What the other papers say this morning August 13, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Emails tell of EADS payments fears Senior EADS executives were alerted five years ago about questionable payments made to Cayman Island bank accounts and lavish gifts given to the Saudi Arabian royal family and military by a British subsidiary that is now the subject of a criminal probe by the UK’s Serious Fraud [...]
Standard Chartered is the victim of US warfare against British banking August 7, 2012 STANDARD Chartered, one of the few British banks hitherto left untainted by allegations of misconduct, saw its share price nosedive yesterday, after accusations by a New York regulator that it had violated sanctions against Iran. I’m now left more convinced than ever that US politicians and regulators have a hidden objective in exposing the wrong-doings [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 9, 2012 Debrett’s Joanne Milner has been appointed chief executive at Debrett’s, the etiquette authority and provider of luxury products and insurance. She joins from leading LDC, the mid-market private equity house. Milner will use her experience of business in China and Hong Kong to drive forward Debrett’s future plans in the region. Camco The clean energy [...]
Most countries are responsible for the crisis – not just the UK August 7, 2012 REMEMBER sub-prime lending? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s absurd backing of mortgages for those who couldn’t afford to pay the money back? The US government’s decision to promote sub-prime lending? The Federal Reserve’s crazy decision to inflate endless bubbles via excessively loose monetary policy during the good times, and its destructive commitment to step in [...]
UK becomes nation of renters as young adults fail to save June 12, 2012 YOUNG people in the UK are increasingly relying on their parents to help them onto the property ladder, an industry survey revealed yesterday, as the financial crisis and their own failure to save holds them back. Half of 20 to 45 year olds think Britain will become a nation of renters within a generation, and [...]
Is it time for investors to return their focus to the West? June 17, 2012 YES KULLY SAMRA In the aftermath of the financial crisis there is no doubt that Bric countries became a popular choice to diversify investment portfolios. However, the shockwaves from the deepening Eurozone crisis has led some emerging markets stock indices to experience sharp falls since the beginning of March, whereas US markets have remained more [...]
Capital’s houses beat inflation while rest of the UK struggles June 17, 2012 Property prices in London and the south west have reached a fresh high, Rightmove data showed this morning. Average house prices across the UK rose by one per cent to £246,235 from May to June, while London’s prices rose 1.7 per cent to an average of £477,440. In comparison to August 2007, national prices are [...]
UK housing market in moderate pick up March 1, 2011 SIGNS of life emerged from the UK’s ailing housing market yesterday, with mortgage approvals edging upwards and house prices recording an unexpected rise. Approvals rebounded by seven per cent from December’s slump, to number 45,723 in January, according to the Bank of England. Meanwhile, the Nationwide house price index was up 0.3 per cent in [...]
UK housing market in moderate pick up March 1, 2011 SIGNS of life emerged from the UK’s ailing housing market yesterday, with mortgage approvals edging upwards and house prices recording an unexpected rise. Approvals rebounded by seven per cent from December’s slump, to number 45,723 in January, according to the Bank of England. Meanwhile, the Nationwide house price index was up 0.3 per cent in [...]
Our decisive central bank has been neutered by regulatory confusion July 30, 2012 THE TREASURY Select Committee has rightly questioned the arbitrary powers of regulators, particularly the Bank of England, over the boards and senior executives of private firms in the financial sector. Despite the mistakes of our cartelised banks, it’s unwise to assume that regulators can run businesses better than boards. Moreover, trends over the last 12 [...]