INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR | The Shortlist day eight June 28, 2011 Insurance companies have endured an exceptionally costly year so far thanks to a bitter winter in Europe and devastating earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. Insured losses in the first quarter alone are at a record level, testing the discipline of firms’ risk management. As the largest insurance hub in Europe, the City’s insurers play [...]
Make like Bond with an Aston in the Alps August 21, 2011 AMERICAN novelist Mark Twain wrote that rambling in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland was incomparable to any opiate, legal or otherwise. Imagine the rush, then, to be booming an Aston Martin V8 Vantage S round the picturesque, vertiginous Alpine passes, past crystal-clear glacier lakes and verdant valleys where cow bells jangle for miles. I’ve been let loose [...]
Admiral reports turnover rise despite higher premiums November 3, 2010 ADMIRAL Group announced third quarter turnover jumped 50 per cent year-on-year to £446m yesterday as it added more customers despite increasing insurance premiums. The group, which includes Diamond and Elephant.com, said a significant amount of this came from overseas insurance contributions, which rose 87 per cent compared to the same period last year to £19.3m [...]
Banks hit by S&P Greece default blow July 4, 2011 Banking shares took a hit in early trading after ratings agency S&P issued a fresh warning over the Greek debt crisis. S&P said Greece would be likely to default if it follows a debt rollover plan in which French banks would allow the country to pay back its debt to them over decades. Investors were [...]
Banks hit by S&P Greece default blow July 4, 2011 Banking shares took a hit in early trading after ratings agency S&P issued a fresh warning over the Greek debt crisis. S&P said Greece would be likely to default if it follows a debt rollover plan in which French banks would allow the country to pay back its debt to them over decades. Investors were [...]
City confident despite rude awakening to European big time August 25, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY believe they have nothing to fear from their Champions League debut, despite being drawn in the hardest group of all English sides. City must negotiate Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich, Spanish dark horses Villarreal and Napoli, who finished third in the Italian top flight last year, as they bid for a place in the [...]
City confident despite rude awakening to European big time August 25, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY believe they have nothing to fear from their Champions League debut, despite being drawn in the hardest group of all English sides. City must negotiate Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich, Spanish dark horses Villarreal and Napoli, who finished third in the Italian top flight last year, as they bid for a place in the [...]
FERRARI FIGHTBACK July 10, 2011 Hamilton back to his best in front of home fans but old foe Alonso steals his thunder BRITAIN’S Lewis Hamilton produced a stunning drive to thrill his home crowd at Silverstone but the day belonged to his long-time arch rival Fernando Alonso who secured his and Ferrari’s first win of the season in emphatic style. [...]
Markets hit by US debt wrangling July 25, 2011 Stocks suffered another difficult day as sovereign debt worries, this time from the US, weighed on markets. The FTSE 100 saw volatile trading with low volumes as investors anxiously watched for signs of a breakthrough between Democrats and Republicans over the US’ national debt ceiling. The parties are at loggerheads and have just days left [...]
GLENCORE BOSS’S BRIEF ENCOUNTER AT CHELSEA May 24, 2011 IT WAS unseasonably cold at the preview of this week’s Chelsea Flower Show – so the Queen, mindful of her constitution, didn’t stop to admire every single show garden. However, she did manage to drop in on the Royal Bank of Canada’s New Wild Garden, designed by Nigel Dunnett of The Landscape Agency, where Lynn [...]