George Osborne makes a quick buck on £20 Bitcoin buy at Level 39 August 6, 2014 As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, you might expect George Osborne would like to keep his own pocket money in good old, Bank of England-regulated, sterling. But it’s apparent a trip to trendy FinTech den Level 39 has left Osborne with a sense of adventure – he’s gone where no chancellor has gone before – [...]
Russian sanctions upset Moscow regatta show plans but Fine Art Sails still floats into Cowes Week August 6, 2014 Russian sanctions have taken the wind out of one London property developer’s sails. CNM Estates boss Michael Ross, who also runs Fine Art Sails, had been working on cultural ties with Moscow to bring his sail art to a regatta in the Russian capital this June. The plans ran into choppy waters, however, when [...]
Ed Ballsed-up behind wheel but it’s (a) fine – and five points on his driving licence August 5, 2014 Ed Balls managed to swerve a driving ban yesterday, his lawyers racing away from Leeds magistrates with just a £1,000 fine and five points for the shadow chancellor. The charge? He failed to stop after hitting a parked car. Of course, the Labour shadow minister is walking (or, driving) a thin line – he’s already [...]
Stuffed bear photobombs Saxo Bank’s Ole Hansen’s crude talk August 5, 2014 “What’s behind crude’s dramatic decline?” says the tweet from Saxo Bank’s Ole Hansen, but those reading it found another question more pertinent. “What’s behind you?” The silhouette of a rather angry looking bear is pretty hard to ignore, despite the fact Hansen is clearly managing to do so. Luckily, the creature wasn’t on a [...]
Duke of Edinburgh falls for Cowes Week magic as City seafarers set sail August 4, 2014 It's that time of year again, when the City’s yachting enthusiasts get to spend the week brushing sea spray out of their windswept locks instead of sweating it out in the Big Smoke. Yes, it’s Cowes Week. King of the City seafarers Martin Gilbert, chief executive of lead sponsor Aberdeen Asset Management held not [...]
David Buik: Three things you didn’t know about Panmure Gordon’s market commentator August 4, 2014 1 He’s actually Canadian. He was born in Montreal in 1944 and moved to the UK in 1949, where he’s lived ever since. 2 He’s a big horse racing fan and has had horses running in three Grand Nationals. His horses, Course Hunter and Bartres, were among the field in the 1988, 1989 [...]
Blackrock’s Jonathan Burrows, the City’s artful ticket dodging banker, is hardly alone August 3, 2014 The City’s artful ticket dodger has finally been named. Turns out the mystery Stonegate to Cannon Street commuter, who shaved a whopping £43,000 off the price of his commute by not tapping in at Stonegate (making him the biggest fare dodger in history), was Blackrock investment executive Jonathan Burrows. He has since resigned. Burrows can [...]
Student attempting to break cycling World Record, fight cancer and woo employers August 3, 2014 Word has it students have to go that extra mile in order to make themselves stand out from the crowd to employers these days. And one Loughborough university student is taking that to the extreme – cycling 3,868 extra miles. James Bowtell is currently attempting to break the Guinness World Record for cycling across [...]
Hedgies high on the hog at Hedge Brunch’s Avenue summer bash July 31, 2014 St James's Street played host to a hoard of hedgies last night, as Hedge Brunch threw its summer soirée at Avenue restaurant. Founder of LNG Capital Louis Gargour was there, chatting to Alcova’s Russell Hart and Tom Pontin. “When Gus [Morison – HedgeBrunch founder] told me he was getting out of the industry to [...]
Royal London’s Clare Salmon saddled at Goodwood in charity horse race July 30, 2014 As an insurance professional, she’s well used to working with risk but Royal London’s marketing doyenne Clare Salmon is going a few furlongs further today, by playing jockey in the Magnolia Cup charity race at Goodwood – which will see Salmon race against celebs such as supermodel Edie Campbell and jeweller Philippa Holland. “I’ve entered [...]
