March mortgage lending up after a dip in February April 27, 2010 THE number of approvals for UK home loans rose slightly in March after a dip in February and were almost 20 per cent up on the year before, data showed yesterday. The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) said net mortgage lending growth had eased as homeowners paid off debt. The BBA report said the number of [...]
CMI: Recession biting business April 27, 2010 A Chartered Management Institute (CMI) report says the recession is still hurting 82 per cent of businesses. The CMI’s economic outlook report also found job insecurity at record levels. According to the CMI, the reduction in the availability of both long-term finance and short-term investment has forced managers to continue to make tough choices to [...]
Annual rise for US home prices April 27, 2010 Home prices in the biggest US cities recorded their first annual increase in almost four years in February, but price drops in some areas have fuelled worries over the housing market’s recovery. The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index showed house prices rose by 0.6 per cent in February compared with the same month a year ago [...]
Consumer confidence up in US… April 27, 2010 US consumer confidence rose in April, reaching its highest level since September 2008, the Conference Board said yesterday. The consumer confidence index rose to 57.9 in April, compared with 52.3 in March.
…and Germany optimistic too April 27, 2010 German consumer sentiment is likely to jump going into May as households’ view of the economy and income expectations brighten, the GfK market research group said yesterday. The GfK consumer sentiment indicator, based on a survey of 2,000 Germans, rose to 3.8 for May from a revised reading of 3.4 for April.
Fund managers in demand April 27, 2010 FUND manager recruitment is on the rise as investors look to take advantage of new opportunities in battered markets, research published yesterday revealed. Last year management consultancy group Mercer advised on 826 fund manager searches globally, marking a 22 per cent rise on 2008 when they only advised on 676 searches. Mercer said the numbers [...]
A hung parliament means weighing up policies April 27, 2010 YOUGOV polling suggests a hung parliament is likely. In these circumstances, each of the parties has the power to block legislation. So how can they take decisions which its supporters find acceptable, given the data shown in the graph? We have looked at the attitudes of different party supporters on four of the big issues [...]
European insurance industry is braced for pickup in M&A activity April 27, 2010 THE European insurance sector is set for a wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, as companies look for growth opportunities over the next year, Moody’s said yesterday. M&A volume had fallen sharply over the past couple of years, but recent stabilisation of capital markets would provide scope for consolidation, the credit ratings agency added. [...]
Amadeus IPO sees success at €11 a share April 27, 2010 Travel reservations firm Amadeus last night shrugged off a fickle listings market and closed books on a €1.36bn (£1.18bn) initial public offering (IPO) with the sale four times oversubscribed. The IPO priced at €11 per share, above the midpoint of the price range which was set at €9.2 to €12.2 per share when it was [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS April 27, 2010 BAVARIAN NORDIC Standard & Poor’s Equity Research (S&P) has maintained a “strong buy” stance on Bavarian Nordic after the biotechnology group released its first quarter figures. S&P says that the company’s maintained outlook is encouraging. It suggests the IMVAMUNE smallpox vaccine delivery will commence soon as production costs and inventory are up. UBC MEDIA GROUP [...]