Eurotunnel sees increase in traffic July 19, 2010 EUROTUNNEL has said traffic has gone up in the past six months. The channel tunnel operator said truck traffic had soared by 41 per cent while were 17 per cent more cars passed through the tunnel. And the Eurostar passenger train, which runs through the tunnel, saw a six per cent increase in traffic on [...]
Our national neuroses require a subtle cure July 13, 2010 LAST week, David Cameron condemned what he calls a “national neurosis” driving health and safety regulation. He was quoted in the Daily Mail saying: “The rulebooks keep getting thicker. The restrictions keep getting sillier.” Presumably, he is paving the way for the summer release of Lord Young’s inquiry into “the rise of compensation culture (and) [...]
CITY VIEWS: SHOULD ALL BANKS CONSIDER MONTHLY FEES? July 7, 2010 JIM BAND ROBERTSON CAPITAL “I used to be charged a monthly fee, after I set up a premium account without realising. I wasn’t seeing the benefits so I stopped and went back to a free account. Companies should pay for the services they get, but personal accounts don’t give enough to be value for money [...]
CITY GOES RURAL IN A PASSION FOR SPEED July 4, 2010 CITY petrol-heads were out in force over the weekend, among 175,000 visitors to the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood House outside Chichester. Among the business visitors to the F1 racing event were Arnauld Bamberger of Cartier, Audi’s Peter Duffy, BlackRock’s James Charrington, and Alfa Romeo/Fiat Group’s Richard Gadeselli. They turned out to watch top [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 24, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES FEARS FORCE IMMIGRATION CAP RETHINK Senior Conservative ministers are forcing a rethink on the party’s flagship immigration policy to make it more business-friendly after warning that a rigid cap on migrants could damage the British economy. Theresa May, home secretary, will next week launch a consultation on the migration plan, with a promise [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS June 24, 2010 PAY BY CARD TO GAIN REWARDS Savvy shoppers could earn substantial rewards by whacking all their day-to-day spending on the plastic. Based on an average household spend of £386.30 per week on a reward credit card, and by paying off the balance in full each month, Confused.com research shows after just one year, some of [...]
Paternoster brings in ex-UBS banker June 24, 2010 PENSIONS insurer Paternoster has appointed former UBS banker Julie Chakraverty as non-executive director as it begins a review of its business. Chakraverty, 38, will give advice to Paternoster’s board on all aspects of governance. An experienced investment banker, she worked for JPMorgan and UBS in the 1990s, sitting on UBS’ board until May 2008. She [...]
WHAT DOES THE CHANCELLOR’S BUDGET MEAN FOR YOU? June 22, 2010 KATE SOLWAY, 30 FUNDS CONTROLLER AT PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM COGNETAS Kate is single and lives in rented accommodation. She also owns two investment properties – one a London flat with a mortgage which she rents out, and the other a holiday home under construction in west Africa’s Cape Verde, on which she does not have [...]
IPT hike branded a tax on the prudent June 22, 2010 THE higher rate of insurance premium tax (IPT) — which applies to travel insurance and extended warranties — is set to rise to 20 per cent from 17.5 per cent. In addition to this, the standard rate — which applies to most general insurance — will rise to six per cent from five per cent. [...]
Anglo Irish is closing in on deal for Quinn June 21, 2010 ANGLO Irish Bank has ramped up its efforts to buy beleaguered insurance group Quinn, by proposing to inject capital and buy out bondholders. Anglo Irish, which was nationalised in January 2009, hopes to win approval from the Irish Financial Regulator with its proposals, following concerns over a publicly-owned bank owning an insurance company. Under the [...]