MPs should show how to use pay to reward talent May 25, 2009 May has been a very embarrassing month. People keep talking about money. Not the anonymous multi-trillion pound bailout/quantitative easing/fiscal stimulus piles of money, but the cringingly personal “my house is bigger than yours” monthly pay-cheque sort of money. One of CNBC TV’s guests last week hit the nail on the head when he said; “the [...]
Brown: I will solve scandal May 19, 2009 PRIME minister Gordon Brown last night pledged to end the “gentleman’s club” of parliamentary regulation, as he said all Labour MPs who broke the rules on expenses would not stand at the next general election. Brown said the House of Commons must be subject to independent regulation for the first time in history, after Speaker Michael [...]
Why Randgold Resources’ boss can afford to go on a 48-day bike safari May 17, 2009 BIG, burly, loud and infectious: Mark Bristow, the founder and chief executive of Randgold Resources, looks every inch a mining man. The 6’3” South African is in good form as he bounds into the gold miner’s functional London office in the shadow of the Savoy Hotel (it is undergoing a 16-month £100m refit – the [...]
Brain-drain? It’s nothing but a blip September 10, 2008 Lots of City workers are heading for Dubai at the moment, but don’t worry: London will lure them back soon, says Max Orbach We all know somebody who has re-located to Dubai, Singapore or even Moscow in the last few months, as the British economy has wobbled, house-prices have fallen and inflation has risen. While [...]
Cash and bonds will help protect your investments from stagflation August 29, 2008 It’s time to re-balance your portfolio to cushion the blow of the bear market, says Bill Jamieson Investors have arrived at a critical inflection point on portfolio planning. Many believe that key sectors of the equity market such as banks and house builders are now undervalued, yet they choose to remain markedly underweight in these [...]
Suite returns: why it’s a good time to check yourself into the hotel industry August 14, 2008 Hotel rooms are one area of property investing that are bucking the credit crunch, writes Timothy Barber If we’re thinking positive, the slowing economy presents an opportunity to get a bit creative with investments. The alternative asset market has become more and more prominent in 2008 as investors look for areas offering stable returns in [...]
ABI: Darling must end ‘ill considered’ taxes July 24, 2008 Chancellor Alistair Darling must put an end to “ill-considered” tax measures and create greater tax certainty to enable British businesses to compete internationally and encourage investment from overseas, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). A report published today puts forward a series of proposals that it thinks will help see Britain through the [...]
Use spreadbets to protect you when markets are stormy July 23, 2008 Don’t worry about turbulent times: there is a simple and inexpensive way to shield your portfolio, finds Katie Hope Cash is king once again. Last week, research by Merrill Lynch found that fund managers were retreating to the safety of cash on fears that equities had further to fall. The worldwide poll of 191 fund [...]
Reprieve for foreign profit taxation plan July 21, 2008 Chancellor Alistair Darling is considering axe-ing unpopular plans to reform the taxation of foreign profits that threatened to drive businesses away to tax havens outside the UK. Since the Treasury set out proposals last year to clamp down on tax avoidance, including introducing UK taxes on foreign profits and passive income, several companies have already [...]
Bischoff joins City talkshop July 14, 2008 Chancellor Alistair Darling is to chair a working group looking at competitiveness in Britain which will include Citigroup chairman Sir Win Bischoff. The group will meet once a month and will analyse matters affecting the London financial services industry such as the effects of the subprime mortgage meltdown in America which triggered the credit crunch, [...]