German unemployment falls by 15,000 January 7, 2014 Good news for Germany as unemployment fell for the first time in five months in December – by 15,000. The jobless rate stayed steady at 6.9 per cent. Expectations were for no fall from November's figure of 10,000. Christian Schulz of Berenberg: Strong labour market data raises the chances of stronger wage growth in 2014 [...]
Topps Tiles’ fortunes follow housing market January 7, 2014 Topps Tiles, the UK's largest tile and wood floorings specialist, saw a 9.3 per cent jump in like-for-like revenues over the run up to Christmas – in the 13 weeks ending 28 December. For a company that helps people refurbish their homes, how well Topps does is closely linked to the housing market (people do [...]
Labour calls for showdown with betting machines January 7, 2014 The Labour party will use an opposition day on Wednesday to force a vote on its plans to crack down on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs). The machines allow players to bet on a variety of games, with payouts reaching as much as £500. Labour leader Ed Miliband has attacked FOBTs labelling them as "dangerously [...]
What you need to know before the open – 07/01 January 7, 2014 Despite another negative close in the US last night, and mixed data from both sides of the Atlantic, it still looks like Europe will open up this morning, matching gains in US stock index futures. From ETX Capital: At 0430 BST today, DJIA futures are trading 24.0 points higher. At 0430 BST today, FTSE 100 [...]
EasyJet rings in New Year with steady growth January 7, 2014 EasyJet continues to show steady growth, as passengers opting to fly with the low-cost airline continued to increase through December 2013. The company saw passenger numbers rise by 3.5 per cent compared to the same time last year, reaching a total of 4.3m. This marks further improvement for the company which posted positive numbers for [...]
Centrica finance chief moves to Reed Elsevier January 7, 2014 Publisher and information provider Reed Elsevier has announced this morning that Nick Luff, formerly chief financial officer (CFO) of energy firm Centrica, will be joining its ranks in the same position. In a separate statement, Centrica said that a search for a replacement for Luff is currently underway. Luff has been CFO at Centrica since 2007. [...]
France’s failed socialist experiment is turning into a tragedy January 7, 2014 FRANCE is still France – and that, tragically, is why that great country and its wonderful people are doomed to decline further this year, and why even more successful French business folk, entrepreneurs and professionals will move to London over the next 12 months. While many other countries are recovering strongly, France is sinking again, [...]
Fed taper not a grave threat to the Fragile Five January 6, 2014 But 2014 will see heightened political risk in emerging markets FOR MANY emerging market investors, 2013 will go down as a year to forget. The MSCI emerging market equity index fell from highs of over 1,055 at the beginning of the year to less than 884 in June, ending the year 5 per cent down [...]
CNBC Comment: Global markets in 2014: What to expect January 6, 2014 IT’S A new year, and I received the most important present just before Christmas. In 2014, I will never again have to ask whether the US Federal Reserve will start tapering its asset purchase programme. The relief of that single fact cannot be overestimated, and I would like to personally thank Ben Bernanke and the rest [...]
DailyFX: Analyst picks January 6, 2014 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Looking to buy euro-Aussie dollar and euro-yen Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few weeks In the absence of further central bank stimulus, a return of growth to Europe should bring a return of capital in 2014. Ahead of the [...]