Ecotricity rejects new green support scheme as too risky March 25, 2014 GREEN energy company Ecotricity yesterday said it plans to develop a windfarm in Lincolnshire using the existing renewables support framework rather than a new scheme that it finds unclear. The government’s renewables obligation support closes on 31 March 2017 but has a one-year grace period, after which contracts for difference must be used. “For now [...]
Best of the Brokers for 26 March 2014 March 25, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com GREENCORE Shore Capital sticks to its “hold” rating and 256p target ahead of the food group’s quarterly results on 2 April. The broker predicts double-digit growth in the “food to go” business, tempered by slower growth in ready meals, and expects to upgrade [...]
London Report: FTSE rebound rally spurred by corporate data March 25, 2014 THE UK’S top share index rose yesterday, bouncing off of a six-week closing low, after Kingfisher and EasyJet posted updates raising optimism about the outlook for corporate earnings. Home improvements retailer Kingfisher jumped six per cent as it said it would return about £200m to shareholders in the current year, after meeting forecasts with a [...]
New York Report: Shares bounce back from two days of decline March 25, 2014 US STOCKS ended higher last night, rebounding from a two-day decline as the hard-hit biotechnology sector regained its momentum and a strong read on consumer confidence increased optimism about the economy. Trading was choppy throughout the day with the Nasdaq at one point turning lower, led by a sharp reversal in biotech shares. So-called momentum [...]
Academics tried to rank the best of finance Twitter and made three huge mistakes in the process March 25, 2014 Two academics have set out to find the best of the best of financial Twitter. In their new paper, "How to measure the quality of financial tweets", Cerchiello and Giudici note that data from the social network "may be very useful". They suggest that it could be used to "predict financial tangibles, such as share prices, [...]
UKFI to sell further 7.5 per cent stake in Lloyds March 25, 2014 UK Financial Investments, the body responsible for the government's stake in state-supported banks RBS and Lloyds, has announced that it intends to sell part of the Treasury's shareholding. Approximately 7.5 per cent of Lloyds is up for grabs, or 5.35bn ordinary shares. That should see the government's stake in Lloyds reduced from 32.7 per cent [...]
Two of the ECB’s most hawkish members just hinted at QE March 25, 2014 The heads of both the German and Finnish central banks, two of the most hawkish in the Eurozone, talked with relative ease about negative rates and quantitative easing (QE) today. According to Reuters, Germany and Finland’s governing council members are among the most hawkish in the currency union. Finland’s Erkki Liikanen told the Wall Street [...]
Energy customers who don’t switch are getting charged more March 25, 2014 Looks like energy firms are set for another bashing. New research by think tank IPPR shows that customers who haven’t switched energy suppliers are getting charged substantially more. The analysis, which comes ahead of the regulators’ decision on competition in the energy market later this week, shows that electricity bills in 2013 for customers [...]
HTC unveils new One phone with depth capturing duo camera March 25, 2014 Taiwanese company HTC has unveiled its latest version of the One device. It's another phone on the Android platform, and seems to be longer and curvier than the original. The design removes the sharp edges from the device's predecessor with a metal and glass sidewall. With a gunmental grey hairline finish, it features dual front [...]
Make your special day really #memorable March 25, 2014 A boutique hotel chain's been thinking outside the box (maybe) when it comes to services it offers for weddings. W Hotels in New York has unveiled Social Media Wedding Concierge. The service promises to rid your special day of “shameless wedding selfies” and replace them with an array of innovative – but arguably increasingly cringey [...]