“Author Archive”
Stories written by Ian Fraser

This blog is One and other stuff

July 7th, 2008 Dear Reader, This blog is now one year old. It’s been enormous fun writing the 58 entries to date — just over one a week — over the past 12 months and thank you for all the feedback received so far. Since I started this exercise on June 28th 2007, the business […]

July 7th, 2008 | Posted in Blog | Read More »

Bank losses now put at $1,600 billion ($1.6 trillion)

July 7th, 2008 The total losses that global banks are going to endure as a result of the credit crunch may be much higher than previously imagined. The world’s second largest hedge fund manager, Bridgewater Associates, has just put the figure at $1,600bn (£809bn). This trumps earlier figures of $1,300bn from the hedge fund manager John Paulson […]

July 7th, 2008 | Posted in Blog | Read More »

Scottish Agenda: Tough times for Scottish biotech firms

By Ian Fraser The Sunday Times Scottish agenda column July 6th, 2008 Simon Best, the founder of biotech company Ardana, which plunged into administration last week, used to work as tour manager for the 1980s pop group the Human League. It may not be the ideal training ground for running a biotechnology start-up. However, as […]

July 6th, 2008 | Posted in Article Library | Read More »

Forth Ports races to find new ferry operator to Europe

By Ian Fraser The Sunday Times July 6th, 2008 The port operator is searching for a replacement for the Rosyth to Zeebrugge route Forth Ports is racing against the clock to ensure Scotland does not lose its only direct ferry service to continental Europe. The port operator wants to ensure a “seamless” transfer of ferry […]

July 6th, 2008 | Posted in Article Library,Latest Articles | Read More »

Scotland is well placed to survive economic Armageddon

By Ian Fraser The Sunday Times 6th July, 2008 The country will be more resilient than other parts of the UK to a downturn Talk of impending economic Armageddon in the UK intensified last week with reports suggesting activity in the important services sector has slowed considerably and the FTSE 100 index officially entering bear […]

July 6th, 2008 | Posted in Article Library,Latest Articles | Read More »

Brightsolid reconnects with clients

By Ian Fraser The Sunday Times July 6th, 2008 After changing its name from Scotland Online, the online pioneer aims to expand its market appeal and recover its losses Dundee-based Scotland Online has renamed itself Brightsolid, and is seeking to double its turnover to more than £10m and return to profitability after a couple of […]

July 6th, 2008 | Posted in Article Library,Latest Articles | Read More »

Knock, knock, knocking on sovereign doors

By Ian Fraser European Fund Manager May/June 2008 The credit crunch appears to have caused US banks to lose their scruples when it comes to attracting investment from sovereign wealth funds from emerging economies such as Abu Dhabi, China and Singapore. Indeed in a dramatic change of heart, the Americans have been actively pursuing a […]

June 30th, 2008 | Posted in Article Library,Latest Articles | Read More »

A smooth handover of the baton

By Ian Fraser Financial Times FTfm section June 30th, 2008 The decision by Walter Scott to step down as chairman of Walter Scott & Partners, the Edinburgh-based firm he co-founded 25 years ago, is symptomatic of the need for an asset management group to have different types of leader and a different management approach at […]

June 30th, 2008 | Posted in Article Library,Latest Articles | Read More »

Plus ça change…? Jury still out on Sarkozy’s bid to reinvent France

By Ian Fraser Published: Accountancy Magazine Date: June 30th, 2008 A year into President Sarkozy’s new political regime, are France and its economy reaping the benefits of promised reform? Ian Fraser reports The thousands of well-heeled French people who have flocked to London to live and work in recent years tend to look back at […]

June 30th, 2008 | Posted in Article Library | Read More »

Tide of sentiment begins to turn for HBOS shares

By Ian Fraser Sunday Herald June 29th, 2008 Analysts admit Scottish banking giant’s low market valuation is ‘getting silly’ OVERWHELMING backing last week for HBOS’s £4 billion rights issue is being seen by analysts this weekend as a turning point in the Scottish bank’s fortunes. Thursday’s vote, in which 98% of shareholders supported the initiative, may mark the […]

June 29th, 2008 | Posted in Article Library,Latest Articles | Read More »

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