http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business Just another irishtimes.com weblog Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:17:13 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As Fiona Walsh wrote in her London Briefing column last week, after an eight week phoney war the battle between Kraft and Cadbury over the American conglomerate's £10 billion (€ billion) hostile takeover bid for the British chocolate maker, now becomes a formal three month battle of wits. Following the move ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/11/16/corporate-memory-at-cadbury-is-short-and-selective/ Credit ratings agency Fitch has downgraded Ireland's sovereign debt two notches from "AA+" to "AA-", issuing a press release that made use of such charming finance-speak as "fiscal consolidation", "dynamism in the large, high value added and diverse export sector" and "the outlook on the long-term IDR is stable". But it wasn't always this ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/11/05/from-bad-eggs-and-black-gums-to-aa-outlook-stable/ Bank of Ireland reported its interim results this morning, announcing a hefty €979 million pre-tax loss. For the sake of rounding lets call it a billion euro. The markets have reacted well pushing Bank of Ireland shares up about 18 per cent at the time of writing. Effectively a pre-tax ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/11/04/who-is-bank-of-ireland-lending-to/ The Society for the Containment of Christmas won't be too happy, but with postal strikes hitting the UK and the possibility remaining of a fresh econaclypse / swine flu outbreak between now and December 25th, there's not a moment too soon to turn your attention to this year's Christmas runners and riders... ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/10/30/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-his-n-hers-light-aircraft/ I don't understand the logic of the current rules on product placement in television programmes, either from the perspective of a viewer (which I am) or a regulator (which I'm not, although I am available Eamon Ryan should you wish to nominate someone who actually watches television). At the moment, ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/10/21/a-pint-of-unspecific-please-peggy/ KILLARNEY, CO KERRY: Three chartered trains and at least six private planes descended on the Kingdom this morning. The mini-invasion of young shiny happy people attired in jeans and t-shirts was not the vanguard of some new religous movement. Google has come to town. Thousands of Google employees, or Googlers ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/10/19/google-in-upbeat-mood-in-killarney/ So. "Ireland v Japan discuss." I'm not endorsing it, but undergraduates with assignments to write on the factors that led us from 100 per cent mortgages and predictions of a soft landing to nationalisations and Nama in the space of two years could do worse than to give a quick onceover to the following piece of wiki-faction: "The Lost Decade ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/10/19/irelands-lost-decade-a-wiki-tale-yet-to-be-written/ From SAN FRANCISCO:  In the modern technology world of open standards and interoperability, where vendors have to make their own stuff work with competitors' stuff, the concept of the 'frenemy' thrives. A portmanteau blend of 'friend' and 'enemy', frenemies are typically the outspoken silverback chief executives of aggressive, large tech ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/10/14/ellison-and-benioff-best-of-frenemies/ "Infamy, infamy - Panorama has it infamy!" is the catchline on the eagerly issued rant from the Ryanair press office. Except it isn't a rant at all, of course, but another work of comic genius. Point number 11 on its counter-claims to Panorama's Monday night show on BBC1 goes like this: "Panorama claimed ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/10/14/michael-oleary-must-be-thrilled-by-panoramas-paean-to-ryanair/ Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz told The Irish Times last week that a percentage of the debt of mortgaged-to-the-hilt people in negative equity should be lopped off. This, he said, would assist economic activity, by alleviating the sense of entrapment that people feel. It's an easy stimulus that would also create more realistic ... http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/business/2009/10/12/should-borrowers-be-forced-to-opt-for-bankruptcy-lite-ivas/