US firms are hiring again May 5, 2010 THE painful process of cutting jobs has run its course and private sector firms in the US are hiring staff once again, according to the ADP employer services survey yesterday, raising hopes that tomorrow’s key non-farm payrolls data will show a substantial boost to US employment. The ADP survey showed that US businesses added 32,000 [...]
Construction activity booms but unemployment still rising May 5, 2010 THERE was some good news for the UK construction sector yesterday after the Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index showed that activity expanded for the second successive month. The leading indicator showed a sharp jump to 58.2 in April from 53.1 the previous month, well above the 50 level that separates growth from contraction. The expansion was [...]
Strong services data suggests broadening Eurozone recovery May 5, 2010 BUSINESS activity in the Eurozone accelerated in April to a 30-month high, according to Markit’s services purchasing managers’ index. All 16 member states reported growth of activity in their service sectors last month, with France heading the pack. The forward-looking elements of the survey were also upbeat, indicating good prospects for services activity in the [...]
EUROZONE CONSUMERS RELUCTANT TO SPEND May 5, 2010 CONSUMERS in the 16-country Eurozone are still reluctant to spend, according to the latest retail sales data. Eurostat figures showed that sales volumes in March were disappointingly flat on the month, raising concerns that poor consumer spending will hold back the recovery in the single-currency area over the coming months and will dampen its growth [...]
British deficit is set to overtake Greece May 5, 2010 BRITAIN’S budget deficit is set to become the worst in the European Union, even overtaking Greece, the European Commission warned ahead of today’s general election. The commission’s forecast puts UK borrowing at a staggering 12 per cent of GDP in 2010, higher than in any of the 27 EU countries and worse than Greece and [...]
Conservatives most against hung parliament May 5, 2010 SOON we’ll know if Britain is to be governed by a hung parliament for the first time since 1974. If it is, the graph shown will help explain it: Nick Clegg’s buzz, as measured by the “TellYouGov” component of BrandIndex, has been strong ever since the first debate, but at the same time the LibDem’s [...]
ELECTION2010 May 5, 2010 Brown rejects tactical voting Gordon Brown yesterday rejected calls for tactical voting, after he said that “Labour voters should always vote Labour”. The move goes against earlier messages from senior Labour ministers Ed Balls and Peter Hain, who had urged voters to vote tactically to keep the Tories out. Nick Clegg said these calls were [...]
Three leaders dash on final charm spree May 5, 2010 THE THREE party leaders entered a final day of frantic campaigning yesterday as opinion polls suggested Britain was on course for its first hung parliament since 1974. Starting his day in Grimsby after working through the night, David Cameron used what may be his last 24 hours in opposition to target key swing seats in [...]
BAE remains upbeat about group trading May 5, 2010 DEFENCE giant BAE Systems is expecting to deliver a growth in earnings this year despite losing out on a substantial armoured vehicles UK government contract. The group said trading for the first quarter of the year had been consistent with management expectations and it expected growth in three of its four operating groups. BAE said [...]
BP plugs one of three leaks as Moody’s warns on rating May 5, 2010 OIL major BP yesterday succeeded in plugging one of the three leaks from its ruptured Gulf of Mexico undersea well, which threatens to engulf the beaches of four American coastal states with a enormous oil slick. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the leak had been capped using a valve manoeuvred into place by [...]