US recovery shows signs of slowdown January 31, 2012 BUSINESS conditions improved for the 28th consecutive month in the US, according to the Chicago Business Barometer, published yesterday. However, growth slowed, with the index falling from 58.8 to 54.9. Any figure above 50 represents improvement. Production growth slowed from 60.5 to 57, while new orders dipped from 61.5 to 56. Economists pointed to the [...]
FOCUS ON: ST JOHN’S WOOD January 26, 2012 HAMILTON TERRACE Price: £37.5m This imposing six bedroom house in Hamilton Terrace has an interior designed by Bill Bennette, offering a glamorous, contemporary space, ideal for entertaining and stylish family living. Features a gated driveway with parking for two cars at the front. Contact Savills on 020 3043 3600 or savills.co.uk AVENUE ROAD, NW8 Price: [...]
PROPERTY NEWS January 26, 2012 IRISH ARTIST MAKES HOUSE BUILT OF SHREDDED EUROS An unemployed Irish artist has built a home from the shredded remains of €1.4bn (£1.2bn), a monument to the “madness” he says has been wrought on Ireland by the single currency. Frank Buckley built the apartment in the lobby of a Dublin office building that has lain [...]
FOCUS ON: ST JOHN’S WOOD January 26, 2012 CHESTER TERRACE Price: £5.75m A six bedroom home with high ceilings and impressively proportioned rooms with benefits including a lift servicing all the floors and access to a private garage. Contact Knight Frank on 020 7629 8171 or knightfrank.co.uk WALPOLE MEWS Price: £995,000 Located on a discreet mews, this two bedroom property is in excellent [...]
Goodwin’s gong under threat from civil servants as pressure grows on Hester January 25, 2012 A KEY Whitehall committee will meet this week to discuss whether Sir Fred Goodwin should be stripped of his knighthood, David Cameron has said. The Honours Forfeiture Committee will consider “all of the evidence”, the Prime Minister said yesterday. The evidence will include the FSA’s damning report on the near-collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland. [...]
FSA removed Sir Fred criticism January 24, 2012 The Financial Services Authority removed criticism of Sir Fred Goodwin’s banking experience from its final report into the failure of RBS, said Bill Knight, one of two experts reviewing the FSA’s inquiry, in an appearance before the Treasury Select Committee yesterday. “It is true that the references to Sir Fred were changed following Maxwellisation but [...]
Peacocks still searching for white knight January 22, 2012 PRIVATE EQUITY firms and buy-out groups are poised to make a bid for Peacocks, the discount clothing chain, which collapsed into administration last week. Its administrators KPMG will open the data room to Peacocks today, which will allow potential bidders to browse financial and other relevant data on the firm. KMPG expects to receive the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 19, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES LOBBYISTS’ REGISTER UNVEILED Proposals to force all lobbyists to join a compulsory register will be set out on Friday as the government moves to toughen the regime for the industry. Launching a consultation on the sector’s governance, ministers will also take views on opening up the register to include other groups that seek [...]
Knight Capital’s earnings soar January 19, 2012 Knight Capital’s quarterly profit rose four-fold, it said yesterday, as the electronic trader earned more revenue from its market-making activities despite challenging market conditions. The firm’s shares jumped 10 per cent on the news that its fourth quarter earnings had soared to $40.2m, from $9.2m a year ago. Knight Capital, which is based in the [...]
PROPERTY NEWS January 19, 2012 HOUSE PRICES FALL AGAIN Knight Frank/Markit’s January House Price Sentiment Index (HPSI) shows the rate of decline in house prices was similar to December. Around five per cent of households said the value of their home had risen since December, while around 19 per cent reported a fall. The resulting HPSI figure of 43.2 is [...]