BP and BG: Looking into the cryst-oil ball February 3, 2014 Hot on the heels of Royal Dutch Shell’s predictably poor results last week, the market is not feeling too optimistic over tomorrow’s corporate updates from FTSE 100 oil peers BP and BG. BG ‘did a Shell’ last week, slashing forecasts right, left and centre ahead of its results announcement, so the market already knows that [...]
Blinkx on the road to recovery after Hallmark deal February 3, 2014 Online video search company Blinkx started to turn around an otherwise disastrous week today with an announcement that it has done a major content deal with the US Hallmark TV Channel. Blinkx saw its share price collapse over 30 per cent on Thursday after a critical blog post by a Harvard business professor raised concerns [...]
Conservative MEP likens EU to Soviet Union February 3, 2014 Conservative MEP David Campbell-Bannerman has found a nice long stick to prod America with over its support of the EU. In a speech at the Margaret Thatcher Centre in Washington he likened Europe to “a lighter, less onerous Soviet Union” and told his American audience that it is ultimately “more foe than friend.” He went [...]
The battle for Smithfield Market is heating up. Here’s what you need to know February 3, 2014 As the day of public inquiry into the redevelopment the western end of Smithfield Market approaches, both sides – developer and multi-billion pound investment management firm Henderson on one side and SAVE Britain’s Heritage on the other – are gearing up with their respective arguments for and against Henderson’s proposed scheme. Here is a brief [...]
Pictures: Janet Yellen sworn in as Fed chair February 3, 2014 This afternoon Janet Yellen was sworn in as the first female Fed chair in its 100-year history. Yellen was sworn in by Fed governor Daniel Tarullo, the senior member of the Fed’s board.
America has just seen two big manufacturing growth misses February 3, 2014 The US has just gone zero for two. After the disappointing Markit manufacturing growth data we saw earlier, ISM manufacturing points to a gloomy start for 2014. The headline purchasing managers' index (PMI) number came in at just 51.3 for January – a huge drop from 56.5 in September. Analysts had expected a much smaller [...]
Former Fed chair Bernanke to take Brookings job February 3, 2014 A big hire for Brookings. They've got former Fed chairman Ben Bernanke on board, after eight years at the head of the central bank. Bernanke's new title is that of "distinguished fellow in reisdence" at the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. Here's what David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center, has to say [...]
US manufacturing growth misses in January February 3, 2014 A poor start to this afternoon's US data releases. The Markit manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) has stayed flat at 53.7 in January. Analysts had been expecting a small rise to 53.8. Any number above 50 implies expansion, so the sector certainly isn't dying just yet. We're still having to account for the bad weather [...]
What you need to know before the US open – 03/02 February 3, 2014 January was a pretty bluesy month for US stocks – their worst since May 2012 – and February looks unlikely to kick off any better. Stocks will track their European counterparts lower, with the S&P 500 expected to open flat. The Dow is expected up 15 and the Nasdaq up two points. Manufacturing data is [...]
Watch the first footage of TV hit ’24’ filmed in the City February 3, 2014 It's the stuff of dreams. A. The next series of 24 is on its way. B. Part of it has been filmed in London. Film crews were spotted on Cobb Street in Aldgate back on 22 January and now Fox has released the footage, titled "Street Chaos | 24: Live Another Day". Cobb Street, [...]