Bottom Line: Bailing out a sinking ship September 22, 2013 BLACKBERRY’S turnaround is seeming less and less likely. Hardly a day passes without news of mounting losses or staff cuts at the struggling Canadian firm. Gil Amelio, Apple’s chief executive during the company’s struggles in the early 90s, once said, “Apple is like a ship with a hole in the bottom leaking water, and my [...]
Rents in London rise to nearly £1,500 as new supply declines September 22, 2013 THE AVERAGE cost of renting in London is pushing closer to £1,500 per month, as property prices climb across the UK. The average monthly rent in London is now £1,465, according to Sequence, the property group. Based on the speed of rises currently, rents will soon push above £1,500 per month. Between July and August, [...]
Consumer sentiment climbs on back of housing market boost September 22, 2013 CONFIDENCE in the economy is still rising among consumers, with a survey released today showing the strongest sentiment since it began three years ago. Lloyds’ consumer sentiment index has risen by 10 points since the start of the year, rising from 105 to 115, fuelled by an increase in housing market activity. Overall, 18 per [...]
Strong year for recruiters as fee income climbs September 22, 2013 RECRUITERS are reaping the benefits of the UK’s emerging economic recovery, with nearly three quarters of firms reporting increased incomes in the last 12 months. According to the survey, released today by Deloitte and the Association of Professional Staffing companies (APSCo), 72 per cent of professional recruiters have seen their income from fees rise in [...]
Rate hike may move India to inflation target September 22, 2013 SOME analysts are predicting more rate hikes in India in the near future, after Raghuram Rajan, the new governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) upped interest rates at the end of last week. Rajan, who only took the position as head of the RBI earlier this month, made his mark by hiking the [...]
Grand Theft bid war is painful for publishers September 22, 2013 MERGERS always come with a certain amount of problems, but The Capitalist has heard that the recent £2.4bn merger of Pearson’s Penguin and Bertelsmann’s Random House left publishing executives at the two firms kicking themselves over a major book deal. Penguin paid a substantial six figure sum for the exclusive rights to produce the strategy [...]
Stockbrokers get socked at Boodles Boxing Ball September 22, 2013 TO MAYFAIR on Saturday evening for the biennial Boodles Boxing Ball, this year held at the Grosvenor House hotel. There were several City-based amateur boxers doing the rounds in the ring and helping raise £200,000 for children’s charity Starlight. Sir Richard Branson’s son-in-law, shipbroker Fred Andrewes, took down Investec’s Adam Bidwell while Balthazar Fabricius, founder [...]
China’s Bo Xilai is jailed for life for corruption September 22, 2013 A CHINESE court sentenced ousted senior politician Bo Xilai to life in jail yesterday after finding him guilty of corruption and abuse of power, a tough term that gives him little chance of staging a political comeback. Bo was a rising star in China’s leadership circles and cultivated a loyal following through his charisma and [...]
Harvard launches fundraising campaign for research and aid September 22, 2013 HARVARD, the richest university in America, said this weekend it would seek to raise some $6.5bn (£4.12bn) in donations to fund new academic initiatives and bolster its financial aid programme. The fundraising drive by the Cambridge, Massachusetts, institution is the university’s biggest and believed to be the most ambitious ever undertaken by a university, ahead [...]
Lord Triesman hired as director of merchant bank Salamanca September 22, 2013 MERCHANT bank Salamanca Group yesterday said it has hired Lord Triesman as a director, effective immediately. David Triesman, who was formerly chairman of the Football Association, will be responsible for managing client relationships and developing business opportunities in his new role, with a particular focus on Africa and Europe. He is currently shadow spokesperson for [...]