The veteran who is back doing deals October 6, 2013 Mike Slade speaks to Kasmira Jefford as he nears 30 years at the helm of property company Helical Bar MY INTERVIEWEE is twenty minutes late when he arrives for our meeting at Helical Bar’s headquarters, tucked away in a quiet street off Mayfair’s Berkeley square. Mike Slade, a tall 67-year-old sweeps in, all apologies (“Darling, [...]
Three steps David Cameron can take to end our dysfunctional green farce November 21, 2013 THERE is some controversy over whether David Cameron actually told his team they need to “get rid of all the green c**p”. But while Downing Street has denied it, there is little doubt that some ministers are realising they need to do something about the punishing costs of their current energy policies. They are right [...]
More competition sends profits at Morgan Sindall plummeting August 5, 2013 CONSTRUCTION company Morgan Sindall yesterday said its half-year profits had slumped 95 per cent as increased competition hurt margins. The company said that an exceptional charge of £13m taken as a provision against amounts recoverable on a small number of older construction contracts also hurt profit. Morgan Sindall, which builds houses, refurbishes offices and undertakes [...]
Why it’s wrong to blame Osborne’s austerity for weak growth in Britain September 10, 2013 FIVE years ago, nearly every macroeconomist agreed that central banks determined aggregate demand (total spending in the economy), and that fiscal stimulus was therefore unnecessary to lift depressed economies. Conversely, fiscal austerity was seen as irrelevant at best for overall growth; any impact of austerity on demand can be offset by the right monetary policy [...]
Lib Dem lines to take for interviews – in full September 19, 2013 The Lib Dems appear to have given journalists their full lines to take for every interview: Five things to remember for every interview This conference sees the party in a confident mood We have a strong record of achievement in Government Our priorities are jobs and easing the squeeze on household budgets Labour cannot be [...]
London Report: Weak earnings reports fuel drop in FTSE shares August 20, 2013 BRITAIN’S top share index edged lower yesterday as gloomy earnings reports fuelled profit-taking on some basic material and energy stocks and investors cut positions in expectation of less US monetary stimulus. Shares in miners BHP Billiton and Glencore Xstrata fell 1.7 per cent and 1.6 per cent respectively as the former announced a lower-than-expected profit [...]
Lib Dem lines to take for interviews – in full September 16, 2013 The Lib Dems appear to have given journalists their full lines to take for every interview: Five things to remember for every interview This conference sees the party in a confident mood We have a strong record of achievement in Government Our priorities are jobs and easing the squeeze on household budgets Labour cannot be [...]
New postcode lending data reveals Britain’s strikingly healthy SME sector July 24, 2013 HOW are businesses in your area doing? Are they building up cash piles, or piling up the debts? Until this week, regional borrowing and saving by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was a mystery. But thanks to data released from banks for 120 postcode areas, we now know what is happening in each part of [...]
Mid cap stocks gain favour as UK economic optimism rises November 26, 2013 But don’t write off the more international FTSE 100 blue chips THE UK recovery has finally taken hold. But not only is growth returning, many are now more optimistic about our economic prospects compared to other advanced nations. Last week, the OECD revised down its 2013 global growth forecasts to 2.7 per cent from 3.1 [...]
Bad City regulation may hit growth and cost jobs July 21, 2013 MESSY and uncoordinated financial regulation risks stifling the industry, slowing the economy and costing tens of thousands of British jobs, analysts at PwC warn in a report out today. The analysts fear conflicting aims in regulation, for instance pushing banks to both build up capital levels and to lend more at the same time undermines [...]