The screws are tightening, but it’s not torture yet February 8, 2011 CHINESE interest rate rises are, it seems, rather like coffee. The effect gets smaller with each extra dose. When the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) first announced an interest rate increase in mid-October last year, the trade-weighted dollar strengthened 1.7 per cent. The second rate rise, announced on Christmas day, produced a smaller reaction, but [...]
The screws are tightening, but it’s not torture yet February 8, 2011 CHINESE interest rate rises are, it seems, rather like coffee. The effect gets smaller with each extra dose. When the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) first announced an interest rate increase in mid-October last year, the trade-weighted dollar strengthened 1.7 per cent. The second rate rise, announced on Christmas day, produced a smaller reaction, but [...]
Richemont in sales boost led by China January 17, 2011 SWISS luxury goods group Richemont saw healthy sales growth in all business areas in its third quarter as wealthy Chinese customers continued to splash out on Cartier jewellery and timepieces. Overall sales for the three months to 31 December were up 33 per cent, beating analysts’ forecasts. Sales in the Asia-Pacific region rose 42 per [...]
REVIEW: SEASONAL PEDICURE November 22, 2010 THERE’S something very lovely about a wintry, Christmassy pedicure. It’s cold outside, you’ve got a flush in your cheeks and your hands are full of goody bags. What could be nicer than ducking out of the shopping mayhem and settling onto a warm bed in a delicious cavern of a spa in one of Mayfair’s [...]
Arm surges on Microsoft partnership January 6, 2011 ARM Holdings was the stand out winner at the Consumer Electronics Show yesterday, after Microsoft announced its processors would be used in a new, low-powered version of the Windows operating system. Microsoft signalled it will work with UK-based ARM on the next version of its platform in a bid to gain traction in the next [...]
Fallback in US data shakes faith in recovery January 13, 2011 US JOBLESS claims jumped to their highest level since October last week while food and energy costs lifted producer prices in December. However, a surge in exports to their highest level in two years helped narrow the US trade deficit in November, an encouraging sign for fourth-quarter economic growth. Despite a string of recent data [...]
TRAVEL NOTES November 14, 2010 Foody heaven in Cairo’s plush new hotel One of the more exciting hotels to open in the Middle East in the last few months is the Kempinski Nile Hotel – a place of truly swell luxuries that’s also raising the culinary stakes for the Egyptian capital. Its rooftop restaurant, Floor 10, mixes modern French cuisine [...]
TRAVEL NOTES November 14, 2010 Foody heaven in Cairo’s plush new hotel One of the more exciting hotels to open in the Middle East in the last few months is the Kempinski Nile Hotel – a place of truly swell luxuries that’s also raising the culinary stakes for the Egyptian capital. Its rooftop restaurant, Floor 10, mixes modern French cuisine [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WILL THE FESTIVE PERIOD KICKSTART SALES AND HELP CONFIDENCE RETURN TO RETAIL? December 12, 2010 HOWARD ARCHER | IHS GLOBAL INSIGHT “Things are improving slightly but there is still a lot of caution. Wage rises have fallen behind inflation and there is still the impact of government cuts to be fully felt next year.” STEPHEN ROBERTSON | BRITISH RETAIL CONSORTIUM “It is reassuring to see a majority of retailers believe [...]
Mass strikes cause chaos across Greece December 13, 2010 GREEK public transport and media workers launched a week of anti-austerity strikes yesterday expected to ground flights, disrupt services and pile rubbish on the streets in the run-up to Christmas holidays. Parliament began discussing a bill to cap wages at state-run firms and introduce company-level wage bargaining in the private sector, both key elements in [...]