Forgetful IMF economists should remember their financial crisis failures October 16, 2012 IN THE boom decade of the 2000s, corporate rebranding was all the rage. Some were successful. Others are best forgotten, like PwC’s proposal to call its consulting arm Monday. But as the world’s economic recovery gathers momentum, perhaps it is time to revive the practice. A prime candidate is the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The [...]
Why the future of Europe doesn’t lie with the failed EU October 16, 2012 YOU might remember Daniel Hannan as the Conservative MEP who tore Gordon Brown to pieces on the floor of the European Parliament for his spending spree with our money. Until then, Hannan had been a rare voice in the wilderness, attacking the EU since he became an MEP in 1999. Although he has now been [...]
Has Goldman Sachs recovered from claims that its managers called clients muppets? October 16, 2012 YES Sarah Murphy Goldman Sachs’s brand has been through considerable tumult in recent times, but over the past six months it has seen a significant increase in the scores it receives from our UK BrandIndex. Back in March, the bank’s brand hit a major low when a former Goldman worker claimed management thought of their [...]
Rapid responses October 16, 2012 Trade to prosperity [Re: Trade and tech are the solution to the world’s food crisis, yesterday] Nick Schulz is correct. It’s vital that we don’t let international development policy get captured by groups with no interest in the development of poor, rural economies. This is why it’s so worrying that the government emphasises its commitment [...]
Accountants can boost UK exports October 16, 2012 Smaller firms need advice before they can expand abroad LEGACY was one of the reasons London won the rights to host the unquestionably successful Olympic and Paralympic games. We all get a warm glow when one of our medallists pops up on Question of Sport or we read statistics showing that thousands are trying new [...]
Japanese giants hungry for acquisitions October 16, 2012 WHEN Japanese mobile operator Softbank smashed records on Monday with a $20.1bn (£12.5bn) deal for 70 per cent of Sprint, it was the largest-ever foreign acquisition by a Japanese company. The acquisition has created a company of 92m mobile users and propels Softbank Group into third place – behind China Mobile and Verizon Wireless – [...]
Spain’s embattled stock index might be about to take a turn for the better October 16, 2012 SINCE last week, Spain’s Ibex 35 has shown a Golden Cross, a pattern whereby the 50-day moving average crosses above the 200-day moving average. When short-term moving averages rise above longer-term moving averages, this Golden Cross pattern usually anticipates higher prices. Conversely, when moving averages cross below longer-term ones the pattern is known as Death [...]
Euro summits tend to follow clear patterns October 16, 2012 GOING into tomorrow’s European summit, there seems to be an air of optimism – even excitement. With positive chatter, you might dare to hope that this summit will be the one where Europe’s politicians finally deliver. This week, confidence has come from economic data showing Eurozone inflation to be stable at 2.6 per cent, as [...]
How to profit from interest rate variances October 16, 2012 WITH many central banks debasing the value of their currency through monetary easing, investors and traders have been struggling to achieve meaningful yields. The euro, dollar and sterling all offer yields near zero (the yen has been in this position for nearly two decades). Factoring in the effects of inflation, investors and traders are effectively [...]
Bentley taps into the need for speed October 16, 2012 It’s pouring with rain as we speed along the autobahn towards the Bavarian Alps. I don’t have the cojones to get anywhere close to the 205mph top speed that this new Bentley Continental GT Speed is capable of, which is a shame because this is the fastest road-going Bentley ever made and we’re on an [...]
