Taiwanese firm is caught in pincer February 6, 2012 THE demise of Nokia happened in slow motion. Apple released its first iPhone in 2007 but it took almost four years before Nokia admitted it was “standing on a burning platform”. Even now, some believe Nokia’s new Microsoft Windows smartphone, the Lumia, could snatch the Finnish handset maker from the jaws of defeat (for the [...]
Bank of England expected to release another £50bn of quantitative easing February 5, 2012 ECONOMISTS widely expect at least another £50bn of quantitative easing (QE) to be announced by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Thursday. Committee members including governor Mervyn King have dropped clear hints that they will buy more government bonds to lower interest rates and boost demand, slowing inflation’s rapid decline with the [...]
It ain’t over until Ivan Glasenberg sings February 2, 2012 IT ain’t over till Ivan Glasenberg sings. Everyone knows the rationale for the deal: massive scale, a raft of cost-saving synergies, and a much-improved presence for Glencore in commodity markets. Indeed one of the main reasons the famously secretive Glencore went public was so it could bag Xstrata, whose other shareholders were cold on a [...]
A winning formula: treats for tough times January 24, 2012 YESTERDAY, the Liberal Democrat deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was out posing for the cameras at a McDonald’s training facility in East Finchley. Two or three years ago, such a photo shoot would have been unimaginable. The fast-food giant, a bête noire of the chattering classes, was seen as politically toxic and blamed for everything [...]
A winning formula: treats for tough times January 24, 2012 YESTERDAY, the Liberal Democrat deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was out posing for the cameras at a McDonald’s training facility in East Finchley. Two or three years ago, such a photo shoot would have been unimaginable. The fast-food giant, a bête noire of the chattering classes, was seen as politically toxic and blamed for everything [...]
Motor sector is no longer such a joke January 19, 2012 IN the Christmas Top Gear special, Jeremy Clarkson and co travel across India in a trio of clapped out British motors: an unreliable Jaguar, an ageing Rolls-Royce and an original Mini. The running joke is that Britain has little to offer the Indians – or anyone for that matter – in the way of cars [...]
MPs say we need less drink – they must be wasted January 9, 2012 BRITAIN’S middle classes have long been obsessed with what the other, poorer, half eats and drinks. Yesterday, MPs on the science committee called on the government to issue new guidance on alcohol consumption, recommending that people have at least two alcohol-free days a week. It’s a bit rich for politicians, who are often found worse-for-wear [...]
Britain needs to take Chinese lessons January 3, 2012 IT is quite fashionable to be bearish on China these days. Few think the Asian superpower will be able to brush off the Eurozone woes, inflation is sky high and its housing market bubble is about to go pop. I’ve noticed a certain smugness in those who predict pain for the Chinese, as though it [...]
Britain needs to take Chinese lessons January 3, 2012 IT is quite fashionable to be bearish on China these days. Few think the Asian superpower will be able to brush off the Eurozone woes, inflation is sky high and its housing market bubble is about to go pop. I’ve noticed a certain smugness in those who predict pain for the Chinese, as though it [...]
Why 2012 will be Groundhog Year January 2, 2012 WELL good riddance to all that. Few would disagree that 2011 was truly an annus horribilis, a year defined by feckless politicians and unruly mobs. I, for one, felt a sense of relief when the chiming bells heralded the start of a new year; at certain times over the last twelve months, it felt as [...]