Sterling trend may continue to be a friend October 23, 2012 IT HAS been difficult to accurately gauge the performance of the UK economy recently. The Olympics, Diamond Jubilee, and even the weather, have distorted the picture. In the last month, we have had positive government borrowing figures, excellent retail data, equally impressive employment data and have seen inflation fall to three year lows. However, construction, industrial [...]
Trading in yen risks losing a slice of profits October 23, 2012 THE Japanese yen has taken a smashing lately, falling by 3.5 per cent against the dollar since mid-September. Recent data shows Japan’s exports are down 10.3 per cent annually. While trade with China, its largest trading partner, is down 14.1 per cent on the back of political tensions over the Senkaku islands; trade to Western [...]
Failure to fix market uncertainty is making the retirement crisis worse October 23, 2012 VIRTUALLY every developed nation is suffering from the reluctance of investors and chief executives to invest in new businesses, jobs or ideas. They’ve adopted a wait-and-see attitude because markets are missing the two components essential for confidence: trust and certainty. Investors are angry and cynical. For five years, they have consumed a daily diet of [...]
Surprise collapse in Google’s share price offers a warning for all companies October 23, 2012 THE dramatic crash in Google’s share price and the temporary suspension of trading in its shares made headline news. The event was triggered by a 20 per cent year-on-year fall in profits in the third quarter of this year. As usual, there was no shortage of explanations for why this happened – after the event, [...]
We don’t need the EU to legislate for women on boards October 23, 2012 I N A closed meeting in Strasbourg yesterday, European commissioners heavily criticised a package of reforms proposed by the commissioner for justice Viviane Reding. Among the proposals she put forward, Reding argued for a compulsory 40 per cent quota for female non-executive directors across the EU by 2020, reporting requirements for medium-sized businesses, and fines [...]
Is the introduction of plea bargains in the UK a coherent way of tackling corporate crime? October 23, 2012 YES Barry Vitou US-style deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) – effectively plea bargains – should provide a powerful weapon in the fight against white collar crime. DPAs offer a better way for the authorities to deal with wrongdoing and for businesses to resolve their exposure to prosecution in appropriate circumstances. The present choice for the authorities, [...]
Rapid responses October 23, 2012 Silicon vs London [Re: Why investors should take a stake in high-growth UK tech companies, yesterday] Silicon Valley is a hotbed of innovation primarily because of its culture of failure – it is ok to start things up in your garage, to take risks and to fail completely. The Valley didn’t start as a gleaming [...]
Di Matteo demands Chelsea beat Shakhtar at home after defeat October 23, 2012 SHAKHTAR DONETSK 2 vs CHELSEA 1 CHELSEA manager Roberto Di Matteo believes his side have to win the return fixture at home to Shakhtar Donetsk as a consequence of last night’s convincing defeat in Ukraine. The return of captain John Terry to a side that had on Saturday impressively won 4-2 at Tottenham failed to [...]
Wenger: Our Germans just the Teutonic October 23, 2012 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has hailed his German contingent as they look to overcome Schalke at home tonight and take a major step towards the knockout rounds of the Champions League. Summer signing Lukas Podolski and defender Per Mertesacker, who joined last year, have quickly been embraced by Gunners fans, while Wenger has increasingly favoured [...]
Armstrong didn’t dope and will prove innocence, says Indurain October 23, 2012 FIVE-TIME Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain insists he still believes Lance Armstrong is innocent and expects him to prove it by appealing against the most serious doping allegations in cycling history. Indurain also questioned how Armstrong, who was on Monday stripped of his record seven Tour titles following the charges from the US Anti-Doping [...]
