Find yourself the perfect snowy bolthole October 28, 2010 AFTER reports this week that the UK economy has sharply bounced back from recession, confidence has returned to the second home market and those with a penchant for skiing can’t help but turn their attention Alps-ward – especially as the first snowfall of the season came two days ago. “We’ve seen an increase in demand [...]
TONIGHT WILL BE A NIGHT FOR HEARTY CELEBRATION October 27, 2010 THIS evening will see 450 guests in their finery roll up at the Grange hotel at St Paul’s, as City A.M. proudly hosts its first ever awards ceremony honouring the UK’s business stars and City luminaries. The award winners will come from a diverse range of sectors, from investment to retail banking, fund management and [...]
The Malay paradise where the world’s A-list comes to relax October 24, 2010 THERE’s a moment, when I step in to the glistening emerald Malaysian waters of my own secluded cove, next to my private “Estate”, when I can see just why this place is so popular with celebrities. The sun is shining. Hornbills are squawking in the air. There’s no-one to take in my pasty white bikini-clad [...]
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE BANKING LEVY? October 21, 2010 PHILIP BOOTH | IEA The burden of this levy will be felt by banks’ owners and customers. Ultimately those who will pay are shareholders – in other words potential pensioners and other savers – and the users of financial services. At most the government should use this tax as a temporary measure NIC CLARKE | [...]
Snuggle up this winter in toasty tidbits of knitwear October 21, 2010 AS I write this, there are four people in my line of vision who are huddled in their coats, cradling hot cups of tea. The cold snap has given everyone the urgent need to snuggle up and be warm and cosy but many of us seem to be caught short – our wardrobes still with [...]
Walkie Talkie work restarts after JV deal October 19, 2010 PROPERTY firms Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group (CWG) will team up to build the £500m Walkie Talkie project on 20 Fenchurch Street, the pair announced yesterday. Land Securities has sold the site to a newly-formed 50-50 joint venture with CWG for £90.2m, in line with the March 2010 valuation. Preparatory work on the cleared [...]
DO-GOODING HEDGE FUND AUTHORS STRIP MEAT OFF MERVYN’S BONES October 14, 2010 FOLLOWING on from The Capitalist’s coverage of the launch of The Gathering Storm – a compilation of essays by hedgies, with all proceeds going to charities chosen by the writers – the book’s august authors gathered yesterday for cucumber sandwiches and wine at the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation. As the discussion galloped [...]
Classic is best for Caribbean satisfaction October 14, 2010 CARIBBEAN hotspots come and go but Barbados is a sunny stalwart – a developed, cultured playground for the rich and famous (Simon Cowell, Cliff Richard and Andrew Flintoff all have properties here), as well as for more humble folk. Yet despite its stability as a British favourite for homes and holidays in the sun (80 [...]
Banks in bid to boost lending October 13, 2010 Britain’s biggest banks have outlined a raft of measures to boost lending to small businesses, including a £1.5bn growth fund, in a bid to counter suggestions they are not doing enough to nurture the recovery. HSBC, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, Standard Chartered and the UK operations of Santander will contribute to [...]
The grisly taste of her screams October 13, 2010 SCREAM BY NIGEL MCCRERY Quercus, £20 A more gruesome beginning to a book you couldn’t ask for. A woman is bound, with her kneecaps exposed, as a ruthless killer tells her how he’s going to carve through her knee bones, one after the other, before moving onto other parts. Her screams are immense but pointless. [...]