WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 5, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES GOOGLE AND VERIZON EYE WEB ACCESS DEAL Google and Verizon have agreed on the outline of a plan covering key aspects of how internet services are carried over communications networks, establishing what could become a financial and operational blueprint for the next phase of the web’s development. US HEDGE FUNDS EMBRACE THE BENEFITS [...]
CGT: the legal implications July 22, 2010 THE initial collective sigh of relief following the chancellor’s announcement of the limited rise in the capital gains tax rate to 28 per cent for higher rate earners has given way to the noise of tapping calculators and the scratching of heads as the number crunchers endeavour to work out exactly who the winners and [...]
It pays to get your hands on the title deeds July 22, 2010 MORE London leaseholders than ever are taking advantage of their right to freehold enfranchisement – that is, the right to buy the freehold of their property – before the lease length drops below 80 years. “80 years is a magic number and not many people realise that,” says Katie Cohen of Jaffe Porter Crossick, a [...]
Our tax code needs a total overhaul July 19, 2010 LET us hope the coalition is serious about tax simplification. Britain’s taxes are not only far too high; they are also extraordinarily complicated. I was recently talking to a very senior tax lawyer who admitted to me that no single person understands more than a small proportion of our tax code. His views were all [...]
SUMMER’S SET TO SIZZLE AS CITY’S GOT TALENT MAKES A COMEBACK July 18, 2010 IT’S SUMMERTIME, and if you’re looking for a ray of sunshine to penetrate the daily grind of City life, look no further. Regular readers of this column will remember last year, when The Capitalist whipped the financial world into a frenzy with a rundown of the top ten hunkiest gentlemen and loveliest ladies the City [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 7, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES ENERGY-FOCUSED HEDGE FUNDS FEEL HEAT OF MARKET VOLATILITY Hedge funds focused on energy markets have suffered a rocky start to the year, hit by volatile commodity prices and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster. Many funds have been left nursing double-digit percentage losses over the first six months of the year. The [...]
Google wins piracy battle with Viacom June 24, 2010 Google won a landmark victory in the battle over pirated content yesterday after a US judge threw out a $1bn (£670m) lawsuit accusing the company of turning a blind eye to illegal videos on its YouTube service. The ruling against Viacom, which the firm has vowed to fight, will have far reaching implications for the [...]
WEAR YOUR LEGS TO WORK, BUT CAREFULLY June 24, 2010 WEARING shorts to work in the hot weather seems like the perfect solution. Obviously you wouldn’t wear “short” shorts, but the “City” style shorts that are tailored with a cuff and come to just above the knee are as comfy and relaxed as long trousers, yet cool in the summer, and only show as much [...]
Q&A: HOW DAMAGES COULD UNFOLD June 15, 2010 Q. WHO COULD BE SUBJECT TO PENALTIES? A. The US Justice Department has launched both a criminal and civil investigation into the oil spill but officials have not identified the targets. However, the likely companies that will be the focus of the investigation include BP, Transocean, which operated the drill rig, Cameron International, which provided [...]
Shares seen higher but the age of austerity looms May 23, 2010 AFTER last week’s jitters and ensuing sell-off which resulted in 200 points being shed from the FTSE, all eyes are on the UK market to see if it will hold up above 5,000 today after testing the psychologically significant level last week for the first time since October. We foresee a mildly positive open for [...]