The European Investment Bank has requested more money so that they can help to support the transitional democracies of Tunisia, Egypt and other countries in the Arab region. Even this increase, however, would only let them keep their investments at their current level. Making a Difference The EIB President, Philippe Maystadt said that, “We think…
Author Archives: Derrik Brunner
MANGO Sweetens Rising Euro Interest Rates
When an economy is suffering, one of the first cutbacks people make is on leisure. This includes fashion. So the fact that there is currently strong indication that European interest rates “will be raised next month” has to be bad news for fashion houses around the world….or does it? Spain’s fashion house MANGO, for example,…
German BMW Manufacturing Investment
An additional $100 million will be invested into BMW Manufacturing’s Spartanburg County’s factory along with an X3 program to “further streamline the company’s export operation.” It is hoped this move will escalate efficiency, flexibility and environmental-friendliness. Various programs will be supported in this vein, alongside the company’s support of sustainable improvement. The BMW Manufacturing Co….
Poland and Foreign Investments
It has been reported that Poland is not faring nearly as well as it should, vis-à-vis getting investors. But this does not spell the beginning of the end as economics sense that Poland should indeed be able to turn this trend around by having foreign firms place their investments in the country which…
ITV Profits
Due to mega high advertising revenues and new hit shows, the UK’s ITV network reported an annual profit increase of nearly three times that of last year. The X Factor and Downton Abbey for example, have been extremely popular, along with the mega-successful World Cup and that has probably resulted in these…
FSK Investment Plans
The FSK (a sate-owned Russian grid company) has escalated investment plans for 2011 by close to 11 percent (reaching $7.3 billion) with the thought of a London listing and ultimately a semi-privatization. The original idea FSK had was to spend $6.6 billion in 2011 to upgrade its network by 2014 requiring even…
Overhaul of Treasury and Financial Advisers
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has recently undergone a revamp, firstly, planning the establishment of the Financial Conduct Authority and a replacement of the name, Consumer Protection & Markets Authority (CPMA), for Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). More information about how the financial services regulation will work under the proposed regime has been revealed too. Plans…
HSBC’s Mega Profits
Douglas Flint (new chairman at HSBC) claimed the £800 million increase in the banking levy imposed by the government last month should rather be given to shareholders. Last year the bank more than doubled pre-tax profits (to $19[£11.7] billion from its global operations. This led Flint to criticize the coalition increasing the industry’s levy to…
UK Business Surveys
Business surveys will be conducted on the United Kingdom’s service and manufacturing sectors for “clues on whether the UK risks a return to 1970s combination of stagnation and inflation.” Recent Middle Eastern events have created mumblings on concerns on global inflation. It seems that the UK is particularly vulnerable since there is no guarantee that…
New PassPort Web Portal
Northern Trust just came out with a new web portal for its PassPort which “provides an intuitive experience that eases collaboration and data integration across Northern Trust’s global operating platform for asset servicing and asset management.” According to global head of product management for Corporate & Institutional Services at the company Paul d’Ouville, this tool…
