We need an open contest to decide who will run the Bank April 12, 2012 THERE is no doubt that George Osborne’s most important decision over the next few months will be who he appoints as the next governor of the Bank of England. That job, which becomes vacant next year, is by a huge distance the most powerful unelected position in the UK; its formal powers now span monetary [...]
We need an open contest to decide who will run the Bank April 11, 2012 THERE is no doubt that George Osborne’s most important decision over the next few months will be who he appoints as the next governor of the Bank of England. That job, which becomes vacant next year, is by a huge distance the most powerful unelected position in the UK; its formal powers now span monetary [...]
Good earnings help US shares bounce back April 11, 2012 AN encouraging start to earnings season helped US stocks rebound yesterday five days of losses that pushed the S&P 500 below a key technical level. Equities cut gains late in the session after the Federal Reserve said rising energy costs were a concern for economic growth. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart said the economy would [...]
Attracting attention in your job hunt is a subtle science April 11, 2012 WHAT value is there in seeking attention? The practice has a bad reputation, known as part of the power-play of ill-disciplined little children. But in a competitive job market, where even the best must struggle to win over recruiters or potential employers, some argue that there’s virtue in trying to be noticed in the early [...]
French economy grinds to a halt April 10, 2012 France’s economy posted no growth in the first quarter and there are no sign of a strong recovery in activity in the coming months, according to a Bank of France survey. In its monthly report, the Bank of France indicated that the euro zone’s second largest economy avoided a recession, after it grew by 0.2 [...]
BG Group pays chiefs £5.4m April 4, 2012 THREE EXECUTIVES at fuel explorer BG Group have shared a pay packet worth a combined £5.4m this year – though their payouts were almost flat during a year in which the firm posted a 15 per cent rise in pre-tax profits Chief executive Sir Frank Chapman received a total of £2.87m, including a £1.2m bonus. [...]
Baker & McKenzie’s London arm sees profits fall by eight per cent April 4, 2012 OPERATING profit at City law firm Baker & McKenzie’s London arm fell by eight per cent in 2011 despite an increase in turnover. The firm’s LLP accounts, filed at Companies House last week, show that operating profit at the firm dropped to £41.7m in the year to 30 June 2011 from £45.4m the previous year, [...]
Sigma turnaround continues as it cuts losses April 4, 2012 SIGMA Capital, the investment firm backed by billionaire Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter, narrowed its losses last year after buying an urban regeneration firm. Sigma cut its pre-tax loss by 60 per cent to £1.42m after making a series of changes in 2011 and said it expects to benefit from potentially lucrative partnerships with Liverpool, [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS April 3, 2012 Post Office Virginia Holmes is joining the board of the Post Office as a non-executive director. Holmes has previously served as chief executive of AXA Investment Managers UK, and spent more than a decade with the Barclays Group, where she was ultimately managing director of Barclays Bank Trust Company. She currently sits on the board [...]
The law firm boss who’s not moving anywhere but up April 1, 2012 LAST weekend, Bryan Hughes found himself hanging 50ft above the ground, attached to nothing but a rope. In an effort to face his son’s fear of heights he’d taken him on the high wires at Center Parcs, but when they reached the highest point Hughes found himself feeling a growing sense of panic. “I made [...]