http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk Vericool Finance publish articles highlighting the hot topics concerning the UK finance and investment markets. Sun, 04 Apr 2010 11:43:24 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Even by the standards of Bob Monkhouse Syndrome by Proxy, whereby the most reviled national characters inevitably come into vogue if they hang around long enough, the transformation of Peter Mandelson from rank underdog to national superman is remarkable. Those who not long ago would rail about him in the least ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/mandelson-friend-or-foe Citigroup energy trader Andrew J. Hall is renowned for his art collection, his poor taste in garden sculptures and a penchant for practising callisthenics with a personal ballet tutor.  Lately, however, this enigmatic British-born trader who runs Citi’s US Phibro subsidiary – has been embroiled in a public row over ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/commodities-conspiracy Almost a year has passed since the Chancellor was accused of talking the economy down by suggesting we were living through the worst crisis for 60 years.  Now we assuredly know he was right. The latest disastrous quarterly figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the economy shrank ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/double-dip-recession In John Buchan’s The Thirty Nine Steps, the hero, Richard Hannay, attempts to piece together a mysterious assassination plot that leads him to seek refuge in Scotland. Given recent events there, it might be unwise to head north of the border if you’re a banker. But now Sir David Walker ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/walkers-39-steps Even on Wall Street, the land of six-and-seven-figure incomes, jaws dropped at the news.  During one of the worst six-month periods in the history of finance, Goldman Sachs squirreled away $11.4bn to pay its staff and has just posted the richest quarterly profit in history. At that rate, bank staff could ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/goldmans-bonus-bonanza After a difficult gestation, the Government’s blueprint for regulating the City finally emerged blinking into the cold light of day. Observers anticipated few surprises in the White Paper, much of which is based on the relatively uncontroversial proposal put forward by Lord Turner, chairman of the FSA, in March. As expected, ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/a-useful-white-paper There’s a new buzzword doing the rounds in the born again City – BAB.  It stands for Bonuses are Back and its arrival in the lexicon is evidence that bankers are once again looking forward to bumper payouts, just eight months after the sector faces meltdown. Goldman Sachs staff are now ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/tackling-the-banks Ever since the fall of Northern Rock, a cold war has been waged between the Treasury and the Bank of England.  Last week we witnessed the equivalent of the Cuban Missile Crisis.  The setting was the gilded banqueting hall of mansion house, and the level of brinkmanship and tensions, as ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/war-of-the-watchdogs "Don’t be fooled by one month’s data” is one of the first lessons taught on any good economics course. Yet the accumulation of upbeat stats can no longer be ignored.  Rather than the odd green shoot, the economic landscape now resembles a fragile carpet of green, and economists are busy ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/recession-over The recession ended in May.  Whether or not you believe that to be true, the one thing Gordon Brown hasn’t had to worry about recently is the economy, which is staging something of a fightback. It looks like output will start to grow again by the end of the year.  But ... http://www.vericool-finance.co.uk/articles/brown-sugar