Infrastructure projects at risk January 15, 2013 GOVERNMENT indecision could deter investors from backing crucial infrastructure projects, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned in a report out today. The independent body says the state will struggle to raise private sector funding for major projects if it cannot guarantee regular returns for backers. “Uncertainty over new government initiatives and interventions may mean investors hold [...]
London Whale report due out January 15, 2013 BANKING giant JP Morgan will today release an internal report into the catastrophic bet made by a trader nicknamed the London Whale, which cost the business more than $6bn (£3.7bn). The company, which will issue its fourth quarter results at the same time, is keen to be transparent about the mistakes that allowed the disastrous [...]
Horse meat in Tesco burgers January 15, 2013 HORSE meat has been found in beef burgers sold by leading British and Irish supermarkets, it emerged last night. One sample of the meat in Tesco’s Everyday Value Beef Burgers was found to be 29 per cent horse, according to Ireland’s Food Safety Authority (FSAI). Tesco has responded by pulling the burgers from its stores. [...]
Tories demand new EU deal January 15, 2013 EUROSCEPTIC Tory MPs will today call for the repatriation of all employment law from Brussels, in addition to restrictions on the EU’s ability to regulate London’s financial sector. The manifesto issued by the Fresh Start group, which claims the support of more 100 backbench MPs, comes ahead of this Friday’s speech by David Cameron on Britain’s [...]
What the other papers say this morning January 15, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Spain asks Germany to boost growth Mariano Rajoy has called on Germany and other creditor countries in the Eurozone to do more to stimulate growth, arguing that a switch to a more expansionary policy would boost economic recovery across the single currency area. “I think that in this moment, when there is a [...]
Goldman Sachs in U-turn over delay to bonus January 15, 2013 GOLDMAN Sachs will pay its bankers’ bonuses before the 50p tax rate is cut to 45p, it emerged yesterday, after an outcry from politicians and regulators angry at plans to delay the payments into the new tax year. The bank’s compensation board considered shifting the payments to April, a source familiar with the discussions told [...]
Morgan Stanley plans to defer payouts to high-earning execs January 15, 2013 INVESTMENT bank Morgan Stanley is planning to stop its highest earners claiming any bonus this year, it emerged yesterday, instead making them take the payout in instalments over the next three years. Regulators have long called for banks to spread the bonuses out over several years both to stop bankers taking extreme risks for short-term [...]
RBS braced for Libor fines of up to £500m January 15, 2013 RBS is now expected to pay almost double the fine for Libor fiddling that its UK rival Barclays faced, as the bank and regulators close in on a final settlement deal. The state-backed institution is in last-minute talks to bash out a settlement, as it seeks to put the scandal behind it before its full [...]
HMV boss vows brand has high street future January 15, 2013 THE BOSS OF HMV said yesterday he was “convinced” the crisis-hit music chain still has a future on the high street, as a number of firms emerged as potential bidders for the company. Deloitte was officially appointed as administrator to HMV yesterday morning, putting 4,123 jobs at its headquarters and 223 stores at risk. But [...]
Failure to adapt meant rivals left HMV behind January 15, 2013 Almost exactly a year ago we looked at HMV on YouGov’s BrandIndex and saw that it did not fit the traditional pattern of a retailer facing difficulties – struggling with consumer perception compounded by a poor economic situation. HMV was by no means a high scorer on BrandIndex but it was in a perfectly respectable [...]