Transportation stocks weigh on Wall Street February 6, 2013 US stocks ended mostly flat yesterday, taking another pause in the recent rally that has driven the S&P 500 to five-year highs, as transportation and technology shares lost ground. Transportation stocks were among the worst performers. Shares of CH Robinson Worldwide fell 9.7 per cent to $60.50 and the stock was the biggest percentage loser [...]
NHS failures will stay common until we hold management accountable February 6, 2013 THIS is a story of appalling and unnecessary suffering of hundreds of people,” said Robert Francis QC yesterday. For those who think that the NHS is more important than the patients it exists to serve, and the taxpayers who pay for it, the publication of Francis’s report into the failings of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation [...]
Libor needed reform – but state control of market information is dangerous February 6, 2013 A£390M Libor fine for RBS and a $5bn (£3.2bn) US government lawsuit against Standard & Poor’s. In both the ongoing Libor and credit rating agency sagas, previously free and private information services are being pulled under regulatory control. The unwritten rule is that markets depend on information, that information should be competitively-provided, and that information [...]
The five questions Mark Carney must deliver answers to February 6, 2013 MARK Carney makes his first appearance in front of the Treasury Select Committee today. But what should the influential committee ask our new Bank of England governor? It certainly shouldn’t waste time questioning his salary. Whether the governor is paid £305,000 like Sir Mervyn King, or £874,000 as Carney will be, pales into insignificance against [...]
The Debate: Does the £15bn bid for Virgin Media mark the return of major deal-making to the UK? February 6, 2013 YES Andy Cox While the deal market has been slow over the past few years, a recent wave of high-profile activity at “big ticket” prices, like Liberty Group’s £15bn bid for Virgin Media, suggests companies and investors are regaining a taste for mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Our research suggests that there is the capacity and [...]
Letters to the editor February 6, 2013 Labour’s record [Re: Why Labour is the natural party of small business and entrepreneurs, Wednesday] While Chuka Umunna’s vision for small business is admirable, his ideas smack of the same old political rhetoric. Half-baked measures and ill thought-out plans are hardly sufficient to mend the problems facing British business. A temporary VAT cut will not [...]
Hit the right note this Valentine’s weekend February 6, 2013 THE concept of Valentine’s Day as a time for lovers to express their romantic desires has, contrary to the cries of the cynics, been around since at least the Middle Ages. The tradition of sending flowers and hand-written letters has been around ever since, albeit with the intervention of the ubiquitous greetings card. These days [...]
Don’t get hacked off February 6, 2013 Online villains are the scourge of leading international firms and home internet users alike. We suggest ways to make sure you Drug lords and gun-toting terrorists used to top governments’ “most wanted” lists. Now, the face of international crime has changed – and it’s wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. This week hackers have been in [...]
STK does a belter of a rib eye – if you can stand the club atmosphere February 6, 2013 Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie once said: “All vowels are fascist, man, everyone knows that”. It’s a sentiment that obviously chimed with the owners of US steakhouse chain STK, which has just arrived at the ME London hotel. This isn’t just any old steakhouse, though. Oh no, this is a “female friendly” steakhouse. Female friendly. [...]
Deals are back February 5, 2013 ■ Computer maker Dell taken private in largest leveraged buyout since before the financial crisis ■ US billionaire John Malone closes in on $20bn deal for UK telecoms giant Virgin Media TWO of the biggest buyout deals since the financial crisis struck were revealed yesterday, as British communications firm Virgin Media and US computer giant [...]
