She came in as a scruffbag and left ready to conquer Goldman’s October 4, 2009 AT LAST, after a hideous year, firms are hiring again. But to stand out from the crowd stampeding back to the job market, you’ll need to do everything in your power to look the part. First impressions are the most powerful and can be near impossible to shift – so the interview is where you’ve [...]
Trying to second-guess stocks is harder than ever October 4, 2009 EQUITY investors haven’t had much time for cliché this year. Earlier this year, they ignored dire predictions – coming from anyone with a keyboard or a microphone – that financial markets might never recover. Instead, they seized upon historically low valuations – and the trillions spent by governments around the world – and began the [...]
A pull back on gold is on the cards, or so the cycles say October 4, 2009 THERE seems to be a general consensus that gold is going to continue its recent powerful rally. All sorts of projected targets have been mentioned, from the not too far away $1,050 all the way through $1,200 and even as high as $2,300. Such elevated levels may eventually be reached but for the time being [...]
Aviva puts saga of inherited estates to bed in 470m deal October 1, 2009 AVIVA said it will hand out a £470m windfall to around 805,000 policyholders that invested in two of its with-profits funds by Christmas. The special payout comes from inherited estates built up by the funds – pots of money that were hoarded in boom markets to protect against market downturns. The reattribution of the inherited [...]
M&S thanks its Wise Buys for a revival September 30, 2009 MARKS & Spencer, the high street bellwether, yesterday unveiled better-than-expected results which the City took as encouraging signs the worst may be over after 18 tough months for the retailer. M&S said group sales had lifted by 2.7 per cent in the 13 weeks to 26 September, and while like-for-like sales dipped 0.5 per cent, [...]
OUT OF OFFICE September 29, 2009 RAT PACK AT THE ADELPHINewly opened this week, Rat Pack – Live from Las Vegas celebrates the world of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr in their Vegas heyday. Recreating the glitz, glamour and heady atmosphere of Sin City in the 50s and 60s, the show includes a 15 piece orchestra and a [...]
Hedge to smooth out the peaks and troughs September 29, 2009 COMPANIES with large foreign currency purchasing exposures are increasingly turning to hedging to protect themselves, using derivative financial instruments such as futures and options. Sterling weakness means currency management has become a necessity for those who buy materials from overseas. Take soft drinks maker AG Barr, for example, which reported strong results on Tuesday. The [...]
Price war to start as Voda grabs iPhone September 29, 2009 VODAFONE said yesterday that it has sealed a deal to sell Apple’s iPhone in the UK, likely sparking a price war between the three biggest mobile networks. Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile operator by revenue, said it will be able to sell the must-have device from early 2010, though it did not confirm an exact [...]
Orange finds juicy deal for Apple iPhone September 28, 2009 ORANGE has landed the rights to carry Apple’s flagship product the iPhone, ending rival O2’s exclusivity deal with the firm. The mobile operator, which is owned by France Telecom, said it would start selling the iPhone later this year, although it has yet to decide on pricing and exact release date. Orange said yesterday that [...]
LABOUR CONFERENCE NEWS September 28, 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised new legislation to curb bankers’ bonuses was forthcoming. Chancellor Alistair Darling accused Tories of “playground politics” and said their policies would have turned a recession into a depression. Business secretary Lord Mandelson said Labour were “underdogs” but could win the general election. Just one in three Labour MPs believe they [...]