British consumers remain cautious over year ahead April 29, 2010 BRITISH consumers are still cautious about the future for both their personal finances and the general economic situation, the latest consumer confidence survey from GfK NOP will show today. The overall consumer confidence index dipped by one point in April to -16, but is still well above last April’s figure of -27. The uptick in the [...]
HOUSE PRICES RISE FURTHER IN APRIL April 29, 2010 HOUSE prices rose one per cent in April according to Nationwide, in spite of concerns about a double-dip slump in the UK housing market. The upwardly-revised March figure of one per cent fully offset the dip in February. The annual change is now at 10.5 per cent, the first double-digit annual rise since June 2007.
Eurozone retail sales fall in April April 29, 2010 Survey data from Markit revealed that retail sales in the Eurozone fell for a fourth successive month in April but the pace of decline slowed. The index rose to 47.2 from 46.9 in March but remained below the 50 level that separates growth from contraction. Sales in Germany fell at a sharper rate while France [...]
Lending to Eurozone firms drops April 29, 2010 Lending to Eurozone firms fell in March, according to fresh data from the European Central Bank (ECB). Figures showed that corporate borrowing fell by €7bn (£6bn) in March compared to February, and was 2.4 per cent weaker on March 2009. This was offset by a €16bn increase in lending to households, with most of the [...]
Eurozone consumers still upbeat April 29, 2010 Sovereign debt woes have not yet dampened consumer sentiment in the Eurozone, an EC survey showed yesterday. The economic sentiment indicator rose to a 25-month high of 100.6 points from March’s upwardly revised 97.9. Data was collected prior to this week.
Cut-price Sky Sports moves a step closer April 29, 2010 SKY’S stranglehold over subscription TV took a hit yesterday as a court refused to postpone a ruling forcing it to slash the price it can charge rivals for Premier League football. The ruling guarantees top flight games will be available across four platforms by the start of next season. Sky, led by chief executive Jeremy [...]
Popularity of HD services helps profits to rocket April 29, 2010 A RUSH on Sky’s HD services helped to more than double its profits in the last nine months. An astonishing 428,000 viewers signed up to its HD services, a leap of 76 per cent year-on-year. The surge dragged the average annual customer spend over the £500 mark for the first time. The broadcaster will hope [...]
Panel verdict: Cameron wins debate again April 29, 2010 DAVID Cameron won last night’s leaders’ debate by a clear margin, according to our rapid response panel. We asked a rapid response group from the City A.M. / PoliticsHome.com Panel of London’s financiers and business professionals to give each of the leaders a score out of 10 for performance and content. According to the Panel, [...]
King: Cuts will destroy next government April 29, 2010 THE party that wins the election will be out of power for a generation because of the scale of spending cuts needed to slash Britain’s yawning £163bn budget deficit, according to Mervyn King. American economist David Hale said the Bank of England governor told him the next government will jeopardise its political survival because of [...]
Santander in £426m profit April 29, 2010 SANTANDER, the eurozone’s largest bank, grew its UK profits by more than 15 per cent in the first quarter as it bit off a greater market share in mortgage lending. The Spanish giant yesterday said trading profits were £426m in the three months to March. In a challenge to Britain’s high street players, Santander expanded [...]