Romney can mobilise the Tea Party without Sarah Palin’s divisive favours August 8, 2012 FOUR years after she was plucked from Juneau, Alaska, in an ill-fated attempt to save John McCain’s presidential campaign, Sarah Palin continues to confound. Books, Tea Party rallies and appearances on Fox News have provided her with a powerful soapbox. In this year’s Republican Senate primaries, just one of the five candidates she has endorsed [...]
For the love of the Games: London’s Olympics heroes August 8, 2012 THE country’s heroic athletes may have grabbed all the headlines, but they are far from the only Britons to have risen to the challenge of making the London 2012 Olympics such an overwhelming, mood-boosting success. There is another group of people, which has brought every bit as much sunshine into the lives of Londoners, and [...]
As Manchester United nears its share listing, is the club likely to prosper by going public? August 8, 2012 YES Tom Cannon Manchester United’s listing raises issues at the heart of football finance. This listing values United almost 50 per cent greater than the £1.5bn it is quoted at elsewhere. But there are three ways it can be justified. First, the club has potential, especially if it can monetise its Asian fan base. Secondly, [...]
RAPID RESPONSES August 8, 2012 Anti-British bias [Re: Standard Chartered is the victim of US warfare against British banking, yesterday] John Mann is correct. US regulatory pressure is unfair, excessive, and unbalanced, and solely seeks to protect US self-interests. The UK government should protect British interests unequivocably. We shouldn’t fear the loss of the strategic partnership, especially if it is [...]
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 [...]
The Santa Fe bar with a useful lesson for London’s Olympic organisers August 7, 2012 IT NOW seems like a distant memory, as London has again filled up with shoppers, tourists and people celebrating Team GB’s historic gold medal haul. But last week, the city was notoriously labelled a ghost town, despite official predictions that the capital would be heaving. No doubt, Transport for London had used its hugely complicated [...]
UK bankers could face US prison for sanctions busting August 7, 2012 IT IS American regulators that British multinationals must really fear. By alleging that Standard Chartered Bank is a “rogue institution”, the New York State Department of Financial Services has dunked the bank’s share price and caused it untold reputational damage. The investigation into breaches of the Iranian sanctions regime may be almost complete. But Standard [...]
After Lib Dem-Tory splits on constitutional reform, will this coalition last until 2015? August 7, 2012 YES Mark Field In spite of deep-seated disputes over constitutional reform, the coalition will hold steady. The deepening threat to our economy from the Eurozone makes it ever more important that the coalition stays united around its central economic purpose. Public borrowing remains stubbornly high, but deficit reduction is a mantra that unites all coalition [...]
RAPID RESPONSES August 7, 2012 Regulatory favours [Re: Another banking scandal was the last thing the City needed, yesterday] I’m glad Allister Heath has addressed this issue: all regulators, American or otherwise, are not necessarily acting with justice and fairness. We need to question their motives. I don’t know the specifics behind the allegations made against Standard Chartered Bank. But [...]
You can bank on Tesco to become competitive in financial services August 6, 2012 TESCO has had a challenging 2012 to date. We saw the rebasing of group earnings in January; an unwelcome slowdown in trading at loss-making Fresh & Easy in the US; decelerating trading conditions in Central Europe; and impacts from restrictions on large store opening hours in South Korea – its most significant market outside the [...]