The schlocky horror show December 6, 2012 FILM THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS Cert 18 *** Written AND directed by Wu-Tang founding member and long time buddy of Quentin Tarantino, the RZA, The Man with the Iron Fists sails dangerously close to the point at which geeky fanboy genre pastiche turns into plain, simple rubbish. The Man with the Iron Fists [...]
Inflation flies further away from 2pc target November 13, 2012 CONSUMER price inflation rocketed higher in October, due to tuition fee hikes and booming food prices, data revealed yesterday. The jump defied Bank of England expectations that inflation would fall towards its two per cent target. This jump might have been a factor in the Bank’s decision to hold fire on more quantitative easing (QE) [...]
30 lenders now ready to take state funding October 30, 2012 THE NUMBER of banks and building societies looking to take cheap funding from the government more than doubled in the last month, according to official figures published yesterday. The Bank of England revealed another 17 have signed up to the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS), which offers lenders cheap funds in the hope that they [...]
Who’s switching jobs October 24, 2012 Sciens Alternative Investment Farhang Mehregani has been appointed chief investment officer of the asset management firm. He previously worked for Citigroup between 2008 and 2011, where he ran its central & eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa equities business. Mehregani has also held roles at Smith Barney. VTB Capital Raza Agha has been appointed chief [...]
As the Conservative conference begins, will the party recapture the political initiative? October 7, 2012 YES Alex Singleton It’s easy to underestimate David Cameron and write him off as wishy-washy. But he’s actually one of the most determined men in politics, who will ruthlessly ditch policies that he deems electorally damaging. His reshuffle last month gave a clear indication that he is listening to critics. Some want to write him [...]
Masters degrees for a post-crisis business career October 3, 2012 FIVE years on from the collapse of Northern Rock, and the ensuing crisis is still keenly felt in the world’s business schools. It’s been the source of some soul-searching – professors have had to question their roles as the educators of some of the crisis’s leading figures. Much of the critique is rightly rebutted. Michel [...]
Fresh Tube strike looms as RMT ballots over driver-free trains September 27, 2012 TUBE union the RMT yesterday said it will ballot drivers for industrial action over plans to introduce driverless trains to the London Underground. The union is angry at imminent tests of driver-free Tube trains on the Jubilee line, which it argues could lead to unstaffed stations and ticket offices. “Every train must have a driver, [...]
Bank: Funding plan might not bolster lending September 25, 2012 NOT ALL banks in the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) will increase lending, a top Bank of England official conceded yesterday, arguing instead that lending may simply fall by a smaller amount thanks to the cheap funds being offered. The government is offering an initial £60bn to the 13 participating banks, with the aim of [...]
Unions ponder general strikes September 11, 2012 THE TRADES Union Congress yesterday voted to consider a general strike in protest at the government’s spending cuts. A big majority at the TUC’s annual conference in Brighton backed the measure, which pledges to look into the “practicalities” of a general strike, as called for by trade unionists including RMT boss Bob Crow. “This is a [...]
Consumers pay down card bills at rising pace August 30, 2012 CONSUMERS paid back credit cards at the fastest pace since before the financial crisis last month, official figures showed yesterday. Net lending slid by £0.2bn in the month, and came in 0.6 per cent lower than in the same month of 2011, according to the Bank of England data. The fall indicates another rise in [...]