AIG’s $2.2bn Taiwan unit sale extended June 21, 2010 Bailed out insurer American International Group (AIG) and China Strategic Holdings have agreed to extend the deadline for completing AIG’s planned $2.2bn (£1.5bn) sale of its Taiwan unit. While the extension could help AIG and its buyers address concerns from Taiwanese regulators, the longer the transaction is stretched out the less likely it will succeed. [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 21, 2010 Northern Trust The investment manager has appointed John Krieg to its London subsidiary, Northern Trust Global Investments, as managing director for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Krieg joins from the group’s HQ in Chicago, where he was head of global investment product management. Prior to joining Northern Trust in 2002, he was director [...]
Kit up in style for lawn tennis season June 21, 2010 IF the one thing that stands in the way of you and a good rally this summer is your tired, patchy kit, read on for some tips on how to revamp your tennis wardrobe. We asked Lee Child, former Wimbledon competitor and tennis coach at Stoke Park, for guidance. Shoes “This is the most important [...]
FIT IN THE CITY June 21, 2010 YOGA vs Pilates, running vs spinning, BodyPump or free weights…In theory, choice is a good thing but when you’re pushed for time and need your workout to be short, sharp and hitting the spot, it’s useful to know what how different regimes stack up against each other. Yoga vs Pilates This all depends on what [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS June 21, 2010 HAYS Numis said that as the public sector comes into the spotlight it remains concerned that Hays has not yet seen the end of the earnings downgrade cycle. Its 35 per cent net fee exposure to this area in the UK is vulnerable to cuts, creating at best a drag on recovery earnings. Numis gives [...]
Cloudy outlook as ad agencies convene June 21, 2010 Advertisers are likely to strike a cautious note at this week’s Cannes festival, after making a strong start to the year, on concern sovereign debt-fuelled European austerity measures could hamper the rebound. The 57th Cannes Lions event is set to bring together the heads of the world’s top ad firms, including WPP, Publicis and Interpublic, [...]
Japan seeks possible sales tax increase June 21, 2010 JAPAN’S Prime Minister Naoto Kan yesterday renewed his call for tax reform including a possible doubling of the sales tax to rein in Japan’s huge debt, as ratings agency Fitch warned the country needed a credible fiscal reform plan. Support for Kan’s new government has fallen since he floated the idea of raising Japan’s five [...]
Flawless food from a French master June 21, 2010 FLASH back five years. I’m in the new Covent Garden Market with Alexis Gauthier, then the chef patron of Gallic jewel Roussillon, researching a feature. It’s 4AM and Gauthier is getting very excited indeed. Never mind the fact that it’s pitch black and freezing, even under the market’s neon lights – no, he has just [...]
Kewill profits buoyed by cost cuts June 21, 2010 Software firm Kewill posted an 80 per cent increase in full-year pre-tax profit, helped by cost controls and revenue growth in Europe, but said it expected tough economic conditions to continue in the short term. Kewill, which received an approach pitched at 130p per share in May, said talks were continuing. However, chief financial officer [...]
TASTING NOTES June 21, 2010 ANYONE who is a caffeine refusnik like me will know the envy that comes from watching colleagues fortify themselves on a bleak, thankless morning with weapons-grade coffee. I can’t stand the taste of either coffee or tea, but I long for something more tempting than Lucozade to give me the kind of boost caffeine drinkers [...]
