| Icap rides volatile markets to beat forecasts
Shares in Icap made their biggest one-day gain on Thursday after the world's largest interdealer broker said its full-year pre-tax profit would top analysts' expectations. The group, which brokers transactions between banks, said unprecedented losses for banks and insurers had boosted trading of bonds, currencies and commodities. .
Hope for the riot victims of Gujarat
Otherwise, no matter how many times President Bush travels to the region, there is no reason to believe that 2008 will offer anything other than the macabre pattern of years past. Hussein Agha, a senior associate member of St. Antony's College, Oxford University, has been involved in Israeli-Palestinian affairs for four decades. Robert Malley is Middle East program director at the International Crisis Group and was special assistant to the president for Arab-Israeli affairs from 1998 to 2001. By arrangement with LA Times-Washington Post .
Viewing all entries for: January 2008
I THINK it's safe to say that some aspects of global trade and finance may be in the process of readjusting, perhaps as a result of some sizable imbalances. Not swiftly enough for Atlantic correspondent James Fallows, however, whose latest missive on China misses the mark. It's very fair to harbour concern over China's yuan policy, its massive accrued reserves, and the resulting effects on American consumers, but Mr Fallows mistreats the economics involved in order to spin a potential disaster scenario--a rather nasty hypothetical meltdown, if not outright war. The economic misunderstandings are bothersome. Mr Fallows writes, for example that: For China, [currency manipulation] has helped the regime guide development in the way it would like—and keep the domestic economy’s growth rate from crossing the thin line that separates "unbelievably fast" from "uncontrollably inflationary." This is not at all the case.
Pressure mounts for new controls on oil futures speculators
Sean Cota runs a family-owned fuel oil business in Bellows Falls, Vt., and has been active in the futures markets for 20 years, locking in prices to protect both himself and his customers. But over the past five years, he has watched in amazement -- and growing anger -- as speculators flooded into the market. It has created tremendous volatility and, he believes, driven up prices for crude oil, heating oil and a host of other commodities. As prices hover near record levels this year, his customers are bearing the brunt -- turning down their thermostats, taking longer to pay their bills and even using credit cards to pay for home heating. "All of these things are having a huge impact on people for something that is just not justified by supply and demand," Cota said.
Takaishi named new Portland State coach
Kathleen Takaishi has been named the new women's golf coach at Portland State.
Takaishi replaces Felicia Johnston, who announced her resignation in December. Johnston had been the Viking coach for seven seasons, leading them to three titles and earning three Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year honors.
Takaishi had been the Oregon State women's assistant coach since February 2004. Prior to that, she worked for a season-and-a-half as the men's and women's assistant at UC Riverside.
Takaishi was an All-American at Oregon State before graduating in 1999. She competed on the Futures Tour for three seasons. Takaishi also served as the director of operations for the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Championship, which was hosted by Oregon State at Sunriver.
Right to save Afflecks?
AFFLECKS Palace was good to David Mallon. It gave the streetwear supremo, from Stretford, an affordable base to start his career in fashion, selling rock band T-shirts. Like many who set out their stalls in Afflecks in the late 1980s early 1990s, Mallon, the man behind trendy fashion labels Ringspun and Elvis Jesus, reflects fondly on the time when it was synonymous with all that was cool about Manchester. "Those were the halcyon days. That was the time when Manchester was at its most influential thanks to the Hacienda and the music scene. You had a huge influx of people visiting from all over the country because they'd heard Manchester was the place to be and Afflecks was a symbol of that moment." But now as he looks across at the eclectic shopping emporium from his offices in Oldham Street he sees something faded, ramshackle, increasingly irrelevant.
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