What the other papers say this morning – 10 March 2014 March 10, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Spotify’s credit line hints at IPO Spotify has secured a $200m credit facility from lenders including Morgan Stanley, bringing the Swedish music company a step closer to a potential initial public offering in the US, according to people close to the deal. The Stockholm start-up, which last year sold equity that implied a [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 07 March 2014 March 6, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Osborne faces £20bn black hole George Osborne faces a black hole of more than £20bn in the public finances, according to official government economic models. The news suggests that Britain might have to endure an extra year of austerity before the books are balanced. The models by the Office for Budget Responsibility, which [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 06 March 2014 March 5, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Church defends hedge fund plan The man responsible for the Church of England’s £6bn endowment has defended plans to increase its investment in hedge funds, arguing that not all of the industry has “devil’s horns”. Andreas Whittam Smith, first church estates commissioner, told the Financial Times that the Church’s own ethical watchdog sanctioned [...]
Putin’s calculations make Ukraine escalation all too likely March 17, 2014 GETTING inside the thinking of Vladimir Putin is a daunting prospect at the best of times; and these aren’t the best of times. Yet doing so shows why a worst-case outcome just a few days ago suddenly seems entirely plausible. After the Crimean referendum, the thoughts ringing around Putin’s head go something like this: “I [...]
There’s a cost to doing nothing in Ukraine March 3, 2014 IN RESPONSE to Russian forces entering the Crimea, the interim Ukrainian government called for UK and US intervention, invoking the undertakings we (and the French, and latterly Nato) gave to protect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Yesterday, William Hague went to Kiev to tell the Ukrainians to their faces that we’re not coming – “no military options [...]
UAE regulator calls for fines for bankers November 18, 2013 THE head of the United Arab Emirates Banks Federation has called for sanctions to be introduced to back up the country’s new mortgage law, including suspending banks from offering real estate products. The Gulf nation is bringing in new regulations to imposed limits on mortgage lending, to prevent another boom-and-bust cycle after a property market [...]
Ukraine’s crisis sits on a knife edge as protest morphs into revolution February 20, 2014 THERE is almost nothing more difficult for a political risk analyst than assessing the dynamics of a revolution, a situation in which long-held conventional wisdom can be upended in a matter of minutes. For only one question matters in Kiev today: what is the likely end game for Ukraine, and how do we get there? [...]
US markets surge as Iran deal fuels hope of trade November 25, 2013 BRENT crude prices fell only slightly yesterday as traders began to question how soon a nuclear deal between world powers and Iran could translate into higher supplies to global markets. The price of the international benchmark see-sawed during the day, trading down as much as $3 a barrel before closing at $111 a barrel, just [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 24 February 2014 February 23, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Deutsche Bank plans to cut US assets Deutsche Bank has for the first time laid out its plans to slash its US balance sheet as it seeks to allay concerns over how it would deal with tough new rules imposed by the Federal Reserve on foreign banks. The lender aims to reduce assets [...]
Tough-talking Allardyce vows to lead troubled West Ham to safety January 9, 2014 UNDER pressure West Ham manager Sam Allardyce came out fighting yesterday and vowed to turn his team’s season around in the face of growing frustration from supporters. Those who travelled to Manchester City on Wednesday night vented their anger at the Hammers boss during the 6-0 thrashing, while former captain Julian Dicks said he felt [...]