Next time you wander down the supermarket aisles, eyes peeled for fleeting signs of that supposed price war we keep reading about, scepticism pouring into every sinew, spare a thought for John Duffy... more
Bank of England hawk Andrew Sentance jokes that he is a jinx on the economy, having been at the CBI when boom turned to bust in the early 1990s and at the Bank of England during the financial crisis... more
"We are not the publisher! We are not the publisher!" The Google executive was getting ever more defensive in his attempt to argue that the internet giant isn't a tax-avoiding parasite with a business model built on taking credit where it isn't due and avoiding blame where it is... more
Calls among Goldmanites for Hank Paulson to return as non-executive chairman have been growing — the idea being that current embattled leader Lloyd Blankfein concentrates on being chief executive... more
Comment: Who would want to be the top man at the Pru? The odds are shortening that it will be someone other than Tidjane Thiam after the rights issue disaster... more
Market Round-up: Speculation that Prudential may now find itself the pursued rather than the pursuer pushes the insurance giant up the Footsie winners’ list... more
Marks & Spencer is expected to give broad hints of a big push overseas and an expansion of its internet operations tomorrow, in an investor presentation being billed by some as a beauty parade of potential new chief executives ... more
Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose gave evidence that he has dragged the retailer through one of the toughest periods in its 125-year history ... more
London's hedge fund community may have had a torrid time last year but at least its favoured charity, Arki Busson's ARK (or absolute return for kids), has shown the way in moneymaking. In the year to August 2008, its income rose from £32.7 million to £40.2 million. Furthermore, hedge fund turmoil is not expected to affect the levels of pledges. ARK acknowledges that "the level of outstanding donor pledges is considered to be one of the charity's key risks" but that all funding pledges "due for payment have been received to date." So hats off to the generous hedgies and let's hope that spirit continues.... more
Tim Clarke just had to go, but in some ways it's a shame. The chief executive of Mitchells & Butlers stepped down last week at the second attempt, finally paying the price for a disastrous entanglement with Robert Tchenguiz.... more
Marks & Spencer move a step closer to appointing its first ever woman chief executive by promoting Kate Bostock and parting company with one of her chief rivals... more
Marks & Spencer slashed its dividend by a third after a slump in annual profits which left executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose short on optimism... more
Afternoon:
8°c
