RAPID RESPONSES November 16, 2011 Ponzi pottiness The German government criticising the UK for not doing enough for the Eurozone really brings to mind a Ponzi scheme. Assume I don’t join a Ponzi scheme because I think it’s a Ponzi scheme but my colleague does in spite of my warnings. When the scheme goes wrong, if my colleague criticised me [...]
FTSE hit by soaring bank yields November 17, 2011 The FTSE 100 fell in early trading today as yields on a Spanish bond auction soared to almost seven per cent – a level considered unsustainable by economists. A warning from ratings agency Fitch that the outlook for US banks could deteriorate if the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis is not resolved also took its toll. [...]
Fears for UK economy knock FTSE lower in volatile trading November 16, 2011 AFTER yet another rollercoaster session, Britain’s top share index ended a touch lower yesterday, as upbeat US economic data proved a welcome distraction for investors gripped by concern over the UK economy and Europe’s debt crisis. The UK benchmark closed down 8.42 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5,509.02, after a session in which it [...]
Learning the language of leadership November 9, 2011 THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERS: CEOS ON COMMUNICATING TO INSPIRE, INFLUENCE AND ACHIEVE RESULTS BY KEVIN MURRAY Kogan Page I’VE been working in business communications for almost 40 years,” says Kevin Murray, the chairman of the Bell Pottinger Group. “I’ve worked with a lot of organisations and a lot of leaders. None were stupid, but some [...]
Byrne gets regulatory green light for Omega bid October 14, 2011 Mark Byrne, the bidder for a quarter of Lloyd’s insurer Omega Insurance, has won regulatory approval for his proposal, bringing him closer to sealing the deal. Byrne has offered to buy the 25 per cent stake in Omega from existing investors through his Haverford vehicle for 83p per share or a total £50m. The board [...]
Byrne gets regulatory green light for Omega bid October 14, 2011 Mark Byrne, the bidder for a quarter of Lloyd’s insurer Omega Insurance, has won regulatory approval for his proposal, bringing him closer to sealing the deal. Byrne has offered to buy the 25 per cent stake in Omega from existing investors through his Haverford vehicle for 83p per share or a total £50m. The board [...]
Wilkinson and Flood selection not a gamble, says Johnson October 6, 2011 ENGLAND vs FRANCE ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson has denied gambling with England’s World Cup future by persevering with an out of sorts Jonny Wilkinson and shunting Toby Flood to inside centre for tomorrow’s crunch quarter-final against France. Johnson, ahead of the biggest game of his managerial career, has taken the bold decision to promote Leicester [...]
Kingfisher plots expansion after beating forecasts September 15, 2011 Kingfisher beat first-half earnings forecasts, helped by a drive to improve profit margins, and said it was stepping up expansion as rivals struggle in a tough market. The group, which runs market leader B&Q in Britain as well as Castorama and Brico Depot in France and elsewhere, said profit before tax and one-off items jumped [...]
News Corp share buyback hits $1bn in first month September 21, 2011 NEWS Corp bought back more than $1bn (£637m) of its shares in the last month as it seeks to improve relations with its shareholders. The transactions are part of a wider $5bn buyback scheme announced in the wake of News Corp’s failed bid for the 61 per cent of BSkyB it does not own. Meanwhile, [...]
FedEx pares outlook despite rise in profit September 22, 2011 FEDEX, the world’s second biggest package delivery company, last night reported a higher quarterly profit that slightly beat forecasts but pared its outlook for the full year, citing fuel prices and moderate global economic growth. Analysts had expected the company to lower its earnings guidance based on a tepid domestic economy and slower international trade [...]