How Egypt and Libya saw risk being redefined March 1, 2011 SPEND 10 years as a professional foreign currency trader, another four as a fixed income trader, then head up several global trading desks and you get a very close look at that rarest of forex animals: Speculatorus Supersuccessfulus. “Those who make the greatest gains,” says Dean Popplewell, “are always the most silent.” Popplewell himself is [...]
A twenty-first century wine firm, bringing Burgundy’s reds to China February 27, 2011 What is it like to work for a firm with two and a half centuries of tradition at your back? Hew Blair says it “drives you forward,” and his young broking manager Tom Jenkins agrees. The wine merchant Justerini and Brooks, the first wine firm to receive the royal warrant, has provided wines for every [...]
The lucky dip of credit rating December 2, 2010 CREDIT rating agencies’ recommendations have always caused anxiety and bafflement to small business owners. But now according to accountancy firm Shelley Stock Hutter there is proof that there is little rhyme in the agencies’ reasons: the firm recently conducted an investigation comparing the three well-known credit agencies, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), Experian and Creditsafe. The investigation [...]
Aussie stars won’t panic November 15, 2010 AUSTRALIA’S under-fire batsmen Michael Hussey and Marcus North are refusing to panic despite seeing young upstarts Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson named in the 17-man squad for the first Ashes Test. Both North and Hussey have provided solid middle order foundations for Ricky Ponting’s side in the past, but their recent form hardly inspires confidence. [...]
The new trade minister on exports, China and telecoms… but not banks February 16, 2011 IT IS fitting that new trade minister Lord Stephen Green, who is ordained in the Church of England, should make his first foreign trip to an event that inspires an almost religious fervour amongst its followers. Sitting at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, surrounded by the giants of the telecoms world, the former HSBC chairman [...]
Public sector pensions hole grows December 15, 2010 ENGLAND’S public sector pension scheme may be underfunded by £100bn, research claimed yesterday. Unions reacted with fury to claims that the Local Government Pension Scheme’s deficit in England has more than doubled from £42m in 2007, and is now just 57 per cent funded compared with 74 per cent three years ago. Councils’ £5.8bn annual [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 14, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES INVESTOR IRE OVER SIG CHIEF’S PAY Investec Asset Management has hit out at the board of SIG for ignoring investor outcry about the amount its chief executive is being paid. Investec, which owns 3.3 per cent of the Sheffield-based insulation and plasterboard maker, has written a letter to SIG to protest against a [...]
Sky hits 10m subscribers November 8, 2010 BSKYB issued a statement of intent to potential bidder News Corp yesterday when it announced it has broken through the 10m subscribers barrier. With Sky’s board said to be determined to play hardball with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, its swelling subscriber base will prove a powerful bargaining tool. But analysts are already questioning how far [...]
West End Christmas sales up on last year, exceeding rest of UK December 12, 2010 WEST end shops recorded a 7.6 per cent rise in November sales compared to last year, it was announced today. Promotions such as the traffic free VIP Day (“Very Important Pedestrians”) boosted sales, according to retail trackers Springboard. The surge was considerably above the relatively flat 0.7 per cent increases in the rest of the [...]
Broadcasting offers traders the chance for a big challenge October 25, 2010 UK BROADCAST media has seen its earnings growth increase by 50 per cent this year. This outperforms other areas of the sector that have experienced steady, if unspectacular, growth. With the sector rated as undervalued by Numis and the industry experiencing rapid changes, taking a punt on the prospects for one of the big players [...]