July 29th, 2010 Am I alone in finding the “For the journey” television commercials for Lloyds TSB (early example above) nauseating in the extreme? I would dislike these ads whichever brand they were for. But the fact they’re for Lloyds — a brand which like BP has become toxic of late — makes me want [...]
July 28th, 2010 The Scots hedge fund manager Hugh Hendry has lately become something of a media darling thanks to his sheer outspoken-ness. But he also puts his clients’ money where his mouth is, often making them handsome returns, and has some genuinely interesting things to say about the outlook for the global economy. Hendry [...]
July 21st, 2010 In this White House video, President Barack Obama’s administration seeks to sell the recently enacted Dodd-Frank Act to the nation, arguing that it provides “accountability for Wall Street” and “protection for you.” To me however this film — which I found thanks to Paul Murphy, who posted it on the FT Alphaville [...]
July 19th, 2010 Chinless wonder: UKFI’s Robin Budenberg The coalition government of David Cameron and Nick Clegg is reverting to type where appointments to UK Financial Investments, the vehicle established by the previous government to hold the public’s stakes in lenders including RBS and Lloyds Banking Group. Most of the people who work for this [...]
[Editorial Note: This article was written in November 2008 but has never been published before in its entirety. An edited version was published in two parts (part one and part two) by the Glasgow-based Sunday Herald on November 30th, 2008] [with minor revisions and links added October 2nd, 2010.] Lloyds TSB recently mailed a circular [...]
July 16th, 2010 A couple of new names have risen in the accountancy firmament — Beavis Morgan and FRP Advisory. But appearances can be deceptive and the new businesses are, perhaps, not quite what they seem. The Beavis Morgan name — given to the limited liability partnership (LLP) formed in June 22nd 2010 as a [...]