LE Crunch December 13, 2011 EUROPE is in the midst of a severe credit crunch that has seen the market for bank debt disappear as the continent’s money supply shrinks. The conditions are so tough they have sparked a row between the region’s most senior regulators over how to shore up Europe’s crumbling banking system as politicians fall further and [...]
Whitbread still on track despite crunch December 13, 2011 SO Whitbread has finally caught the high street bug. After quarter after quarter of soaring like-for-likes, growth has slowed, as squeezed consumer spending filters down to its Premier Inn and Costa brands. It looks like the hotels have been hit hardest, with growth in revenue per room – a key measure of performance – all [...]
MAN GROUP AIDE PLOTS FAME, SEX AND RUIN December 13, 2011 MANAGING the press coverage of Man Group’s multimillionaire hedge fund manager Pierre Lagrange is not a nine-to-five job. Which is partly why it taken Man Group’s head of media relations David Waller eight years “on and off” to complete his second historical biography around his day job, this time on his scandalous great-uncle Eugen Sandow. [...]
Time to say the unsayable – European unification needs to restart without the euro December 13, 2011 DAVID Cameron’s veto last week expresses again the British elites’ long running ambivalence to the European project. Though probably not his intention, his oppositional stance also represented something perhaps more novel: a tiny dent to the dominant assumption that nothing is more important today than “saving the euro”. A parallel point to ponder is that [...]
RAPID RESPONSES December 13, 2011 Higgs resurrected After Philip Ball’s Forum piece on the Higgs boson [Physicists are hunting for a so-called God particle, but their faith is dwindling fast, 25 November] I had begun to wonder if the £6bn large hadron collider was simply the most expensive piece of scientific equipment that had ever been set up to search [...]
LLOYDS TRADER, A BORIS BIKE, AND THE APPEAL December 12, 2011 THERE seems to be no limit to the feats of endurance some City workers will perform for a good cause. For Opportunity International, the charity behind City A.M.’s Christmas appeal, one brave Lloyds Banking Group trader decided to tackle a 200-mile bike ride in less than 24 hours. What made the challenge particularly gruelling was [...]
£250,000 RAISED IN THREE WEEKS December 12, 2011 OUR Christmas charity appeal has raised a staggering £250,000 in just three weeks – all thanks to our generous readers. Please find the time to make your contribution, and through our match funding agreement, all donations from UK individuals will be matched by the Government pound for pound. You can also try your hand at [...]
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED AS MARK HIX MOVES INTO BELGRAVES HOTEL December 12, 2011 THE RUMOURS have been swirling around the leisure industry for months, and Thompson Hotels yesterday confirmed that chef Mark Hix will run the restaurant and bar at its new hotel launch Belgraves, due to open in January. The 80-seat Hix Belgravia, the chef’s fourth restaurant, will offer a menu inspired by his travels around the [...]
CITY VIEWS: WHAT ARE THE MOST DESIRABLE TECH ITEMS THIS CHRISTMAS? December 12, 2011 KENNY BHATTI EGLIN HOLDINGS “I will be looking to buy Apple products like the Mac book pro or the LED cinema display, which is better to work with and watch films. I am also waiting for Apple around February to release its television.” JESSICA REEVES LEAP CR “I don’t have any requests per say for [...]
Top gifts for gym fiends December 12, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT Whether you’re trying to nudge a loved one in a healthier direction, or stuck for a gift for your fitness fiend friend, these are the fitness gizmos that would make my Christmas list. The perfect stocking filler for the gym bunny, the new SmartShake is no ordinary shaker cup. With three [...]