Does Hurricane Sandy have the potential to change the outcome of the US election? October 30, 2012 YES Ewan Watt It’s common for political pundits to overanalyse the impact of particular events on the US presidential race and Hurricane Sandy is no exception. But Sandy could potentially result in the closure of polling stations in key swing states, like North Carolina and Virginia, which may have a particular impact on early voting [...]
Rapid responses October 30, 2012 EU budget battles [Re: Cameron should wield the UK veto and block the EU’s bloated budget, yesterday] Priti Patel is emerging as the rising star of the Conservative party, and this spirited encouragement for David Cameron to stand firm on ridiculous EU budget demands just adds to her support for tax reform earlier this week. [...]
Bond opportunities are still emerging October 30, 2012 IF YOU are on the hunt for strong and diversified returns from emerging markets, local currency denominated debt can give you solid exposure to attractive yields. Until the 1990s, due to poor liquidity and low transparency, emerging market debt was issued only in hard currencies, predominantly the US dollar. But many emerging markets now run [...]
Unemployment targeting by the Fed could see equities move upwards October 30, 2012 AS WE approach the release of the final US employment report before the presidential election, we’ll see plenty of analysis about both the recent decline in country’s unemployment rate and the health of its overall economy. Yet, if you look at more frequently-released data, like weekly unemployment insurance claims, the jobless rate has fallen by [...]
A superlative-defying Range Rover October 30, 2012 I’ve only been driving Land Rover’s new Range Rover for five minutes and already I have had to swerve to avoid a man running down the motorway. Not across the motorway you understand but down it, as if he is pretending to be a car. Driving the new Range Rover in Morocco is challenging. Pedestrians [...]
Make sure you have a blast this Bonfire night October 30, 2012 FRIDAY Brockwell Park A fireworks showcase organised by Lambeth Council. Doors open 4pm and the display will begin at 8pm. Free to attend. Streatham Common A second show by Lambeth Council, running parallel to the Brockwell Park display (see above). Bishops Park Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s event opens at 6pm, with fireworks on at 7.15pm. [...]
All fireworked out? October 30, 2012 Seize the Day at the Wellcome Trust Friday 2 November The Wellcome trust is hosting a macabre night looking at our experiences and relationships with death. Activities will include coffin decorating and a near-death experience. There will also be talks on throughout the four hour event. Doors 7pm. The event is free but some talks [...]
BP results boost FTSE 100 October 30, 2012 The blue chip index was trading up this morning, as a strong performance from oil major BP pushed up the FTSE 100. Trading volumes were expected to be thinner than usual, as hurricane Sandy shut Wall Street for a second consecutive day. Oil behemoth BP, which this morning announced it was hiking its dividend by [...]
UBS cuts 10,000 jobs in restructuring October 30, 2012 Swiss bank UBS today said it would cut its headcount by 10,000 in a winding-down of its fixed income business. The move will refocus the firm around its private and investment bank. The headcount will drop to around 54,000 in 2015, from around 64,000 today. The cuts are aimed at saving the bank around CHF3.4bn. [...]
Bank of Japan expands stimulus programme October 30, 2012 The Bank of Japan boosted stimulus for the second consecutive month today, to support its sagging economy. The central bank increased its asset buying programme by 11 trillion yen (£85.86bn) to 91 trillion yen, which was broadly in line with expectations. It marks the first time since 2003 that the central bank has eased policy [...]
