Keep the relationship rolls at bay August 29, 2011 FIT IN THE CITY SO last week, I was mildly amused to read that there is now scientific evidence, care of Ohio State University, that marriage and divorce can both trigger weight gain in men and women. Relationships, it seems, can have a negative effect on the scales. So here are my top tips for [...]
EPISODE 25 : The best mate with youth on his side August 29, 2011 IT’S ridiculous Dave,” says my best friend Nick, thumping our fourth pint onto the table. “Taxpayers across the globe bail you guys out and then you just run the markets down again.” “Don’t be naive,” I snap. “Naive?” roars Nick, incredulously. I’m feeling woozy. “We didn’t used to have this kind of conversation,” I mumble. [...]
ONE MAN IN A BOAT FOR SOLO WORLD RECORD BID August 29, 2011 HE HAS already crossed the Tasman Sea and the Atlantic and survived two hurricanes in his attempt to complete one of the last remaining world firsts. Now Olly Hicks of executive search firm Oliver Stanley is counting down the days until his most extreme mission yet: an 18-month journey to become the first person in [...]
BILL OF THE WEEK August 29, 2011 THE CHAMPAGNE lounge at Kensington members club Amika is described as “the home of extravagance and indulgence”. And no-one reading this week’s bill would argue with that, because if two jeroboams of Cristal at £5,500 apiece don’t justify the description, then nothing will. Also making an appearance over the four international financiers’ £15,900 Saturday night [...]
Halo effect: Sage of Omah invests $5bn in buffeted Bank of America August 25, 2011 BILLIONAIRE investor Warren Buffett rode to the rescue of America’s biggest lender yesterday with a $5bn (£3bn) investment in the beleaguered Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA). Buffett’s investment provides a much-needed vote of confidence in BofA, which has seen its share price halve this year as it has fought to convince investors it had [...]
EU states extend ban on shorting August 25, 2011 FOUR European Union states yesterday extended their short-selling bans until at least the end of next month. Spain and Italy will persist with the measure until 30 September, while French and Belgian bans will continue until further notice. The German DAX fell as much as five per cent at one stage, on rumours of both a short [...]
Gaddafi still free in Libya August 25, 2011 HEAVY fighting continued between Libyan rebels and regime loyalists across Tripoli last night as the hunt for Muammar Gaddafi went on without success. Two days after his compound was overrun, rebels focused their attention on a tower block believed to be holding the still-defiant Libyan leader while others moved house to house to try to [...]
Tensions rising again in the markets August 25, 2011 WHEREVER one looks, there is danger in the air. Global equities are down 10.2 per cent in August and 11.3 per cent in the year to date. European and UK shares are down 13 and 10.4 per cent respectively in August, and 16.8 per cent and 11.5 per cent so far this year, Evolution Securities [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 25, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BREVAN HOWARD CAPITALISES ON TURMOIL Brevan Howard, the world’s largest macro hedge fund, has made close to $1.5bn over the past three weeks on the back of turmoil in the global markets. In a month in which equity markets worldwide have seen declines of more than 10 per cent, the gain comes as [...]
Weale talks down QE2 August 25, 2011 FURTHER quantitative easing would boost economic output, one of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee erstwhile hawks said yesterday. Yet Martin Weale — who voted for higher rates for most of this year, before reversing his decision in August — also said the time had not yet come for more easing, dubbed QE2. “I do not [...]
