TRAVEL NOTES November 1, 2009 De Niro opens Locanda Verde in NYCRobert De Niro has opened a new Italian in Tribeca, located within his hotel, The Greenwich. The idea is a “family style” taverna, with a starry twist, thanks to head chef Andrew Carmelli, protégé of celebrity cook Daniel Boulud. Carmellini is known for his pasta, which includes dishes such [...]
Creditors give Christmas deadline for INM bond November 1, 2009 Creditors have given Independent News & Media until 23 December to finalise plans on the payment of a bond originally due in May. After being granted several extensions to the deadline on the €200m (£179m) bond, INM last month agreed a deal with bondholders that could give them a 47 per cent stake in the [...]
Spending drop for Christmas, says Execution November 1, 2009 BRITONS are planning to spend less on gifts this Christmas than last year as they worry about rising unemployment and taxes, putting into question signs of a recovery in consumer spending, a survey showed yesterday. Broker Execution interviewed a representative sample of 2,000 Britons from October 20 to 26 and found participants on average plan [...]
Withdrawing the stimulus early would be mistake November 1, 2009 So not bad at all! Historically the two most volatile months for stocks – October and September – have passed in the most benign fashion. September crackled by rounding off the FTSE 100’s best ever quarterly performance and in October the index has been almost flat. No gremlins there but of course investors now want [...]
THE TIPSTER TURBULENCE MAY BE OVER FOR RYANAIR November 1, 2009 WE are still in earnings season, which means that shares and indices are subject to plenty of daily moves. Irish airline Ryanair had a turbulent time in October with its share price tumbling from €3.50 to below €3.00 so investors will be looking for some good news when it releases second quarter numbers today. The [...]
OUT OF OFFICE October 29, 2009 LE MISANTHROPE IN THE CITYThe buzz in theatreland may be all about Keira Knightley’s forthcoming appearance in a production of Moliere’s French farce, Le Misanthrope, but the Bridewell theatre in the City is ahead of the game. This staging is by the Tower Theatre Company, which includes City workers in its cast, updating the action [...]
LLOYDS PUSHES ON WITH PLAN TO RAISE 21BN October 29, 2009 LLOYDS Banking Group will retain a 25 per cent share of domestic current account customers under restructuring plans agreed with the European authorities to avoid the government’s asset protection scheme (APS). The European Commission and the Treasury last night gave the bank the go-ahead to market a £20.5bn capital raising programme, consisting of a £13bn [...]
A second dose of the fabulous freakish truth October 28, 2009 SUPERFREAKONOMICSBY STEPHEN DUBNER AND STEVEN LEVITTPENGUIN, £20.00 WRITING a sequel to one of best-selling pop economics books of the last decade was always going to be hard. And it took Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner more than four years to create Superfreakonomics, the “freakquel” to their original collaboration, Freakonomics. Like the original, Superfreakonomics [...]
FOOTBALL-CRAZY PWC GETS STUCK IN ON ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP BID October 28, 2009 GOOD news for the multitude of football fans in the City: the team behind England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup have secured themselves a powerful ally. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accountancy giant, today announces it is the first sponsor to officially back the bid, responsible for working on crucial aspects of the proposal such [...]
Cineworld profits on the up despite the downturn October 27, 2009 CINEWORLD revealed a solid third-quarter trading performance yesterday, despite the economic downturn and decline in screen advertising. The group posted healthy trading with total revenues up 6.5 per cent in the 43-week period to 22 October. This was largely due to the 10.9 per cent growth in box office sales and five per cent growth [...]