Strong pound pushes trade deficit wider as industrial output grows 0.5pc September 9, 2014 The impact of the strong pound continued to be felt in July by businesses with fingers in pies abroad, figures by the Office for National Statistics published this morning showed, with the UK's trade deficit widening to £3.3bn, up from £2.5bn the month before, despite the fact imports to the UK rose. The deficit on [...]
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was pierced by “high energy objects” from outside the plane September 9, 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was hit by numerous “high-energy objects” that “pierced the plane at high speed”, according to a report published by the Dutch Safety Board this morning. The Boeing 777-200 broke up in the air as a result of the objects which “penetrated the aircraft from outside”, the report said. There were [...]
Scottish independence: Pound continues to slide as Brown enters the fray September 9, 2014 More pain for the pound. After falling by almost 1.4 per cent yesterday, sterling looks to be continuing its slide against the dollar today, as the markets stare the possibility of an independent Scotland in the face. With polls so close, the No campaign has brought a former political hitman out of his cosy retirement: Gordon [...]
Dixons Carphone reports “good start” but mobile sales drop September 9, 2014 Dixons Carphone will breeze into the FTSE 100 on 22 September, the newly formed company announced today. The £3.6bn merger of Dixons Retail and Carphone Warehouse was completed on 7 August, and the company says it has made a "good start" in the period since. Dixons Retail recorded a four per cent increase in like-for-like [...]
Quindell share price soars as court rules Gotham City Research’s accusations “were wrong” September 9, 2014 Quindell has won its libel claim against analyst Gotham City Research, with shares in the company rising as high as 11 per cent in reaction to the news this morning. The British insurance outsourcer issued libel proceedings against Gotham in April after it had posted a critical report on Quindell, describing it as "a country [...]
Whitbread share price rises as Costa Coffee injects caffeine into sales September 9, 2014 Shares in leisure giant Whitbread opened 1.6 per cent higher, after it posted a trading statement showing Costa Coffee delivered like-for-like sales of 5.8 per cent in the 24 weeks to 14 August, helping to make up for more sluggish growth of 3.1 per cent in its restaurants. Costa enjoyed growth in worldwide sales of [...]
City jobs bonanza: Hiring is increasing at its fastest since the financial crisis September 8, 2014 Hiring in London is rising at its fastest pace since the boom years before the financial crisis, according to a study out today from recruiters Manpower, in the latest sign that the economic recovery is gathering steam. Staff are being hired at all levels, from senior City executives to apprentices and trainees, as firms invest [...]
Rogue trader Jerome Kerviel freed after just five months in prison September 8, 2014 Former Societe Generale banker Jerome Kerviel was freed from jail yesterday, after serving just five months of a three-year sentence. The man whose risky bets lost Societe Generale £4.9bn in 2008 told reporters he couldn’t wait to phone his mum. “I am super happy to leave today … I want to rebuild my life. I [...]
Scottish Independence: Brown storms back into fray over Yes threat September 8, 2014 The battle to keep the United Kingdom together stepped up a notch last night as Gordon Brown dramatically returned to the fray. The ex-Prime Minister unveiled a detailed timetable for further devolution to Scotland, throwing a planned cross-party announcement later this week into disarray. It came as a late night poll from TNS put the [...]
Nervous investors quit Scots stocks on vote fears September 8, 2014 SCOTTISH shares led the UK markets down yesterday as investors responded to the real possibility Scotland could vote to leave the union in next week’s referendum. Sterling slumped again, as a TNS poll put the independence and unionist camps neck and neck. The FTSE100 slid 0.3 per cent yesterday. Scottish-based banks RBS and Lloyds led the slide, down 1.3 [...]