All Posts / Banking / Financial Services / Governance / Regulation —
02
Feb 12

Robinson Hambro in the FT

Corporate governance on a global basis

Today in the Financial Times, Robinson Hambro was interviewed on corporate governance divergencies between different countries. The transcript is below.

How wide are the differences in board corporate governance between countries?

The differences all over the world are narrowing due to the global nature of capital. For instance, the concept of independent directors is taking hold. Although they exist in name in, say, Hong Kong, the authorities there are seeking to crack down on those who hold too many directorships to be effective. They are considering requiring independent non-executives to comprise one third of a listed company’s board. Only a fourth of listed companies currently meet this requirement.  Continue reading...

All Posts / Bank of England / Banking / Financial Services / FSA / Governance / Regulation —
09
Jan 12

Obama the war president

Why stockmarkets will rise 50% in 2012

Waiting for my host in Zafferano, an Italian restaurant in Knightsbridge, I eavesdropped on my lunchtime neighbours and found myself surrounded by the themes of the moment. The husband and wife couple to my left were Germans, on a romantic weekend break in London, accompanying the gourmet menu with a bottle of Crystal champagne and undoubtedly heading to their hotel bedroom for an afternoon of nookie. They had an air of confidence, as befits the new masters of Europe.  Continue reading...

All Posts / Banking / Governance / Non-executive —
14
Nov 11

Germany thanks the southerners

Saudi investment opportunities

Angela Merkel today gratefully acknowledged the southern European contribution to the euro. “Without the incorporation of those sunny southerners, the euro would be the deutschmark. It would have reached Swiss franc levels, ruining our exports,” she stated, while munching on sardinas at the opening of the Museum of Greek Siestas & Tax Evasion. “Instead, we have this delightfully devalued deutschmark, which has allowed our trade surplus to reach a three year high.”

As she flicked the tail of her flamenco-inspired suit, she thanked Germany’s fellow members in the EU and the Eurozone for being responsible for nearly two thirds of the country’s foreign trade. “Vielen Dank for being less competitive than us and buying our goods,” said Merkel, as she headed off for a week’s holiday in the newly opened Deutsche Acropolis Hotel in Athens.  Continue reading...

All Posts / Bank of England / Banking / Credit Crunch / Economic Stimulus / Financial Stimulus / Governance / Regulation —
24
Oct 11

London and Caracas: two sides of the same coin

Income inequality and the foreign conundrum

There are echoes of pre-Chavez Venezuela in the UK these days. A classic example of elite capitalism and the virtually insurmountable gap between the haves and have nots. In Caracas, the elite lived in guarded mansions in the Eastern hills of the city with bodyguards accompanying them everywhere. The benefits of decades of petroleum revenues never made it into the barrios of the Western hills of the city. President Hugo Chavez was the result.  Continue reading...

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