Food inflation could derail VAT increase September 12, 2010 FURTHER rises in food prices could cause annual inflation to accelerate to four per cent and endanger the government’s plans to hike VAT to 20 per cent in January, a leading City economist has warned. Henderson’s chief economist Simon Ward said that recent rises in global food commodity prices may boost annual CPI food inflation [...]
DO YOU EXPECT CPI INFLATION TO FALL BELOW 3 PER CENT IN AUGUST? September 12, 2010 SIMON HAYES | BARCLAYS CAPITAL “Contrary to the consensus, which expects a fourth consecutive monthly fall in the headline rate, we expect it to rise to 3.2 per cent from 3.1 per cent in July, largely reflecting a second consecutive large monthly rise in food prices.” PHILIP SHAW | INVESTEC “Against expectations, petrol prices appear [...]
Diamond defends BarCap against ‘casino’ allegations September 12, 2010 BARCLAYS’ Bob Diamond at the weekend lashed out at the criticism he has received since being appointed as the group’s new chief executive last week. Diamond, who currently heads up the investment banking arm Barclays Capital, said references to the division as a “casino” were misleading and disappointing. “Words like ‘casino banking’… have no basis [...]
COMPANY OF THE YEAR | The Shortlist September 12, 2010 IT has been another tough year for business. The sovereign debt crisis rocked already shaky market confidence, while uncertainty has kept consumers from splashing out. It is in hard times that reputations are made, though, and over the past year the best have bounced back. Both retailers on our list have, in their different ways, [...]
BARCAP WINS BRAGGING RIGHTS IN A SQUARE MILE RELAY VICTORY September 9, 2010 TO THE heart of London’s financial community last night for one of the most eagerly-anticipated competitive moments of the year – the annual Bloomberg Square Mile Relay. No less than 100 teams of ten runners thronged the streets to take part in the relay, after months of boot camp-style training regimes to win bragging rights [...]
Banks jump on Basel III talk as FTSE hits four-month high September 9, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index rose sharply yesterday to post a four-month closing high, as US weekly jobless claims fell more than expected and further eased concerns of the United States falling back into recession. Economy-sensitive banks were among the top gainers, up 2.3 per cent, also aided by expectations that the new Basel III capital [...]
Don’t fritter away your cash on gratuitous advice fees September 9, 2010 MANY a City worker spends her hours turning over millions for institutional or super-rich private clients as a matter of course. But when it comes to managing one’s personal wealth, the right strategy can seem far less clear. The perceived security of an independent financial advisor (IFA) can seem appealing, but the fees of the [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS September 9, 2010 RETIREMENT ADVICE MOST SOUGHT Almost half of all consumers seeking independent financial advice last month sought assistance with retirement planning, the professional advice website unbiased.co.uk said this week. Retirement planning has remained on an upward trend since May this year. Consumers are also increasingly looking for specialist guidance on investment and savings. Karen Barrett, chief [...]
Q&A September 9, 2010 Q.I have a business idea. Do I need market research? A.Ideas are great but good businesses are built on finding a niche – and banks will expect to see why your idea is viable. Travers Clarke-Walker, product and marketing director for Barclays Business, says: “doing market research is a good way for a business to [...]
Barclays dismisses bank break-up threat September 8, 2010 BARCLAYS executives have privately dismissed the idea that UK banks will be forced to break up their retail and investment banking operations, even though the government’s independent banking commission still has a year left to deliberate its options. Those close to the bank said yesterday that Barclays would not have appointed its investment banking chief [...]