Traders can profit from the flurry of mega-deals February 18, 2013 WILL 2013 be the year the bulge bracket banks have been waiting for? Since 2008, headline-grabbing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals have been few and far between. But the flurry of activity at the start of February, the most since 2005, suggests things may be about to change. Last week, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway teamed [...]
We need a consumer revolution to deliver lower utility prices February 18, 2013 POLITICAL ideas have always been cyclical. When incomes are falling, the economy is flatlining, credit is scarcer, prices are rising and it is hard to find work, the public always turns against capitalism (or the mixed economy corporatism that these days passes for it); in boom times, it tends to be more relaxed about other [...]
We need a consumer revolution to deliver lower utility prices February 17, 2013 POLITICAL ideas have always been cyclical. When incomes are falling, the economy is flatlining, credit is scarcer, prices are rising and it is hard to find work, the public always turns against capitalism (or the mixed economy corporatism that these days passes for it); in boom times, it tends to be more relaxed about [...]
Robson and Watson handed South American Fed Cup test February 13, 2013 BRITAIN’S women tennis stars will have to overcome a tricky trip to Argentina if they are to achieve promotion to the Fed Cup’s World Group II, after the draw was made yesterday. Judy Murray’s team, which includes world No41 Heather Watson and No45 Laura Robson, are ranked one place above Argentina but are likely to [...]
Retail banks aren’t safe: Politicians fool themselves to think otherwise February 11, 2013 YESTERDAY, RBS’s chief executive Stephen Hester appeared before the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, just days after his bank’s £390m fine for involvement in Libor manipulation. In the face of scandals like these, the political debate about structural banking reform has intensified. Last week, George Osborne committed to forcibly breaking up banks if they do [...]
Britain progress in the Fed Cup February 10, 2013 British stars Laura Robson and Heather Watson won their ties against Dia Evtimova and Tsvetana Pironkova respectively, as Britain beat Bulgaria in the Fed Cup yesterday. The team discover on Wednesday who they will face in a group two play-off.
GB women enjoy perfect start February 7, 2013 TENNIS: Great Britain thrashed Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-0 in their opening Fed Cup Euro/Africa Group I tie yesterday. Heather Watson and Anne Keothavong won singles matches before Laura Robson and Johanna Konta won the doubles.
Notes on a scandal February 6, 2013 RBS took a £390m fine for Libor fiddling yesterday after watchdogs found that 21 staff had colluded with rivals over four years to fix the key market interest rates for the benefit of their own financial positions. Traders offered each other steaks and sushi in exchange for entering false interest rates to drive the Japanese [...]
Don’t get hacked off February 6, 2013 Online villains are the scourge of leading international firms and home internet users alike. We suggest ways to make sure you Drug lords and gun-toting terrorists used to top governments’ “most wanted” lists. Now, the face of international crime has changed – and it’s wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. This week hackers have been in [...]
Banks cast off Eurozone insurance February 4, 2013 THE longer term refinancing operation (LTRO) – the European Central Bank’s (ECB) original miracle drug for the liquidity constraints dogging the Eurozone – has reached a crossroads. The banks that first took the pill now want to prove the dosage should be reduced, or stopped altogether. The hope is that reduced budget deficits, increased competitiveness, [...]