Harmony for face and mind January 19, 2010 THIS, according to beauty analysts, is the year that “mood beauty” will take off – that is, makeup and skincare that actually makes you happier. And with this week deemed the most depressing of the year, it’s good to know there could be a solution to the blues that makes you look better at the [...]
How can I sort out my paperwork? January 19, 2010 I work long hours and travel a lot. As a result, my home has become swamped in bills and statements I never get round to sorting. What advice do you have? Jason, 36, risk manager. IT’S a classic problem of the time-poor professional – what to do with all that paper? Online billing and banking [...]
OUT OF OFFICE January 19, 2010 LONDON MIME FESTIVAL The annual celebration of physical theatre is in full swing across a number of venues. It runs until the end of the month, with highlights including Belgium’s award-winning, surreal clown-act Okidok, UK female acrobatic trio Mimbre with their lyrical show Until Now – both at the Southbank Centre – and The Mill [...]
The Mini enters a BRAVE GREEN WORLD January 19, 2010 I had preconceptions about this car before I drove it. Having batteries will mean it will weigh more than a normal Mini and it will be sluggish due to the extra weight. The ride will be harsh, it’ll thump along over bumps and the batteries will die on me at the furthest point away from [...]
Citigroup in £4.7bn loss January 19, 2010 CITIGROUP has reported a loss of $7.6bn (£4.7bn) for the final three months of 2009 after being hit by the repayment of government loans. The results were worse than had been forecast by analysts. Citigroup chief executive Vikram Pandit remained upbeat despite the huge loss. He said the bank had made “enormous progress in 2009”. [...]
Proposed regulation is all sizzle and no steak January 19, 2010 INVESTORS trying to ensure they have a diverse portfolio of assets have probably dipped into the commodity markets at some point over the last two years. If you are thinking of doing the same, you need to be aware of changes to the regulatory landscape. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) – the energy markets [...]
Small caps are predicted to outperform again in 2010 January 19, 2010 AFTER being decimated during the financial crisis of 2008, smaller cap companies enjoyed an outstanding 2009 according to RBS’s Hoare Govett Smaller Companies (HGSC) index. The index, which consists of the bottom tenth by value of listed UK equities not including the Alternative Investment Market (Aim), recorded an absolute performance of 54.2 per cent. This [...]
Cadbury board gives green light to Kraft takeover January 18, 2010 THE Cadbury board has recommended that its shareholders agree a takeover by American conglomerate Kraft Foods that values the maker of Dairy Milk and Twirl at £11.5bn. It said the offer of 840p plus a 10p dividend per share represented good value. The consensual deal is a dramatic finale to a takeover battle that has [...]
Burberry smashes sales forecasts January 18, 2010 BURBERRY sales soared by 12 per cent in the three months to the end of the year – well above forecasts. The company took £380m over the period as it stripped out unprofitable lines and kept a tighter control on stock. Wholesale revenue – which comes from department stores that stock the group’s trademark red, [...]
Carphone Warehouse in revenue boost January 18, 2010 CARPHONE Warehouse has upped its full-year forecasts for the second time in a matter of months after strong trading at both its retail and broadband arms during the third quarter. The FTSE 250 group, which is splitting into two businesses in March, says earnings per share to the end of March are likely to be [...]