GEOPOLITICAL THREATS TO 2012 TRADING January 3, 2012 AS THE currency markets opened for trading at the start of the new year, investors remained in a party mood, bidding up the Australian dollar, after PMI readings from the region printed better than expected. China’s official PMI Manufacturing report crossed back above the 50 boom/bust level, allaying concerns that the Asian giant was heading [...]
THE TIPSTER January 3, 2012 THE last few weeks have been uncharacteristically quiet on the European crisis front – but pessimists may just view this as the calm before the next inevitable storm. The optimistic view could be that surely all of the bad news is getting close to being priced in for the euro and its death has been [...]
Politicians have been thumb twiddling over care reforms for 15 years. It’s time to act January 3, 2012 AN OPEN letter to the Prime Minister argued for reform of social care funding yesterday. But we have been here before. Fifteen years ago the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) published the results of their Inquiry into the Costs of Continuing Care. The 1997 Labour government made reforming the funding of care a priority. A Royal [...]
Why dot London is a capital plan for a digital age January 3, 2012 ICANN, the governing body for internet web addresses, last year gave the green light to the most significant shake-up to the domain name structure in 25 years. The decision to widen the current system of internet domain names means that from 12 January until 12 April this year, organisations can apply for the domain name [...]
Fewer voters would be a boost for democracy January 3, 2012 A FEW days before Christmas, a by-election chose a new MP for Feltham and Heston. Voter turnout was only 29 per cent. This prompted familiar laments about public disengagement from politics. Yet the problem with British democracy is not that too few people vote but that too many do. To see why, consider a question [...]
RAPID RESPONSES January 3, 2012 Cogs and couches Interesting article from Dennis Hayes [2012 should be the year we get off the couch and make companies more productive, yesterday]. I would be intrigued to know how the likes of Google, Facebook and Amazon view the point he makes. I suspect that employee well-being is core to their respective strategies. Where [...]
Tiguan shows 4x4s can be city cars January 3, 2012 It’s taken me years to come around to the 4×4. I wouldn’t say I was anti-SUV – it’s just that I’ve never understood the attraction. For a life in the countryside, fine, go right ahead, it makes a lot of sense. Off-road, in a Landie, I’m having as much fun as the next guy. I [...]
CAR TALK January 3, 2012 GIRLS ARE DEFINITELY ALLOWED IN CUSTOM RENAULT TWINGO As part of a marketing initiative to promote Renault’s new Twingo, Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud has created this Twingo with her own bespoke interior. A recording studio, coffee machine, clothes, hair dryer and a make-up counter have all been incorporated into the one-off city car. Thought-provoking [...]
Pair convicted for Lawrence murder January 3, 2012 Two men have been found guilty on of the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence. Gary Dobson, 36, and David Norris, 35, were convicted after a six-week trial at the Old Bailey that hinged on new scientific evidence presented by prosecutors. Lawrence, 18, was stabbed to death at a London bus stop in April [...]
Commodities fuel FTSE gains January 3, 2012 The FTSE 100 was off to a positive start this morning led upwards by commodity stocks which were boosted by strong data from China. Asian markets were given a lift as the official Chinese purchasing managers’ index indicated a rise in factory activity in December and London followed suit. Industrial metals such as copper rose [...]
