Will the Glencore and Xstrata merger create a company that can deliver for shareholders? September 9, 2012 YES Mike Franklin Determining the correct valuation terms for a deal like this is a minefield and opinions will vary widely. Diehard mining fans will claim that Xstrata is worth more than even the new higher terms. However, much depends on the timing of a deal like this and, given the long history between these [...]
Rapid responses September 9, 2012 Grow Heathrow [Re: Which is the best option for expanding airport capacity?, Thursday] Infrastructure is the lifeblood of British business, and air links are no exception. Ministers want new infrastructure funded by the private sector, but they’re missing the one option staring them right in the face. A privately-funded third runway at Heathrow would add [...]
Don’t blame developers: Britain’s planning system pushes up prices September 6, 2012 DURING recent planning rows, opponents of reform have argued that our lack of new homes was nothing to do with our 1940s planning system, but a case of greedy developers sitting on land with planning permission. Yesterday, the Local Government Association argued that the problem is big developers sitting on “land banks”. But big developers [...]
Paralympic tech innovation is at the leading edge of human inventiveness September 6, 2012 OSCAR Pistorius’s comments after losing the final of the 200m were a reminder that the elite athletes competing in the Paralympics don’t just have keep themselves in peak physical condition, but also watch that their rivals don’t run away with any technological edge. It is the skill and speed of athletes like Pistorius, and now [...]
ECB’s bond buying bailout bluff is not tricking Germany September 6, 2012 THE risk of total euro breakup just got much worse. The Bundesbank dissented from Mario Draghi’s scheme for “unlimited” purchases of Spanish and Italian government bonds, provided those governments apply for assistance and surrender sovereign control of budgets to the EU and IMF. The Bundesbank regards the president of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) scheme [...]
Is the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation into fuel prices a positive move for drivers? September 6, 2012 YES David Bizley Anything that brings transparency to fuel pricing is very welcome. Most motorists are very aware that fuel prices go up far faster than they ever come down, so it is a very positive move that the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) is seeking to clarify the situation once and for all. Fuel [...]
Rapid Responses September 6, 2012 No to Boris Island [Re: Which is the best option for expanding airport capacity?, yesterday] Boris Johnson calls a third runway at Heathrow “simply mad”, but the phrase more obviously describes his own proposals for a Thames Estuary airport. Adding a third runway to an airport such as Heathrow, with its existing infrastructure, is incomparably easier, [...]
Self-control: The secret ingredient that guarantees a successful life September 5, 2012 WHEN psychologists isolate the personal qualities that predict positive outcomes in life, they consistently find two traits: intelligence and self-control. So far researchers haven’t learned how to permanently increase intelligence. But they have discovered, or at least rediscovered, how to improve self-control. The first two steps are setting a goal, and then monitoring your behaviour. [...]
Obama isn’t working: He won’t win without a stronger message on jobs September 5, 2012 AS BARACK Obama pinned his electoral hopes on Bill Clinton’s rhetorical prowess at the Democratic convention last night, Mitt Romney is channelling Ronald Reagan by asking voters: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” It’s certainly throwback week on the campaign trail. But, with two landslide victories, Reagan may provide Romney [...]
The reshuffle is a fillip for Osborne and the economy September 5, 2012 THE chancellor had a mixed reshuffle. First, the negatives. He wanted Iain Duncan Smith out of Work and Pensions, but the quiet man had his way. Osborne also winds up with Ken Clarke as a roving rival, licensed to speak about the economy; untameable and unabashed in voicing his views, whether or not they fit [...]