Stars in their pies: mincemeat magic December 1, 2010 WHILE turkey and Christmas pudding are held back for the meal on the big day, mince pies are the real staple of the festive season. People who wouldn’t normally dream of a mid-afternoon snack will suddenly find themselves gobbling down piles of pastry and fruity mincemeat, while every cocktail party and seasonal bash is overflowing [...]
All cosied up? Time to drink yourself warmer November 29, 2010 THE next best thing to snuggling up in a woolly jumper or – if you’re a City A.M. reader, perhaps a Burberry snood – is a warming tipple. We’ve carefully combed the options to find the best ones near you. CITY Five hot cocktails are on offer at the Folly and the Anthologist near Bank, [...]
Companies hit buyout trail as cash piles up November 29, 2010 COMPANIES sitting on a global cash pile of about $4.3 trillion (£2.76 trillion) are set to fuel a pick-up in takeover deals and handouts to shareholders, providing a prop for equity markets in an uneven recovery. Asian businesses, bolstered by the strength of their domestic economies, are likely to be most active in mergers and [...]
Citi planning new European retail operation November 25, 2010 CITIGROUP is to revive its retail banking operations in Europe through targeted new openings in select major European cities from 2011. The move marks a return to growth in the bank’s retail presence after a period of winding down its branch networks in countries including the UK, as part of the terms of its bailout [...]
Banking on new business ideas November 25, 2010 I DON’T want to be a banker, I’m not a banker, never have been, a lot of my job is walking around here…” Anthony Thomson gestures towards the shop floor and his staff and says “…making sure they don’t turn it into a bank.” But sure enough we are in a bank – the Holborn [...]
Arrest made in US insider dealing probe November 24, 2010 FBI agents yesterday made the first arrest in what could be the biggest insider dealing probe in US history. Don Ching Trang Chu, 56, was arrested yesterday in connection with the investigation. He is an executive at Primary Global Research, an “expert network” firm that pairs hedge funds with current and former employees at publicly [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 23, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES CAMERON WOOS NORDIC NATIONS David Cameron is to host a summit with leaders of Nordic and Baltic countries in January, an unusual move which Downing Street billed as an opportunity to exchange ideas on issues such as the green economy, social cohesion and gender equality. Cameron’s spokeswoman insisted the summit was not an [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 22, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES GENEVA SET TO TRUMP LONDON IN OIL TRADING Geneva will leave London behind and become the world’s most important trading hub for physical energy commodities, including oil, as leading companies relocate dozens of traders to Switzerland, according to industry executives. The transfers threaten the UK capital’s leadership in physical crude and oil products [...]
REVIEW: SEASONAL PEDICURE November 22, 2010 THERE’S something very lovely about a wintry, Christmassy pedicure. It’s cold outside, you’ve got a flush in your cheeks and your hands are full of goody bags. What could be nicer than ducking out of the shopping mayhem and settling onto a warm bed in a delicious cavern of a spa in one of Mayfair’s [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS November 22, 2010 THE BIG EASY DOES THANKSGIVING This iconic King’s Road American diner takes Thanksgiving (this Thursday) very seriously. There will be a live band from 8:30, by which time you’ll have tucked into your roasted breast of Norfolk turkey with giblet gravy, chestnut stuffing, green beans and candied sweet potatoes with toasted hazelnuts. Afterwards, it’ll be [...]