‘orrible merger (continued)
The concept of Ivan Glasenberg on a charm offensive is hard to grasp. Charm is not generally considered one of the key characteristics needed to be a top trader, but he’s going to need all that he can...
View Article100-year gilts and the madness of (crowds of) actuaries
Time like an ever-rolling stream Bears all its bonds awayContinue reading: 100-year gilts and the madness of (crowds of) actuaries
View ArticleGoing slightly less fast in the wrong direction
Bad news for hairdressers in the UK Budget: VAT is to be applied to the rental of the chairs the customers sit in while they are asked whether they want something for the weekend. Makers of cable based...
View ArticleNo Resolution at all, really
It’s hard to see the point of some businesses. This week the particularly pointless Resolution produced an interminable, impenetrable statement. Its bosses have decided that something must be done, and...
View ArticleHannam’s gotta do…
It must have come as quite a shock to the FSA apparatchiks when Ian Hannam turned on them. The accepted procedure following the ritual humiliation, fine and brutal publicity that accompanies a critical...
View ArticleSo public-spirited, that Mr Kingsnorth
It takes time, money and commitment to take on the dogs of the investment company sector. Colin Kingsnorth has all three, which is perhaps why he’s picked fights with its two biggest canines. On the...
View ArticleThe customer as lead indicator
It’s been a really bad week for a pair of household names, and next week promises to be pretty awkward for a third. The eclipse of Nokia is set to become a classic business school study. From the...
View ArticleHigh Noon, or firing blanks?
Do not Forseke me, oh my darling, as Frankie Lane might have sung, had he been an Alliance Trust shareholder. That’ll be Karin Forseke, the new chairman, and next Friday is High Noon (GMT) as the...
View ArticleYou will buy more Govvies, or else
It’s been puzzling me since the start of the financial crisis: why can incontinent governments like, say, the UK’s, borrow almost unlimited amounts at interest rates far below inflation? Stephen King...
View ArticleBreakup Please
Six months ago, the FT’s analysis of BP’s latest numbers began, Bob Dudley stated that the company had reached a “definite turning point”. How right he was. Unfortunately, the turning was down rather...
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