Red Ed needs the speech of his life to survive today September 26, 2011 IT IS RARE that a party leader of just twelve months standing is faced with making a speech that is considered to be make-or-break for his future prospects. But that is exactly the position facing Ed Miliband as he delivers his Labour conference speech in Liverpool today. A strong summer performance on phone hacking cannot [...]
Creating the right jobs is harder than it looks September 26, 2011 BARACK Obama realises that the key to keeping his own job is to start creating them for other people. The US unemployment figures are high (above 9 per cent), sustained (the recession officially ended almost two years ago), and deepening (half of the unemployed have been out of work for more than 6 months). His [...]
RAPID RESPONSES September 26, 2011 Rating the OBR Dagong Global Credit cut the UK’s credit rating in May. The cut came with a revision of the UK’s growth forecast to 1.3-1.5 per cent this year, rather than the 1.7 per cent predicted by the Office for Budget Responsibility. The IMF just revised its UK growth forecast to 1.1 per cent, [...]
MARKETS NOT HAPPY WITH FED’S TWIST September 26, 2011 ANYONE hoping that last week’s FOMC statement would help to calm markets has been bitterly disappointed. On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve announced that it plans to sell $400bn of short-term debt and buy $400bn of longer-dated Treasury bonds. This operation is designed to put a lid on longer-term interest rates while keeping the size [...]
Kicking the Eurozone can down the autobahn September 26, 2011 YESTERDAY saw more volatility in the markets – triggered by a mixture of the weekend’s announcements and by bargain-hunters going shopping in the equity markets hoping to snap up stocks that they saw as being oversold. At the weekend, Christine Lagarde led an IMF summit, warning that the $384bn (£248bn) earmarked as an emergency bail-out [...]
THE TIPSTER September 26, 2011 WITH Thomas Cook set to serve up results later in the week, it’s difficult to see much cheer for the industry against the current economic backdrop. The company has already revised down guidance for the full year and even the prospect of plummeting oil prices is unlikely to deliver any positive sentiment. Current IG Markets [...]
Brush up on your shaving skills with luxury skincare September 26, 2011 BEWARE, King of Shaves, there’s a threat to your dominion. The new generation of men’s skincare has evolved from an unexpected quarter. Women’s beauty brands have cottoned on to the fact that after shaving, men really do take care of their skin. Cult classics from luxury brands such as Eve Lom and Dr Sebagh are [...]
FIT IN THE CITY September 26, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT CAFFEINE makes the headlines nearly every week with studies claiming that it’s responsible for everything from improving memory to raising metabolic rate. But now there’s a new reason for caffeine to hit the headlines: last week, Toby Scheckter, racing driver and son of F1 driver Jody Scheckter, released his very own [...]
EPISODE 29 – AWARDS TIME: TO WIN OR NOT TO WIN? September 26, 2011 And the winner is…” Hushed anticipation falls over the ballroom of the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel. Even Sir Roderick has ceased pontificating and looks across the table at me, swollen with pride or perhaps it’s the foie gras with a hint of menace about the lips. The envelope is opened. Emma grasps my hand beneath [...]
The lightest dinner out in town September 26, 2011 Galoupet 13 Beauchamp Place, SW3 1NQ 0207 036 3600; www.galoupet.co.uk FOOD *** SERVICE **** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost per person without wine: £40 THERE is so much that is pleasing about Galoupet. It looks like the kind of place you’d find in one of those super-cool northern European cities like Malmo or Arrhus, frequented by thin-legged [...]