When black bowler hats gave way to red braces October 26, 2011 THE BIG Bang set the City on a course of profound expansion, not just of wealth, but of people and culture and even location. Twenty-five years after deregulation, London’s financial and legal districts are full of the sort of people that would have made the bowler-hatted old boys of the post-war period shudder. Women, foreigners, [...]
CITY VIEWS: ARE YOU SURPRISED BY THE RISE IN CAR REGISTRATIONS? September 6, 2011 ROBIN TUTTY | STARR AND PARTNERS “With the country’s current economic situation in mind, I am surprised at the increase in car registration. Personally, I very rarely purchase a new car and still own my 1980 Land Rover Defender, which has done 79,000 miles.” ROLAND OPOKO | RSA “Everyone wants a car and I’m not [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS June 3, 2010 NO OVERSEAS FX FEES WITH KALIXA Whether you are heading to South Africa for the World Cup or elsewhere this summer, you ought to be thinking about your currency arrangements as early as possible. Kalixa, the pre-paid Mastercard, has announced this week that it will be waiving its standard foreign exchange fee for all point-of-sale [...]
House prices decline again in September October 6, 2011 VOLATILITY continued in the housing market, with September’s price falls reversing gains seen in June and July, the Halifax index revealed yesterday. Prices are down 0.5 per cent compared with August and 2.3 per cent over the last 12 months, the seasonally adjusted figures show. The rate of decline has slowed from its peak of [...]
Businesses need alternate ways to access cash September 15, 2011 REGIONAL DIRECTOR, GE CAPITAL ANY review of economic data at the moment will confirm that the outlook for UK business remains uncertain. That said, there is still evidence that growth is on the agenda for many businesses in London and activity in the transactions market is increasing. This includes interest from both private equity and [...]
When skiing becomes more like snow-flying January 22, 2012 The American satirist PJ O’Rourke had little time for snow sports. As he put it: “Skiing consists of wearing $3,000 worth of clothes and equipment and driving 200 miles in the snow in order to stand around at a bar and drink.” That might not have been so bad for O’Rourke – he is famous [...]
NBNK confirms bid for Lloyds branches September 29, 2011 New British bank venture NBNK has submitted a second-round bid for some 630 Lloyds bank branches, NBNK confirmed which sources saying it could be worth £1.5bn. The auction — codenamed “Project Verde” — offers a chance to create Britain’s seventh-biggest bank in one fell swoop. The sale includes 4.6 percent of personal current accounts and [...]
Osborne caught in a tangle over tax May 17, 2011 HEAD OF TAX, ACCA A YEAR on and coalition relations are distinctly less rosy than they were in the rose garden last May. But despite recent tensions the coalition has already made plenty of progress in reshaping Britain: radical reforms to welfare, education, and healthcare have all been initiated. From an accountant’s perspective though, one [...]
WORLD CUP RUGBY STAR REVEALS AN UNEXPECTED WEAKNESS September 29, 2011 THERE HAS only been one occasion when Jason Leonard, the most-capped England rugby player of all time, has been intimidated on the pitch. That moment came when Leonard met Norman Hadley, a six foot nine Canadian rugby union player with a scar down his cheek that “didn’t come from rugby”. For reasons best known to [...]
CITY VIEWS: ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE RECENT RISE IN PETROL PRICES? February 24, 2011 Save or Borrow peer to peer at RateSetter.com www.RateSetter.com Customer Phoneline: 08442490115 GERARD HEFFERNAN | BLACKMORE BORLEY “It’s worrying because oil will always shake up businesses and personal finances alike. We need to pay for our petrol regardless of the price so this will have a big impact.” IAN HUFFAM | NEXANS “I am because [...]