Wednesday, December 31, 2008

End year crunchy bits


The London Olympic Delivery Authority has cut from 30 to 18 the number of days it takes to pay its bills to improve cash flow through a supply chain which extends to 4000 companies

Wikipedia is appealing for monetary donations

693 hedge funds crashed between January & September

The hryvnia has lost half its value since September

Selfridges had the sale of the century on Boxing Day – 40,000 transactions in the first hour of trading were the highest in their history

Onion growers are prospering. Sales are booming as home cooking makes a comeback

TaxiWalker is selling well in Japan. Basically a pedometer, it tells you how much you would have spent if you had made your journey by taxi instead of on foot

You probably do not have to wait so long to get your car repaired after an accident – there are fewer of them as people drive more steadily to save money on petrol. But the companies which provide temporary replacement cars are suffering

Soup sales have risen

Remortgages have slumped. Either people cannot find new fixed-rate deals to replace those coming to an end, or they think variable rates a better bet

At least one couple have learned the hard way that most mortgage agreements contain a clause allowing the lender to demand repayment of the full amount lent at any time – you do not have to be in arrears

Recognising that world-class standards of financial management are essential, up to £75,000 a year is on offer to someone who can act as an ambassador for HM Treasury, forging strategic partnerships at the highest levels of the profession

There was not a single vacant space in Sainsburys car park when we came past today at about 1.30

We should have been passing about 20 minutes earlier, but the tailback was horrendous