Britain’s business elite is becoming increasingly Eurosceptic April 24, 2013 A PERNICIOUS myth has finally been laid to rest. From today, nobody can claim any longer that British business is united in its support of the European Union and the ever-greater centralisation of powers in Brussels. With over 500 business people – from top FTSE 100 bosses to entrepreneurs – signing up to Business for [...]
New rules on annuity sales February 26, 2013 PEOPLE approaching retirement will receive better advice to help them purchase the best possible annuity, according to a new code of conduct published yesterday by the Association of British Insurers. The code requires insurers to spell out options for buying an annuity – which converts pension savings into retirement income – up to two years before [...]
EasyJet bats away latest Stelios issues with investors’ blessing February 10, 2013 EASYJET shareholder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has published a fresh list of complaints about the budget airline, but investor bodies the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and ISS have given the firm’s proposals the thumbs up. Sir Stelios yesterday repeated his call for EasyJet chairman Sir Mike Rake to resign before his planned departure date in [...]
Banks aren’t rewarding failure – but restrictions on bonuses could go too far January 30, 2013 WITH the predictability of “snowflake causes chaos” stories, we are entering the annual banker bonus furore season. With the economy in doldrums, and the industry in the doghouse, it is easy to understand the concern. Top bankers have themselves said that pay has been “grotesque.” But just as predictable as the outrage is a lack [...]
Lobby groups threaten revolt over pay at Imperial Tobacco January 20, 2013 CALLS are growing for shareholders to vote down a generous new pay structure at FTSE 100 giant Imperial Tobacco when investors gather at the firm’s annual meeting at the end of the month. Proxy voting agencies Pirc and Manifest, along with insurers’ trade body the Association of British Insurance, are understood to be threatening a [...]
FTSE hits another 4.5 year peak as afternoon session scares off bears January 17, 2013 BRITAIN’S blue-chip shares reversed early losses to hit a four and a half year high yesterday after several big fallers bounced back to expunge sellers from the market. Banks gained 0.9 and are now up around 2.5 per cent since the previous session’s lows, boosted by forecast-beating earnings from JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs [...]
Europe will dominate audit in 2013 January 15, 2013 Involvement with the EU on legislation and regulation is crucial THE Mayans’ reputation as expert astrologers and doomsday forecasters recently took a knock when 21 December 2012 came – and safely went. You could argue that we shouldn’t have paid so much attention to this forecast, given that the Mayans spectacularly failed to predict there [...]
Hel-Yeah January 13, 2013 YOU can’t see much from the back of a twin-engine Bell 212 helicopter when it’s packed with eleven adventurous skiers. Resembling ski-masked marines on a mission, we sit opposite each other, tightly buckled into our seats as we fly through the Canadian Rockies in spectacular fashion. Heli-skiing is the ultimate off-piste, backcountry skiing experience, in [...]
Bank regulators finally realise their decisions can help or hinder the economy January 9, 2013 WHAT was that bang? A lot of people are hearing the sound of stable doors being slammed shut after the horses have bolted. Professor John Kay – a trenchant critic of banks – wrote about it yesterday, saying that, after the financial crisis, it was natural for politicians to rush to solve yesterday’s problems. One [...]
Dope confession could help Armstrong avoid lawsuits January 9, 2013 FORMER cyclist Lance Armstrong could head off the threat of million-dollar lawsuits if he confesses to doping when he appears on American chat show Oprah next week, according to a leading sports public relations expert. Armstrong has always maintained his innocence but stopped contesting allegations from the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in August and has [...]