Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger plan special Berkshire Hathaway letters to celebrate golden anniversary February 3, 2015 He may have admitted to getting it wrong as far as Tesco is concerned, but Warren Buffett still holds legendary status as the most successful investor of the 20th century. His annual letter to investors is always an event and this year will be even bigger than usual as Buffett and his business partner [...]
Greek finance chief Yanis Varoufakis says debt deal will be done in days February 2, 2015 Greece’s finance minister yesterday hinted he had a solution to the struggling country’s looming debt crisis and expected a deal with creditors to be struck within days. Yanis Varoufakis unveiled a radical plan to restructure Greece’s debt as he went for talks at Downing Street and the City. He has no plans to write any of [...]
Mark Carney’s struggle to master his words – CNBC Comment February 2, 2015 Once upon a time, you needed to be Alice in Wonderland to vanish down a rabbit hole. Nowadays, we are all falling in head first – thanks to a bunch of central bankers. But as we’re down here in this inverted QE world, Bank of England governor Mark Carney should probably heed the words of [...]
Greece-Eurozone standoff presents “greatest risk to economy” George Osborne warns as Yanis Varoufakis visits London February 2, 2015 The standoff between Greece and the Eurozone presents the greatest risk to the global economy, chancellor George Osborne has said. Osborne, who met Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis in London today, said both sides needed to consider how they worked in future, or risk derailing growth, both globally and specifically within the UK. Varoufakis [...]
The world in 2030: Bill Gates’s prediction for global change over the next 15 years February 2, 2015 It's impossible to predict exactly how innovations will have changed the world by 2030, but there are few people better equipped to hazard a guess than Bill Gates. The philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft told The Verge he believes four key changes will take place globally over the next 15 years, in terms of how we [...]
Mike Ashley could face parliamentary investigation over USC February 2, 2015 Mike Ashley could face a grilling by Scottish MPs over the administration of USC, with politicians pressing to launch a full parliamentary investigation into his activities. The Scottish Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into the fast fashion chain, with MPs last week branding the redundancies of more than 200 “despicable” and “appalling”. [...]
Greeks fly in for debt showdown: Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis to meet George Osborne on European tour February 1, 2015 The anti-austerity Greek finance minister is to meet with chancellor George Osborne today as part of a Europe-wide charm offensive to win over creditors and fellow politicians. Investment bank Lazard has been hired by the Greek government to advise on its debt burden during negotiations. Greek officials will also be in the City this week, [...]
Putin’s latest aggression is just smoke and mirrors: We must now call his bluff February 1, 2015 When we last left Vladimir Putin at the end of 2014, he was a cornered animal at bay, turning with teeth bared as the forces of the market relentlessly drew closer to him. But ever the creative tactician, the Russian President is seeking to – not for the first time – dramatically change the facts [...]
Obama plans to tax US companies’ $2tn profits held overseas at 19 per cent closing loophole February 1, 2015 US companies could face a larger than expected tax bill after Barack Obama revealed plans to tax the foreign profits they hold overseas at a rate of 19 per cent. In the US President’s budget, due to be announced this week, a new one-off 14 per cent rate of tax on the estimated $2tn of [...]
Bill Gates talks artificial intelligence concern, immortality, overpopulation and more in “ask me anything” January 29, 2015 If there's one thing Bill Gates enjoys more than computer software, philanthropy and tennis, it's talking to people on the internet. Whether it's TED Talks, book recommendations or online newsletters, the Microsoft founder loves to communicate with the web's masses. The billionaire took to Reddit for his third "Ask me Anything" yesterday, and what followed [...]