New York Report: Dow and S&P drop over Fed uncertainty November 12, 2013 THE DOW and the S&P 500 declined yesterday after rising bond yields increased debate over how soon the Federal Reserve would start trimming its stimulus programme. Fed officials offered diverging views and added to the uncertainty about the outlook for the Fed’s easy-money policies. Among them, Dallas Fed president Richard Fisher told CNBC that the [...]
How institutional capital could keep the lights on and lower energy bills November 12, 2013 WITH so much talk about the lights going out in the UK over the next two to three years, it almost starts to be believable. In its last Electricity Capacity Assessment, Ofgem prophesied that our reserve margin of available capacity could fall below 5 per cent of total peak demand by 2015-16, raising the risk [...]
Against the Grain: The future’s bright for young people – but only if they learn more maths November 12, 2013 A FASHIONABLE topic among pessimists is the lifetime prospects of children born into the middle class. Graduate debt, falling home affordability, and job insecurity after graduation, they all add up to to a miserable picture for young people today. Alan Milburn, the government’s “social mobility tsar”, put the seal of approval on this prevailing angst [...]
Why it’s no time to be complacent about the UK’s inflation problem November 12, 2013 THE SURPRISE fall in the annual inflation rate in October to 2.2 per cent on the consumer price index and 2.6 per cent on the retail price index is obviously welcome news. However, it’s too soon to be complacent. It also reminds us that inflation has been consistently above the Bank of England’s 2 per [...]
Letters to the Editor – 13/11 – Listing rules, Greenbelt, Best of Twitter November 12, 2013 Listing rules [Re: New listing rules protect investors and safeguard London’s open markets, yesterday] Elements of the new listing rules may help to prevent scandals involving poor corporate governance. But there is a danger that, by singling out companies controlled by majority shareholders for added scrutiny, we drive away future flotations. Many of the world’s [...]
US tech stocks are an enticing proposition November 12, 2013 IN AN eye-catching achievement for a company that has never made a profit, Twitter’s share stampede last week sent the value of the social networking platform to $24bn (£15.12bn) on its stock market debut, although its shares have since dropped back to around $42. Many investors, however, are still understandably cautious about investing in high-profile [...]
London’s top eight Thanksgiving eateries November 12, 2013 Everyone enjoys chocolate pecan pie – why should the Americans have all the fun? Bodean’s BBQ American restaurants are two-a-penny these days but Bodean’s BBQ was here long before the diner deluge. Now there’s one in Fulham, Clapham, Soho and Tower Hill. Each is offering a three course feast for £22.95. That’s plenty of bang [...]
Mix it up: Stir in a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down November 12, 2013 @philip_salter Flourishing species ultimately perish, rising civilisations fall in the end, and conquering nations are eventually defeated; but human beings – at least as long as we walk this planet – will always want to get drunk. Though getting inebriated is a constant, the way we imbibe changes over space and time. And, like everything [...]
Comfort curry for cold nights November 12, 2013 Alfred Prasad of Michelin-starred Tamarind, remembers his favourite dish growing up AT 29, Alfred Prasad was the youngest Indian chef to receive a Michelin star. Alfred was born in the central Indian city of Wardha and lived all over the sub-continent during his youth, an experience which expanded his mind to the immense variety and [...]
Dish of the day November 12, 2013 Alfred Prasad’s Methi & Potato Curry Ingredients ■ 4 tbsp vegetable oil ■ 6 cloves ■ 6 cardamoms ■ 2 cinnamon stick ■ 2 large red onions, sliced ■ 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste ■ ½ tsp turmeric powder ■ 1 tsp red chilli powder ■ 500g lamb shoulder, boneless, diced ■ 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped [...]