BOA unveil scarf in bid to raise funds for Team GB February 27, 2012 A RED, white and blue scarf was last night unveiled by British Olympic chiefs as this summer’s must-have item for fans wanting to show their support for Team GB athletes. The scarf (right), described as “an iconic momento of the London Games”, has been launched with a view to generating around £5m to fund the [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD February 26, 2012 Today A diverse group of FTSE 100 reporters will kick off a busy week in the corporate calendar this morning, with banking giant HSBC likely to be top of many investors’ watch list. Analysts are expecting the bank’s geographical diversity to offset any potential weakness in it investment banking division, with profits expected to hit [...]
The energy policy paradox: cheap tariffs for the savvy mean higher bills for most February 26, 2012 AT A time when energy bills are soaring, many families will be angry that British Gas reported profits last week of over £500m. It follows the news ten days ago that EDF’s profits rose to almost £1.6bn and announcements from the other “Big Six” energy firms are due in the coming weeks. But politicians and [...]
RBS spearheads banks’ rally on FTSE February 23, 2012 The FTSE staged a rally this morning spearheaded by banks as investors gave a positive reaction to RBS results. Markets yesterday had been dented by surging oil prices which triggered fears that world global growth could be hampered while data in the Eurozone suggested that the bloc could lurch into recession. Banking stocks jumped in [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS February 21, 2012 Quindell Portfolio The Aim-listed consultancy, software and outsourcing business has appointed Gillian Baker as head of investor relations and chair of the company’s newly formed strategy and integration advisory board. Baker started her career at IBM, working with clients in the finance and insurance sectors, before joining the Innovation Group in 2000 as senior vice [...]
The truth over board room pay February 20, 2012 REAL pay to non-executive directors of FTSE 100 companies has fallen, according to figures released this morning. Pay in the year to June 2011 rose by a median of four per cent, Incomes Data Services has found – lower than both the main measures of inflation over the period. In the 12 months to June [...]
Rising footfall boost for shops February 20, 2012 BRITAIN’S shops have drawn strong crowds over the winter period, according to new data released this morning. Footfall across the UK was up 1.8 per cent across November, December and January, compared to the same period one year earlier. “For the first time in five years December saw footfall up on the previous year as [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS February 20, 2012 Rowanmoor Pensions Rowanmoor Pensions, the independent small self-administered scheme provider and self-invested personal pensions operator, has appointed Martin Stead as a regulated consultant in its consultancy team. Stead joins from AXA Wealth, where he was a financial planning manager in the company’s Bancassurance division. Prior to AXA Wealth, Stead was a corporate relationship manager at [...]
FTSE buoyed by Greek endgame February 17, 2012 The FTSE 100 opened on the front foot as the end game at last appeared to be approaching in the Greek bailout debacle. Optimism is growing that Greece has finally done enough to secure a second bailout, which could be approved as early as Monday. Averting a disorderly Greek insolvency is seen as a crucial [...]
The £10,000 question February 16, 2012 Robin Swithinbank Calibre magazine In the one-watch game, IWC is never far from front of mind and nor, particularly, is the blue Portuguese Automatic (£9,250). Powered by an in-house movement with a seven-day power reserve, it’s understated, stylish but above the whims of flash-in-the-pan fashion, and cooler than an Eskimo’s freezer. Maria Doulton TheJewelleryEditor.com I [...]