WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 19, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESUS HOUSING OPTIMISM PREMATUREGrowing optimism over the US housing market may be premature, a leading retailer warned yesterday. Frank Blake, chief executive of Home Depot, said housing market signals were still mixed. “We are concerned about the accelerating rates of foreclosures, particularly in the western part of the country,” he said, noting that one [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 18, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESCASH-STRAPPED TOURISTS AVOID SPANISH SUNBritish tourists impoverished by the weak pound, German holiday makers worried about recession and a domestic market laid low by the sharpest economic contraction for 40 years: it would be hard to imagine a worse combination for Spain’s tourism industry as bookings in many places are down by at least [...]
London retail sales ahead of rest of UK May 17, 2009 RETAIL sales in central London were up 5.4 per cent in April, compared with the previous year – beating the 4.6 per cent increase in the UK as a whole – according to data released by the British Retail Consortium today. “April was a good month for retail, with Easter falling in the month and [...]
Trio join the cash call craze May 17, 2009 A TRIO of property companies are setting their sights on fundraising this week to exploit opportunities created in the downturn. Great Portland Estates, Big Yellow Group and Shaftesbury have all been working with advisers on how to tap investors for extra cash. West End property specialist Great Portland Estates, is expected to announce a fundraising [...]
Why Randgold Resources’ boss can afford to go on a 48-day bike safari May 17, 2009 BIG, burly, loud and infectious: Mark Bristow, the founder and chief executive of Randgold Resources, looks every inch a mining man. The 6’3” South African is in good form as he bounds into the gold miner’s functional London office in the shadow of the Savoy Hotel (it is undergoing a 16-month £100m refit – the [...]
A Barclays sell-off would be a mistake May 14, 2009 IF Barclays does end up selling its Barclays Global Investors division to a rival such as BlackRock, it will be faced with two major problems. The first would be one of credibility: how can Barclays continue to operate as a universal bank if it lacks an asset manager? Selling iShares makes some sense; the business was [...]
You’re never Gunner derail United’s title bid May 14, 2009 MANCHESTER UNITED VS ARSENALAFTER a few worries in March, Manchester United are cantering towards an incredible 11th Premier League title and it looks like Sir Alex Ferguson will be lifting the trophy in front of his oldest adversary, Arsene Wenger. The win against Wigan on Wednesday night means that United now only require one point from [...]
The places in town not to be seen May 13, 2009 The Mercer34 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AYDiscreet Seats: The counter at the bar-end of the room: only backs are visible and it would be almost impossible to hear what someone was ordering, let alone which bottle of vintage Bordeaux.Food and drink: Very solid new British cuisine, with everything sourced as locally as possible and an award-winning, [...]
Back to work but challenges of a tough economy remain September 1, 2008 For most of us, today marks the official close of the holiday season. This summer has not been as angst-free as in previous years, because of ongoing concerns over jobs and pay – and, for those in managerial positions, how to steer a course through choppy waters over the next year. My choice of holiday [...]
United at 5/4 leaves no room at the top for big Phil Scolari August 15, 2008 It’s the big kick-off in the Premier League tomorrow and the “Big Four” are already starting to jostle for position. John Terry’s claim that Manchester United have “already peaked” may light the blue touch paper, but new Chelsea coach Luis Felipe Scolari could manage that all by himself. The 59-year-old Brazilian, nicknamed ‘wooden leg’ during [...]