London Report: Insurance firms start a deluge of UK earnings February 23, 2014 A BUMPER week for UK earnings kicks off today with results from Hiscox, one of the big home insurers reporting full-year figures. Figures from Hiscox, RSA and Direct Line could give more detailed estimates of losses for UK industry and themselves after recent flooding and storms. Aviva and L&G are also set to give end [...]
Wall St The Week Ahead: Fed chair Yellen in spotlight for banking speech February 23, 2014 AFTER the S&P 500 slipped on Friday and broke a two-week rally, stocks may find tougher sledding this week as investors may be unwilling to push the benchmark index to a record high. The Standard & Poor’s 500 has risen three per cent over the past three weeks, as investors have largely been willing to [...]
Why audience targeting may hold the key to the future of TV adverts February 23, 2014 @LiamWardProud TELEVISION has long reigned as the dominant force in global advertising, accounting for almost 58 per cent of international ad spend in the first three quarters of 2013. But its crown may be slipping. In many digitally-advanced markets, TV’s share of ad budgets has already been eclipsed by online – the transition happened as [...]
The 3 best knockouts from Ukraine’s biggest presidential hopeful February 23, 2014 Leader of the Ukrainian opposition, Vitali Klitschko, has confirmed to ITV's James Mates that he is "very likely to stand for President". Standing at a towering 6'7" (2.01m), Klitschko is somewhat better known internationally for his history as a multiple worldheavyweight title holding boxer. Famed for his huge reach and nicknamed "Dr. Ironfist", Klitschko has [...]
Here’s what the Fed thought of too big to fail at the height of 2008 panic February 21, 2014 During the height of the financial panic of 2008 members of the board of the Federal Reserve were voicing their concerns about the health of some of the world's largest financial institutions. Board member Thomas Hoenig brought the issue of too big to fail front and centre: Mr. Chairman, I have thought about this considerably [...]
Chart: How much the Fed laughed during its 2008 crisis meeting February 21, 2014 The Federal Open Market Committee's emergency meeting that was held the day after Lehman Brothers went bust was a pretty amusing affair for those there – or maybe just a case of choosing whether to laugh or cry… This graph shows how frequently laughter punctuated the meeting – it was held on the 16 September. [...]
What Fed chair Yellen was saying the day after Lehman went bust February 21, 2014 Back in September 2008, now Fed chair Janet Yellen attended a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee as an alternate member. That meeting came the day after Lehman Brothers went bust. Here's what she had to say: During the past several weeks, my head office and Branch directors have become decidedly more pessimistic about [...]
The 7 issues Clegg and Farage must tackle in EU debate February 21, 2014 As Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage prepare to go head to head over Britain's membership of the European Union, LBC listeners will be waiting eagerly to see which arguments the two men use to land their best blows. In terms of what is most important for Britain regarding EU membership, here are seven of key [...]
January’s drop in US housing sales is nothing to worry about February 21, 2014 US home sales dropped 5.1 per cent to 4.62m in January. Forecasts had been for a fall, although to a more encouraging 4.68m, following December’s 4.87m. Annualised, they fell to a 462,000 rate, the National Association of Realtors said. Weakness in housing activity has been put down, almost wholly, to the unseasonably bad weather the [...]
The Federal Reserve has finally released minutes from its 2008 meeting February 21, 2014 The minutes from the 16 September 2008 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee have finally been made public. That meeting took place the day after Lehman Brothers went bust. Then Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke sums up the mood pretty well: Obviously, we started late. We have a lot to talk about. Bernanke didn't [...]