HEADACHE FOR AVIVA INVESTORS OVER THEIR LIBYAN LANDLORD March 2, 2011 INTERESTING times at 14 Cornhill, the commercial property with a prime location opposite the Bank of England. Its owner has become embroiled in a little local difficulty involving global asset freezing. The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), the sovereign wealth fund that administers the troubled country’s oil billions, has owned 14 Cornhill since December 2009, when [...]
In a dangerous time, gold still shines brightly for investors February 27, 2011 INVESTMENT COMMENT THE current bull market in gold has been running for over a decade and, after a recent correction, shows little sign of stopping. Gold bottomed at around $250 an ounce in July 1999. Since then, gold has risen over 450 per cent, to around $1,400 an ounce. One of the most significant drivers [...]
Live at the most famous 18th hole February 10, 2011 THE most famous building in golf is, without question, the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse at St Andrews. But the most recognisable? Arguably it’s the tall, turreted eruption of high Victoriana that overshadows it, the Hamilton Grand. So the story goes, it was originally built by a chap named Thomas Hamilton in 1895, after he was [...]
FTSE drops as mining rally fails to counter bank jitters February 14, 2011 BRITAIN’S leading share index closed marginally lower yesterday as weaker financials prevailed over a mining rally inspired by upbeat economic data from China. Chip designer ARM Holdings was the top riser, up 6.6 per cent, with traders citing favourable broker comment as the mobile world met in Barcelona. Goldman Sachs said ARM’s management underscored its [...]
Top-flight royalty Leicester out to make final history May 27, 2010 LEICESTER will be looking to buck the trend tomorrow when the Guinness Premiership’s aristocrats collide with its upstarts in the final at Twickenham. In the seven years that the play-offs have determined who is crowned champions of England, only twice have the winners been the same team that finished first in the table. The Tigers, [...]
FTSE shrugs off bank levy tax as it surges to 32-month high February 8, 2011 BRITAIN’S leading share index jumped higher yesterday, ending at levels not seen since May 2008, supported by rallies from banks and miners, and by gains in energy issues following results from BG Group. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 40.30 points, or 0.7 per cent at 6,091.33, its fifth gain in the [...]
Investors are right to be cynical November 23, 2010 HOW times have changed. During the boom years, venture capitalists were lining up to give billions of dollars to internet start-ups. The theory was that if you threw enough cash at these fledgling firms, some of it would stick to the next Google or Facebook. Losses that ran into the millions of dollars were the [...]
Spotify could miss Christmas US launch November 23, 2010 Spotify’s US launch is being met with increasing scepticism by analysts. The music streaming service said this week it will press ahead with its plans to launch in the US before Christmas, despite announcing a full-year loss of £16.7m for 2009. “I’d be very surprised if they manage to pull this off in the timeframe [...]
Spotify could miss Christmas US launch November 23, 2010 Spotify’s US launch is being met with increasing scepticism by analysts. The music streaming service said this week it will press ahead with its plans to launch in the US before Christmas, despite announcing a full-year loss of £16.7m for 2009. “I’d be very surprised if they manage to pull this off in the timeframe [...]
Stelios ends brand dispute with easyJet October 11, 2010 EASYJET celebrated yesterday after settling a bitter court battle with founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou that will see it hold on to the orange “easy” branding in a deal that is expected to net Stelios more than £80m in royalties over the next ten years. The four-month dispute ended after the two sides agreed a revised [...]