RAPID RESPONSES March 6, 2012 Welfare despair [Re: War on Britain’s aspirational classes, yesterday] Britain is a welfare state where politicians build their careers stifling initiative, encouraging (or at least accepting) widespread benefit fraud and cutting traditional support networks like families and friendly societies. Why work in such a set-up? Changing this mindset would let us live fulfilled lives. I [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS March 27, 2012 JLT Pension Capital Strategies The specialists in corporate consulting and pension scheme de-risking have appointed Martyn Phillips to the new role of head of buyout consulting, with effect from 2 April. Phillips will assume responsibility for buyout and settlement activity across the company. Prior to joining, Phillips was a senior consultant at Lane Clark & [...]
Banks buoyed by Abu Dhabi move for RBS stake March 27, 2012 Banks fuelled FTSE 100 gains this morning after the sector was lifted by reports that Abu Dhabi was considering making a bid for RBS assets. Talks between Abu Dhabi and the British government over a stake in state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland are at the level of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, a source close [...]
An MBA versus an MSc is not a straight battle May 23, 2012 ONE OF the rising movements in professional education is the growth of business masters courses (MSc), whether in general management or in a host of specialisms – from real estate investment to shipping. Over the last few years, many schools have expanded their range of masters courses and have made a real push to recruit [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 23, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES EX-CALPERS CHIEF ACCUSED OF FRAUD The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Federico Buenrostro, former chief executive of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, and a friend of fabricating documents designed to show that $20m in fees paid by Apollo to Arvco, a “placement agent”, for help securing the pension fund’s investment had [...]
FX MARKETS FOLLOWING THE BOND MARKETS RATHER THAN EQUITIES March 19, 2012 DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT OVER the past several weeks, the FX market has undergone a monumental change. Bonds not stocks have become the primary driver of trade for currencies and that one dynamic has been able to explain most of the movement in the dollar both up and down. Instead of the old mantra [...]
FTSE edges up despite retail fears March 23, 2012 The FTSE 100 bounced back in early trading after falls mainly triggered by miners who are fearful of a slowdown of growth in China. However, gains were minimal with the tough climate for UK retailers being laid bare by data from Nationwide today showing that consumer morale is weakening. Blue chip retailer Kingfisher, which owns [...]
FTSE edges up despite retail fears March 23, 2012 The FTSE 100 bounced back in early trading after falls mainly triggered by miners who are fearful of a slowdown of growth in China. However, gains were minimal with the tough climate for UK retailers being laid bare by data from Nationwide today showing that consumer morale is weakening. Blue chip retailer Kingfisher, which owns [...]
Nissan to invest £125m in UK in compact car project March 6, 2012 Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor is to invest £125m to build a new compact vehicle from mid-2013 in Sunderland, northeast England, where its workforce will rise by 600 to 6,000. The company said the move, which will be supported by a $15m loan from Britain, will create a total of 2,000 jobs at Nissan and its [...]
Housebuilders should be re-evaluated February 29, 2012 PERSIMMON, the UK’s biggest housebuilder by value, is experiencing improving fortunes like most in the sector – but it is still a shadow of its former self. Pre-tax profits, which were 55 per cent higher at £148.1m, are nothing compared to the £600m or so that was the norm in 2006. Still, the outlook for [...]