Forget Cadbury, entrepreneurs will save UK January 25, 2010 OCCASIONALLY on a Friday night as I review the remains of the week, I wonder why I put myself through it. Last week, one of my portfolio companies nearly hit a wall, and I had to coach the existing investors through their panic to send through an emergency bridge round. Another one of our companies [...]
Wall Street is boosted by support for Bernanke January 25, 2010 US STOCKS snapped a three-day slide yesterday as signs that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke would win a US Senate vote for a second term helped ease investors’ concerns. After the closing bell, iPod maker Apple reported sharp gains in quarterly revenue and profit, sending its shares 1.9 per cent higher to $207 in after-hours [...]
Bearish US sentiment likely to buffet Europe too January 24, 2010 European stock markets are headed for a major tumble this morning, as a sell-off on US markets gathered steam on Friday evening. GFT is forecasting the UK’s FTSE 100 to open down a hefty 90 points from Friday’s close, around 5,212. The German DAX is expected to open down 105 points at 5,590 and the [...]
A hotel that’s fit for a king January 24, 2010 ON walking into the lobby of Paris’ George V you can tell it’s a grande dame, but it has a twist which makes it immediately memorable. There’s the immaculately designed wrought-iron door frame, 17th century tapestries adorning the walls and acres of marble lining the floors, but it is far from stuffy. Smartly-suited staff smile [...]
TRAVEL NOTES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY January 24, 2010 Fall in love in New York You and your partner can enjoy some top quality pampering and fabulous food, along with the best of the Big Apple, at New York’s famous slice of Upper East Side luxury, The Carlyle. In the swankiest city on Earth, it doesn’t get swankier than this Art Deco landmark on [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 20, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BERLIN PUSHES WEBER FOR TOP JOB AT THE ECB Berlin has stepped up its campaign for Axel Weber, Bundesbank chief, to be elected president of the European Central Bank amid intense negotiations over the appointment of the number two position at the Frankfurt-based institution. German officials told the Financial Times that eurozone nations [...]
Nokia win proves that IP is taking centre stage January 19, 2010 EARLIER this week, mobile phone maker Nokia won a legal case against German intellectual property company IPCom in the High Court in London. The court ruled that Nokia does not have to pay IPCom to use the technology for which it owns patents. IPCom is one of the intellectual property (IP) companies known as “patent [...]
APPLE PLANS E-BOOK VENTURE January 18, 2010 PUBLISHER HarperCollins is said to be in talks with Apple over making electronic books available on its new tablet device – dubbed the iSlate – which is set to be launched by Steve Jobs on 27 January. News Corp’s HarperCollins is expected to set the price of the e-books, with Apple taking a percentage of [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 17, 2010 FINANCIAL SERVICES CITY’S ROLE AS FINANCIAL CENTRE SET FOR NEW BOOST, SAYS TOP HEDGE FUND London will thrive as a financial centre over the next decade by becoming the natural western hub for emerging market growth, according to one of the City’s best-known hedge funds. In stark contrast to bankers’ doom-laden predictions about the City’s [...]
Pay wall beckons for NYT January 17, 2010 The New York Times is preparing to charge its readers to access its website, according to reports. The newspaper is expected to announce the introduction of a “pay wall” before 27 January when Apple launches its new tablet computer, especially designed for easy newspaper reading. The New York Times is expected to make a decision [...]