US mortgage applications jump December 7, 2011 Applications for US home mortgages jumped last week, recouping the previous week’s steep decline as interest rates continued to fall. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and home purchase demand, spiked 12.8 per cent in last week. The MBA’s seasonally adjusted index of refinancing [...]
SMEs finding it hard to recruit December 7, 2011 Despite high levels of unemployment, almost a third of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to find staff with suitable skills. A study from the Federation of Small Businesses, published yesterday, showed 27 per cent have difficulty finding suitable workers. Forty-seven per cent complained that regulation requirements are onerous, and 34 per cent had [...]
UK economy slow in November December 7, 2011 GDP growth slowed from 0.4 per cent in the three months ending in October to 0.3 per cent in the three months ending in November, according to research from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) out yesterday. The think-tank believes economic output will not pass its pre-recession peak until 2013. Under its [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS December 7, 2011 Gide Loyrette Nouel The Paris-based law firm has announced its new executive committee, effective from 1 January 2012. Litigation specialist Baudouin de Moucheron (pictured) has been elected as senior partner to succeed Pierre Raoul-Duval. Stéphane Puel, who specialises in financial regulation and structuring investment funds, succeeds Christophe Eck as managing partner. Eck remains on the [...]
Raise a glass: whisky comes in from the cold December 7, 2011 A T some point in your life, it’s likely that whisky will have left its rich mark. Often it was the first spirit most of us tried; a sneaky nip from our parent’s drinks cabinet – and unfortunately, there are those who never shake off the idea that whisky is a bit, well, fusty. The [...]
Don’t underestimate the blends December 7, 2011 SOMETIMES seen as the poor relation to single malt, interest in blended whisky has been re-ignited by the trend for classic whisky cocktails and some innovative international serving methods. Blended whisky accounts for 92 per cent of global whisky consumption. New territories like the Far East are discovering its promise, especially as part of a [...]
London’s finest whisky cocktails December 7, 2011 ‘WHISKY BLAZER’ AT THE RIB ROOM, JUMEIRAH CARLTON TOWER HOTEL, KNIGHTSBRIDGE The classic cocktail for frosty nights, the fiery Blazer – famous for the arcing blue flame created as the burning whisky is poured back and forth between two glasses – will be a draw at the Rib Room’s soon-to-open cigar terrace. It’s here made [...]
Land of the rising dram December 7, 2011 HEAD up 25 floors to the top of Tokyo’s Shiodome Park Hotel and you find a craftsman at work. Ensconced in the centre of one of Japan’s finest drinking dens, the sultry Bar a Vins, Mr Takayuki Suzuki hand-carves perfectly spherical orbs out of ice. These he drops into a tumbler and pours over whisky [...]
Four masterful Japanese whiskies to seek out December 7, 2011 1. Hakushu 12 year old The Hakushu distillery produces a wonderfully light, floral and zesty whisky that’s distilled at over 2000ft above sea level. The 12-year-old incorporates a subtle, soft smoky note into the mix. A Highball cocktail is one way to appreciate its refreshing qualities. £51.95 www.royalmilewhiskies.com 2. Hibiki 17 year old blended whisky [...]