Banks need clarity from regulators, not criticism May 25, 2011 DOES the governor of the Bank of England hate banks? You might think it is a rather sacrilegious question, but it is one that bankers themselves are asking, at the very highest levels. It is normal for there to be tensions between an industry and its regulators; indeed as the electricity industry showed in the [...]
Banks need clarity from regulators, not criticism May 25, 2011 DOES the governor of the Bank of England hate banks? You might think it is a rather sacrilegious question, but it is one that bankers themselves are asking, at the very highest levels. It is normal for there to be tensions between an industry and its regulators; indeed as the electricity industry showed in the [...]
Controversial UBS property gets go-ahead April 19, 2011 THE CITY of London awarded planning permission for UBS’s new UK headquarters at 5 Broadgate yesterday, though campaigners lobbying to give the existing block listed status could yet get the decision overturned. The new 700,000 square foot office block would be built by British Land and Blackstone, which own and manage the Broadgate estate near [...]
Square Mile roadworks are a necessary evil August 22, 2010 LAST week, London First published a report entitled “Road Sense”, looking at how to best strike a balance between the costs and benefits of works taking place on the streets of London. As anyone who visits the City with any degree of regularity will be able to testify, streetworks (for, traditionally, there are no highways [...]
BARCAP WINS BRAGGING RIGHTS IN A SQUARE MILE RELAY VICTORY September 9, 2010 TO THE heart of London’s financial community last night for one of the most eagerly-anticipated competitive moments of the year – the annual Bloomberg Square Mile Relay. No less than 100 teams of ten runners thronged the streets to take part in the relay, after months of boot camp-style training regimes to win bragging rights [...]
Bankers bow to Glasenberg in Glencore float May 9, 2011 There are an incredible 23 different investment banks providing advice to Glencore on its bumper London/Hong Kong flotation and yet, according to those close to the discussions, the proceedings are being led by only one man, Glencore’s 54 year-old chief executive Ivan Glasenberg. Maybe it’s precisely because there are so many banks that none in [...]
Bankers bow to Glasenberg in Glencore float May 9, 2011 There are an incredible 23 different investment banks providing advice to Glencore on its bumper London/Hong Kong flotation and yet, according to those close to the discussions, the proceedings are being led by only one man, Glencore’s 54 year-old chief executive Ivan Glasenberg. Maybe it’s precisely because there are so many banks that none in [...]
Unions are right: United we stand, divided we fall May 18, 2011 TRADE unions might have adopted it as their rallying cry, but that doesn’t mean it is untrue. Indeed, it is applicable to much of life: united we stand, and divided we fall. It is the principle that underpins unions and countries and coalition governments, and failure to appreciate it drove swathes of the globe into [...]
DALSTON, LONDON September 8, 2011 DALSTON SQUARE Price: £425,000 Dalston Square is a £160m development in the heart of Dalston, just two miles from the City. This three-bedroom apartment is on the second floor with a balcony. In total, it comprises 919 square feet. Contact: Barratt Homes on 020 7241 1833 or go to www.barratthomes. co.uk/London ARTHAUS, LONDON FIELDS Price: [...]
Why giving listed status to Broadgate is wrong April 25, 2011 LAST week the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee approved plans for a 13 storey office block at 5 Broadgate to provide a new European headquarters for UBS. The fact that UBS has taken a long-term decision to be based in the City for the foreseeable future is an encouraging one. However, this [...]