Finance is inevitably complex but its regulators can stop chasing their tails November 27, 2013 FINANCIAL regulation becomes ever more onerous, as it chases its own tail. More and more, regulation mandates “best advice”, codes of ethics, legal punishment for directors if businesses go bust, mandatory offering of simple products, fines for companies if financial products decline in value instead of rise, and caps on charges and interest rates. This [...]
US housing market confidence drop sees end to four months of improvement September 17, 2013 The US housing market has seen builder confidence drop for the first time in four months, according to new figures from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Revisions saw last months' headline figure drop from 59 to 58, and September's disappointed too. Coming in at 58, that's below economist [...]
Brand Index: Help to Buy comes as Brits cheer up about the economy October 8, 2013 THIS week, banks including RBS, NatWest and Halifax will begin taking applications for 95 per cent mortgages under phase two of the government’s controversial Help to Buy scheme. The initiative is intended to help buyers who cannot afford a hefty deposit onto the property ladder, but critics say it could lead to another housing bubble. [...]
Ecclestone: Veto shows bribe to retain control not needed November 7, 2013 FORMULA One chief Bernie Ecclestone has revealed a key argument in his defence to charges that he paid a $44m bribe to stay in charge of the sport: his position was virtually ringfenced anyway. Ecclestone says he would not have needed to bribe anyone to hold onto his job because governing body the FIA was [...]
The retail champion who puts fame after business December 1, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks T-shirts and Small Business Saturday with Made in Chelsea’s Oliver Proudlock THE SERGE DeNimes headquarters is a cosy studio-cum-office, located exactly where you would expect for a business whose founder has found fame on Channel 4’s hugely-successful reality TV show Made In Chelsea. I’m hesitant about interviewing Oliver Proudlock, who, when not [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 08 October 2013 October 7, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Hedge fund DE Shaw limits investors One of the most profitable hedge funds has closed its doors to new clients, calling time on the industry’s ability to square vast inflows of money with the promise of market-beating returns. DE Shaw’s move means that of the largest six, only Man Group and Och-Ziff, are [...]
Buyers queuing for homes, says Barratt’s chief September 11, 2013 HOUSEBUILDER Barratt Developments yesterday said queues were forming for its housing schemes for the first time since the financial crisis, as the market recovery spreads beyond southeast England. Britain’s largest housebuilder by volume, said yesterday that buyer appetite for its homes was so strong that for some sites it was making five to 10 sales [...]
Volcker Rule is nothing to celebrate and financial markets could suffer December 11, 2013 FORMER Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker made his way through the snowy streets of Washington, DC on 10 December to attend a celebratory lunch. To widespread applause, the new rule that bears Volcker’s name has now been finalised by the five regulatory agencies responsible for it. Yet after the thousand page rule has taken hold [...]
Monty Python’s property circus November 21, 2013 Milkwood Studios, purpose built for the comedy legends, is a chance to live in a part of British culture BRITAIN rejoiced this week as a part of our cultural heritage was brought back to life. The comedy supergroup that is Monty Python will reunite for the first time in 30 years for a one-off show [...]
Matchmakers transforming how we buy and sell shares November 3, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to the duo behind Asset Match, the online peer-to-peer trading platform CROWDFUNDING platforms are multiplying across the world, with investors flocking to websites like Kickstarter to take a punt on small, private companies in the hope of high reward. Indeed, according to a recent report by research firm Massolution, by the end [...]