Bank to announce on new notes December 17, 2013 The Bank of England is expected to push forward plans to move to polymer bank-notes today, as the public consultation over the change comes to an end. The Bank floated the idea earlier in the year, and assessed public views at events around the country. The new material may come into use for new £5 [...]
Bumi meeting backs new name December 17, 2013 Coal mining giant Bumi confirmed their split from the Bakrie family that helped set the firm up, setting the course for the firm to be renamed Asia Resource Minerals. A shareholder meeting yesterday concluded the separation, as the Bakries agreed to sell their share of Bumi to Samin Tan, one of Indonesia’s richest men. Nat [...]
Moscow to assist Yanukovich December 17, 2013 The Russian government has offered a major package of economic assistance to embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, who is facing huge protests in his own country. Russia is now set to buy $15bn (£9.22bn) of Ukrainian bonds to help boost the country’s public finances. Moscow is also slashing the price that Ukraine pays for Russian [...]
Boris Island is kept afloat in airport report December 17, 2013 HEATHROW and Gatwick have been picked as the best sites for a new runway by the government’s Airports Commission – but the Boris-backed proposal for a hub in the Thames Estuary has been given a possible lifeline. The independent commission left the Estuary plan off its shortlist yesterday, calling it “imaginative”, “uncertain” and “extremely expensive”– [...]
Carney warns growth may be weak for several years to come December 17, 2013 BRITAIN has not yet recovered from the full effects of the financial crisis, and may take several years to return to strong and sustainable economic growth, Bank of England governor Mark Carney warned yesterday. Although economic growth in recent months has been higher than he expected, the forecast is not entirely positive, he said. The [...]
Inflation falls to 2009 levels December 17, 2013 PRICE rises slowed unexpectedly last month, the Office for National Statistics said yesterday, as the winter rise in energy bills kicks in later than usual. Inflation came in at 2.1 per cent, down from 2.2 per cent in the previous month and down to the lowest level since November 2009. Price rises have exceeded the [...]
House of Fraser could be sold December 17, 2013 DEPARTMENT store House of Fraser is in advanced talks with opulent French retailer Galeries Lafayette about a takeover. The French company is closing in on a deal to buy the British favourite after the two entered exclusive negotiations. The talks, first reported by the FT, cast doubt on a touted float of the company next [...]
Record year for US watchdog as sanctions surge December 17, 2013 THE SECURITIES and Exchange Commission (SEC) raked in $3.4bn (£2.09bn) in fines during the last financial year, the highest in the history of the organisation. The US financial watchdog announced yesterday that it had levied the record amount in the year to September, a 10 per cent hike from last year. Despite the fact that [...]
Bottom Line: Aldi and Lidl are not just for Christmas December 17, 2013 IF, AS the saying goes, the customer is always right, then the future of British grocery shopping could soon start to look very different. In the past three months, one in two of us has been to either Aldi or Lidl – the so-called budget supermarkets that now make up a combined seven per cent of [...]
Jefferies profits soar thanks to recovery boosting stock market December 17, 2013 INVESTMENT bank Jefferies saw record fourth quarter profits in the three months to 30 November, the institution said yesterday. Net earnings soared to $120m (£73.7m), up 67.7 per cent on the same period of 2012. Net revenue increased 21.7 per cent to $935.7m while non-pay expenses edged up 6.4 per cent to $198.1m. The success [...]