Green Bank to start lending from April 2012 May 23, 2011 Green Investment Bank (GIB) will start lending money to fund low-carbon energy projects from April 2012, a year earlier than initially planned, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said. “Possible early priorities for the bank are offshore wind, waste, and non-domestic energy efficiency,” Clegg said in a speech to the Climate Change Capital advisory group in [...]
Democracy is in: Here comes the activist investor November 23, 2011 SOME of this year’s biggest news stories, such as the Arab Spring and the Occupy movements in London and New York, have a common underlying narrative. “The many” are unhappy about the actions of “the few”. Democracy is in vogue. A similar narrative is emerging from some of the biggest business stories of the year. [...]
FURY AS EUROCRATS VOTE FOR TOBIN TAX June 9, 2011 EUROCRATS have moved a step closer to imposing a devastating tax on the City, sparking condemnation from industry groups. In a bid to boost Brussels’ budget by five per cent, the EU Parliament has voted to slap a Tobin, or so-called “Robin Hood” tax, on all financial transactions that pass through the City. The Association [...]
Shock margin hikes can hurt commodity traders October 17, 2011 WHILE looking at trends in chart patterns is always a useful exercise when dealing with commodities, it is important that it is not the be all and end all of a trader’s strategy. Of course there are global macro influences that can drive commodity prices – copper being driven as a proxy for infrastructure building, [...]
The Deputy Prime Minister thinks we are irresponsible – the feeling is mutual, Nick January 16, 2012 NICK Clegg wants to give tax breaks to John Lewis style, employee-owned companies. This is just the latest salvo in the “responsible capitalism” debate. But when a government dictates which forms of capitalism are responsible, and which ones aren’t, it overrides the individual morality of its citizens – and not for the better. After all, [...]
Port out, starboard home for yachting December 18, 2011 AS LEHMAN Brothers was filing for bankruptcy in September of 2008, Stephen White was sitting in Monaco on the back of Bad Girl, one of the most expensive superyachts in the world, owned by a top New York financier. White was then its highly respected captain. The financier, who had predicted the financial crisis, was [...]
Huhne kept in dark over oil tax raid May 4, 2011 CHRIS Huhne, the energy secretary, was kept in the dark over the chancellor’s plans to launch a £10bn tax raid on North Sea oil and gas firms in his Budget, City A.M. has learned. Huhne is said to have reacted with surprise on learning of the policy, which saw the special extra tax for oil [...]
RENT November 17, 2011 HEAD OF RENTALS AT AYLESFORD INTERNATIONAL Q.I believe the agent letting my house is overvaluing it. I’ve compared my property to other similar houses on the market and they all are significantly cheaper. Should I change agent? A.It is important to keep a dialogue with your agent who will be able to tell you why [...]
RENT November 17, 2011 HEAD OF RENTALS AT AYLESFORD INTERNATIONAL Q.I believe the agent letting my house is overvaluing it. I’ve compared my property to other similar houses on the market and they all are significantly cheaper. Should I change agent? A.It is important to keep a dialogue with your agent who will be able to tell you why [...]
Huhne Bill to spark higher energy costs July 10, 2011 CHRIS Huhne, the energy secretary, is set to reveal the most radical reforms of Britain’s electricity market for two decades, in a move that will see household bills further increased in the coming years. The government will publish a white paper tomorrow designed to give utility companies the £110bn financial incentives needed to invest in [...]