CITY TAKES AN OUTSIDE PUNT ON THE BUBBLY March 23, 2010 AMUSED ripples radiated from the City yesterday following this column’s speculation as to what tipple George Osborne – likely to be the country’s next chancellor if the Tories win the election – might drink if he ends up presenting the next Budget. It seems most readers agreed with The Capitalist’s prediction that Osborne would stick [...]
Caterpillar leads as US stocks move up March 23, 2010 US stocks rallied yesterday, led by the tech, industrial and materials sectors, driving the Dow and the S&P 500 to 18-month highs. Signs of improved demand in the semiconductor industry and a broker’s positive commentary on Caterpillar lifted blue chips, while tech bellwethers Apple and Cisco hit 52-week highs, indicating increased optimism among investors. Kraft, [...]
City favourite banking on a revamp March 22, 2010 IT’S hardly as if the City’s been short of “sign of the times” changes, but another came late last year when Prism, the Harvey Nichols outpost that was one of the Square Mile’s grandest and most lauded fine-dining restaurants, was reborn as a brasserie and bar. That meant a back-to-basics menu emphasising cosy ingredients including [...]
Palm warns on revenues March 18, 2010 Palm warned yesterday that revenue for the current quarter would be far below Wall Street’s expectations, after tepid demand for its smartphones left wireless carriers with piles of excess inventory. Palm said that fourth-quarter revenue will be less than $150m (£98.3m). Palm has struggled to generate interest in its Pre and Pixi smartphones and is [...]
Ashkazar and Any Given Day can land the spoils March 18, 2010 It’s hard to separate Irish raiders Alaivan and CARLITO BRIGANTE in the opener, but I marginally prefer the latter at around 9/2. The faster the ground the better for this fellow, who just keeps on improving and he has now won his last three. I’ll also be having a small each-way bet on BARWELL BRIDGE [...]
Google prepares to fight on regulatory front March 17, 2010 GOOGLE is a company of contradictions. It claims to be open, but guards its secrets fiercely. It presents itself as a green company, but owns the world’s largest cluster of computers, using huge amounts of power to keep them cool. It is a quintessentially modern company that is run by like a feudal kingdom, with [...]
Currying flavour with fine wines March 17, 2010 FOR a nation that loves its booze as much as its Indian food, we have a strangely limited approach when it comes to alcoholic accompaniments for Asian cuisine. It’s not because we only like cheap wine and pints – new figures show that the UK is the biggest importer of Champagne in the world. But [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 16, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES EX-EMPLOYEE SUES SOCGEN FOR џ12M Societe Genrale, France’s second-largest bank, is being sued for more than џ12.5m (£11.3m) by its former head of European fixed income after his contract was terminated at the start of the credit crunch. The High Court heard yesterday that Raphael Geys, its London-based former managing director of European [...]
Mobile firm WIN bullish after it returns to profit March 16, 2010 MOBILE technology firm WIN yesterday announced a 10 per cent increase in year-on-year revenue. Chief executive Graham Rivers told City A.M. the firm will focus on developing its existing product range in the first half of 2010 with a view to launching new products at the end of the year. WIN provides mobile solutions for [...]
It’s a family affair when you’re looking for a scent March 15, 2010 THE modern male may be rather more comfortable with primping, preening and beautifying – so long as we can call it grooming – but deciding on a scent is still a problematic exercise. Even the most confident bloke can feel ill at ease in the heightened feminine atmosphere of a perfume department, and given the [...]