BEST OF THE BROKERS May 19, 2009 ROLLS-ROYCEUBS downgraded Rolls-Royce to a “sell” rating, and cut its earnings per share estimates by seven per cent in 2010, to factor in a weaker A380 delivery outlook, a downward revision to the pension finance charge and the impact of the US dollar weakening. The broker expects two years of falling profits and cash out-flows. [...]
Dixon the risk-taker changes his tactics to thrive in the recession May 19, 2009 You could almost be mistaken for thinking Mark Dixon, the founder and chief executive of office space provider Regus, is enjoying this recession. Perhaps it is because Regus’ share price has bounced 50 per cent since March. What is clear is that the short, fair-haired, serial entrepreneur who is sitting in one of his flagship [...]
CITY GRANDEES UNITED IN FOOTBALLING LOVE May 19, 2009 SURELY it’s a sign of the times when even the guest speaker at a City awards bash isn’t quite certain why he’s been invited? Last night saw 300 business world luminaries pack the ballroom at the Hilton hotel on Park Lane for the 2009 M&A Awards, where sports television presenter Ray Stubbs, pictured below, had [...]
Oversupply will dictate crude’s price far more than sentiment May 18, 2009 LAST week, oil prices touched the $60-a-barrel mark, almost double the low of $32 that they were in February. A reason to be cheerful? The International Energy Agency (IEA) clearly thought so last Tuesday, when its executive director Nobuo Tanaka indicated that the IEA was unlikely to reduce its demand forecast for 2009. But that opinion [...]
OUTLOOK IS GRIM FOR THE NEW SICK MAN OF EUROPE May 18, 2009 FOR those traders stubbornly sticking with short FTSE positions from the sub-4,000 mark, last week’s profit-taking will have been a welcome relief. After the past few months of almost uninterrupted rallies in shares and green shoots spurring an 800-plus point bounce in the FTSE, those resolute bears must have been close to folding. That’s fine [...]
White bags and Burmese rubies: a practical guide to stealth wealth May 18, 2009 THERE was a time, not that long ago, that guests at Nobu would be eager to show that they were raking it in. Expensive bottles of sake would be ordered and placed on the table for all to see. But in these straitened times even the wealthy are less inclined to be seen to spend [...]
How to keep yourself young and healthy while soaking up the rays May 18, 2009 IT’S all too tempting to run joyfully to the beach or pool without a minute’s delay upon rocking up at your sun-drenched destination. But the glee of having escaped the damp squib of a British summer can distract you from the very pressing matter of your suncare. Those moments of joy at feeling warmth and [...]
SOFT POWER SAYING IT QUIETLY May 18, 2009 The American Express Centurion card. Known as the “black card”, it is available only to those who charge more than $250,000 a year. Paying for dinner with this is sure to make an impression. Clive Christian No 1 for Men goes for £416 for 30ml at Fortnum & Mason. What does it smell like? As [...]
Some daisies in your soup, sir? Yes, please May 18, 2009 ANYONE for cheese-stuffed tulips, salad with rose petals or violet creme brulee? If it sounds odd or just plain wrong to eat flowers rather than just ogling them from a distance, think again. The Chelsea Flower Show marks the beginning of a period in which the city’s best chefs turn to flowers to spruce up [...]
Strauss remains cautious despite Windies mauling May 18, 2009 ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss insisted he won’t be getting too carried away despite his side’s crushing defeat of the West Indies. Strauss led his side to a comprehensive innings and 83-run victory over the Windies in the second Test at Durham yesterday to clinch a 2-0 series success. Victory ensured England exacted revenge over the [...]
