New York Report: Markets steady ahead of Fed chair quizzing February 26, 2014 US stocks finished flat yesterday with investors hesitant to make a big move on the day before comments from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, though retailers’ shares rallied on results for a second day. The S&P 500 once again briefly broke above its 2013 year-end closing level of 1,848.36, which has served as resistance, but [...]
4 reasons for job-hunters to be cheerful February 26, 2014 Recruiters, often the first firms to catch wind of a pick-up in business activity, have been making much more upbeat noises in the last few months. Hays chief executive Alistair Cox, whose firm focuses on white collar and specialist industry recruitment, has today delivered a fresh batch of positive news for job-hunters – even those in [...]
Why Ukraine exposure might benefit Ferrexpo February 26, 2014 As the political tensions heighten in Ukraine following last week’s ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych, the beleaguered country’s currency – the hryvnia – has suffered too, plunging to a 10-year low today. The outcome of the crisis is still unknown but analysts are already speculating on a possible upside for Ukraine-focused iron ore producer Ferrexpo. [...]
The US government is trying to kill doge February 26, 2014 When they're not trying to meddle with healthcare, they're killing one of the internet's favourite jokes. The US department of health and human services just tweeted a version of the "doge" meme. That joke typically features a cute shiba inu and its internal monologue. The state-created version offered by the government department has been made [...]
The secret of mutuals: Price beats ethics every time February 26, 2014 Britain’s building societies are enjoying a boom in new business, as big banks have cut back lending since the financial crisis. Their local, ethical image is often trumpeted as the reason why – they are owned by their customers, a refreshing contrast from those scandal-hit bankers. Certainly they are doing something right. This morning three [...]
Why this EU commissioner is fighting for open immigration February 26, 2014 European commissioner Laszlo Andor has come out fighting against the Swiss referendum decision to restrict the free movement of European citizens. On 9 February, the Swiss backed strict quotas for EU immigration by a wafer thin majority of 50.34 per cent on a healthy turnout. The commissioner's speech comes only a few weeks after fresh [...]
Here’s why homebuyers weren’t deterred by US storms February 26, 2014 Apparently people in the US still buy houses when it’s well below freezing outside, but today's new home sales numbers don't necessarily mean fair skies from here on in for the housing market. The number of new home buyers in the US shot up 9.6 per cent in January to a five-year high – a [...]
Ukraine’s central bank confirms measures to stop capital flight February 26, 2014 Ukraine’s central bank has put out a statement saying it’ll "take measures to stop capital flight" from the country. Let's just hope nobody starts muttering "capital controls". Stepan Kubiv, the bank’s chairman, also said it wants the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prepare a financial aid programme, after the government's finance minister said the country's [...]
Carl Icahn says EBay’s “governance failures do not have a shelf-life” February 26, 2014 In another open letter to EBay stockholders, activist investor Carl Icahn has again lashed out at the online auctionhouse for what he perceives as failures of corporate governance. The investment guru has struck out at specific EBay board members, including Marc Andreessen and Scott Cook. Icahn has reiterated his call for voters to support a [...]
What you need to know before the US open February 26, 2014 It looks like US stocks are set to open slightly up today, but with just new home sales figures for January out, it’s not an overly illuminating day for investors looking for more information on the health of the economy. Like a lot of data we've seen over the last few weeks, home sales will [...]