Accounting tweak hides bank wipeout October 24, 2011 ACCOUNTING technicalities have disguised the true extent of the wipeout for Wall Street’s investment banks this quarter, according to data compiled by Financial News. A run of US bank results for the third quarter of this year exceeded analysts’ expectations last week, but a closer look at the numbers shows that their investment banking businesses [...]
Savers are being hit by brutal forces October 20, 2011 IF you want to feel the full effects of inflation, try buying a bar of chocolate at your local newsagent, a sandwich near your office or even a shirt for work. It’s incredibly depressing. Prices have shot up. For savers and investors, the name of the game remains wealth preservation: how do you prevent inflation [...]
Accounting gains prop up BoA earnings October 18, 2011 BANK of America/Merrill Lynch (BoA/ML) reported a dramatic rise in profits yesterday, with earnings rising from a $5.9bn (£3.75bn) loss last year to $7.4bn in pre-tax profit for the third quarter of this year. However, $1.7bn of the profit figure was due to an accounting gain that has also affected the results of other US [...]
Merrill falls to loss despite £3.9bn BofA profit October 18, 2011 Bank of America has posted a net $6.2bn (£3.9bn) third-quarter profit after selling assets and re-valuing assets and liabilities, but its investment bank, the former Merrill Lynch, made a loss as dealmaking suffered. BofA’s revenues rose six per cent year on year to $28.7bn, while the net profit signalled a huge turnaround from the $7.3bn [...]
All three parties are failing UK business: Digby Jones lays out his policy challenge October 9, 2011 NOW that all the nonsense of party conference season is over, as Westminster heads back to work and the rest of us continue to try and earn an honest living, what did we hear from the mouths of our political masters? Did any of the three main parties show the UK business community that they [...]
Mistakes to avoid if you move abroad October 5, 2011 MANY people choose to leave the UK to escape, temporarily or permanently, the gloomy weather and the even gloomier tax regime. Sadly, there is a mountain of bureaucracy to wade through before setting sail for warmer climes. “It is important to differentiate between moving overseas for a short period of time and expatriating indefinitely,” says [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 3, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES M&S ASKS SUPPLIERS TO AID STORE REVAMPS Marks and Spencer has asked its top clothing suppliers for a multimillion-pound contribution to its store revamp plans and a step-up in advertising. At a gathering on Friday of M&S’s top 60 clothing and homewares suppliers, Marc Bolland, chief executive, asked them for a one-off contribution [...]
It’s make or break for the Tory party October 3, 2011 POLICIES to boost growth. That is what the Conservative Party conference, which started last night, must focus on. Growth has ground to a halt, partly because of global forces but also because too little has been done to make the UK once again a competitive place in which to work, invest and operate a business. [...]
It’s make or break for the Tory party October 2, 2011 POLICIES to boost growth. That is what the Conservative Party conference, which started last night, must focus on. Growth has ground to a halt, partly because of global forces but also because too little has been done to make the UK once again a competitive place in which to work, invest and operate a business. [...]
Star hedge fund Winton hits $25bn October 2, 2011 THE hedge fund run by star trader David Harding has defied the industry’s poor performance this year to make returns on investments of around 6.3 per cent so far. City A.M. understands that Winton Capital, which uses scientific research to spot patterns in market behaviour, has seen funds under management rise by about 45 per [...]