Another sort of Dutch auction from wary mobile firms February 21, 2013 THERE were five winners in the £2.3bn UK auction of fourth generation (4G) wireless frequencies announced yesterday, but George Osborne was not one of them. The chancellor was counting on a £3.5bn 4G windfall to provide a figleaf of respectability over his increasingly threadbare claims that he is reducing the UK deficit. The auction came [...]
Wall St drops as Fed minutes spark concern February 21, 2013 US stocks fell the most in three months and a key gauge of market volatility spiked yesterday after minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s most recent meeting suggested the central bank may slow or stop buying bonds sooner than expected. The minutes from the Fed’s January meeting showed many officials voiced concern last month over [...]
First Capital Connect comes last in passenger satisfaction poll as Virgin retains the top spot February 18, 2013 FIRST Capital Connect delivers the worst train service in Britain, according to a survey of thousands of passengers by consumer group Which?. Virgin retained the top spot in a poll about value, punctuality and reliability, with a satisfaction score of 67 per cent, closely followed by the London Overground and C2C. This compares to just [...]
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.