Back in mid 2007 - or just before the credit bubble burst - some bankers formed an amateur rock band and played (rather badly) at a European securitisation conference. They christened the group “D’Leverage”, short for “da leverage” (think reggae). For back then nobody was thinking about the issue of deleveraging; the name thus seemed an amusing joke. Read More >>
The Russian government has approved a plan to sell about $32bn in state assets over the next three years, in the biggest state sell-off since the 1990s.
The disposals, which will include minority stakes in state banks Sberbank andVTBand the state railways monopoly, is aimed at raising funds to help cover Russia’s budget deficit and improve the country’s investment image. More >
The Billionare (Ron Burkle) and the Book Lover (Len Riggio)
Len Riggio bought the originalBarnes & Noblein 1971. Since then, he has turned the bookstore chain into a distribution giant dominating the American retail scene and changed the way we buy books. But among the shareholders of the company, Mr. Riggio has gained some critics, including Ron Burkle, head of the private equity firm Yucaipa.
Standard Chartered Plc started a trainee program for the children of private-banking clients, joining bigger rivals including Citigroup Inc. and UBS. Eighteen people aged 18 to 26 enrolled in the six-week program in Singapore, which ended Aug. 13. They were assigned to projects ranging from identifying potential acquisition targets for London-based Standard Chartered to developing ideas for branch design, said Jungkiu Choi, the executive responsible for the course. Read More >>
Executive coach Colin Gautrey outlines four strategies that can help managers decode those ominous silences from head office. Financial Times.
Andy Xie, the star Morgan Stanley ex-chief Asian economist. Interviewed by the Financial Times.
Josh Feinman of Deutsche Bank Advisors breaks down the differences between the U.S. and German recessions. Fox Business News.
Peter Warry, Chairman of the BSS Group: "One of the beauties of recessions is that the good companies get stronger and the weak companies get weaker... Recessions are bad but they can also be cathartic as well - such that the businesses that survive are better businesses, stronger business. BBC World Service.
Gold fever hits land of Genghis Khan. Bloomberg TV interviews President of Mongolia.
Analysis and discussion with Scott Licamele of Red Star Asset Management. Bloomberg TV.
Jim Rogers on global economy and U.S. Dollar. Financial Times.
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