Why Draghi may opt against full QE – CNBC Comment November 3, 2014 As one major central bank – the US Federal Reserve – closes the quantitative easing door, markets are hoping that another – the European Central Bank (ECB) – will throw it wide open again. Many economists now expect that ECB president Mario Draghi will usher in a quantitative easing policy, involving buying up countries’ debt, [...]
Roaring dollar-yen: How much further could it go? – DailyFX Tips & Picks November 3, 2014 DOLLAR-YEN traded significantly higher last week, as the Bank of Japan surprised the markets with more QE. As we have seen on many other occasions, when a central bank decides to ease monetary policy, the country’s currency tends to weaken. Dollar-yen is 4.5 per cent higher than on Friday last week. It’s hard to know [...]
Michael O’Leary: Ryanair CEO’s four lessons for business leaders November 3, 2014 Ryanair’s boss proves that plain speaking needn’t hold you back. Ryanair, the no frills budget airline, known for its hard-headed attitude to customer service, raised its profit forecast yesterday, after its half-year profits rose by a third. The news followed a profit warning a year ago, when guidance was slashed. Consistently low fares and [...]
Subtle signals are crucial in business November 2, 2014 Even the smallest actions can make a huge impression – think carefully before asking questions. Subtle signals exist in all of our interactions, and the best businesspeople have a firm command over the messages they are sending. New Tesco boss Dave Lewis, for example, quickly decided to sell the firm’s fleet of private [...]
London’s empire state of mind: New York warehouse conversion inspiration comes to Islington, Clapham, Stratford and Wapping October 30, 2014 Globalisation, it seems, is not only changing our work, life and shopping habits, it’s also changing our living arrangements. Industrial warehouse conversions, originally found in the meat-packing districts of New York, have crossed the Atlantic and found a new popularity on our shores. Old textile factories in north east London in particular have become [...]
Helios penthouse atop Kew Bridge West’s Hyperion Tower is a whole new level of luxury October 30, 2014 Flowers are not the only things sprouting up in Kew these days. A number of new housing developments are entering the market, enticing buyers to find better value for money in the greener, airier, more spacious suburbs of south west London. One of these is Kew Bridge West, a new development from St [...]
Can London build enough homes for 9m people? And where should the new houses be built? October 30, 2014 As our population has increased, housebuilding has become a major political issue. There’s now a consensus that the capital needs to get building to accommodate a population that’s expected to grow by 920,000 by 2024. But it’s not an impossible task, according to residential and commercial estate agent Stirling Ackroyd, who released their [...]
Fancy owning an 18th century Parisian palace? 140 Rue de Grenelle is up for sale October 30, 2014 The 18th century palace you can actually buy at 140 Rue de Grenelle. A rare opportunity to own one of the grandest homes in central Paris. The Rue de Grenelle has over 300 years of Parisian style, architecture and history written into its walls and, after 18 months of restoration and refurbishment, it’s [...]
Nine Elms Point regeneration: There’s more to Battersea than the Power Station October 30, 2014 Nine Elms, a growing regeneration community in south London, will soon have a skyscraper of its own. Everyone knows about the transformation of Battersea Power Station, but few people have paid much attention to the regeneration that’s coming to the surrounding area. Dubbed Nine Elms, the Zone One location is set to benefit [...]
Ash London’s Amanda Ibgui and Sharon Elalouf bring the French interior design Touch to the City October 30, 2014 Imagine how Sharon Elalouf and Amanda Ibgui felt arriving in London from their native Paris on a rainy day in 2006. Not only did they have to contend with English food and English weather, the pair also came up against English interior design. Enthusiastic devotees of modern French style (which for them means clean [...]