what particular measure it is that Britain needs saving from, they draw a blank. The implementation of a Financial Transactions Tax (FTT) in the EU alone, and not on a global level, would [...]
Eurozone’s bank sector is facing a wintry new year December 18, 2011 IT’S hard to be optimistic about European banks: they are operating in a highly volatile economic environment that still seems a recipe for trouble ahead. To start with, take rising capital requirements and mix with new liquidity standards. Then add in constrained economic growth alongside the need for future restructuring and significant cost cutting. Combined, [...]
It’s a good time for the City’s taxes to pour in December 18, 2011 AT A time when the City’s value is being questioned, both in the UK and in Europe, it is more important than ever that we highlight the huge contribution it continues to make – even in this extremely challenging economic environment. It was timely therefore that last week a new City of London Corporation report [...]
RAPID RESPONSES December 18, 2011 Fire and ice Benny Peiser argues “the green agenda will remain firmly on ice for the rest of this decade”. [Durban’s climate conference puts green deal on ice, last Wednesday]. What’s true for inter-governmental climate treaties may also be coming true for the green energy movement, as governments realise they can’t afford the costly subsidies [...]
Don’t lock the world out of London: New rules send the City back to the dark ages December 15, 2011 THERE is a well-used phrase in management, that it is better to make a wrong decision than none at all. The exception must be Mark Makepeace, chief executive of the FTSE Group, who this week ruled all listings in London from next month must have a 25 per cent free float In enforcing this, he [...]
Nokia’s Lumia has made me see it in a new light December 15, 2011 I HAVEN’T always been Nokia’s biggest fan. Earlier this year I might have said its tie-up with Microsoft was not so much a case of rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic as sending a diving team to the bottom of the ocean to drape bunting over its rusting shell. I might have said it was duller [...]