John Lewis toasts “outstanding” Christmas sales High Street bellwether retailer John Lewis has said its sales throughout the Christmas period were “outstanding” at almost £600m. Sales rose 9.3 per cent to £596m in the five weeks to the end of December, compared with the same period in 2010, the owner of Peter Jones and Waitrose said. Like for like sales were [...]
German bond sale sees demand fall short Germany has sold €4.06bn (£3.39bn) of 10-year government bonds in its first auction of the year but demand fell short of the full €5bn on offer. Demand was notably better than at the launch of the January 2022 bond in November when fewer bids were worth less than the €6bn on offer, resulting in almost [...]
Surge in US construction and factory data at year-end US construction spending surged to nearly an 18-month high in November, new data shows, as investment in public and private projects rose solidly. Construction spending increased 1.2 per cent to an annual rate of $807.1bn (£520.4bn), the highest level since June 2010, the US Commerce Department has said. A separate report also shows that US [...]
Horta-Osório to return to Lloyds as it prepares to sell branches to Co-Op December 14, 2011 António Horta-Osório will return to Lloyds Banking Group as chief executive on 9 January next year, the bank has said, after taking two months of medical leave. Lloyds said the board had “completed a rigorous process, including obtaining independent medical advice, to assess António’s ability to return and effectively lead the group.” “The independent medical [...]
US retail sales growth weak in November December 13, 2011 US retail sales grew less than forecast in November, tempering some of the expectations for a strong holiday season that had been raised by signs of bumper Thanksgiving weekend sales. Total retail sales increased 0.2 per cent after rising by an upwardly revised 0.6 per cent in October, as less spending on food and beverages [...]
US retail sales growth weak in November December 13, 2011 US retail sales grew less than forecast in November, tempering some of the expectations for a strong holiday season that had been raised by signs of bumper Thanksgiving weekend sales. Total retail sales increased 0.2 per cent after rising by an upwardly revised 0.6 per cent in October, as less spending on food and beverages [...]
Eurozone bond yields fall at auction December 13, 2011 Eurozone government bond yields have fallen today at auctions of new debt by Spain and Belgium, but investors remain nervous as fears mount that sovereign credit ratings will be downgraded soon. Spain’s Treasury easily sold €4.9bn (£4.1bn) of 12- and 18-month Treasury bills, above the top end of the targeted range, at rates of almost [...]
Eurozone bond yields fall at auction December 13, 2011 Eurozone government bond yields have fallen today at auctions of new debt by Spain and Belgium, but investors remain nervous as fears mount that sovereign credit ratings will be downgraded soon. Spain’s Treasury easily sold €4.9bn (£4.1bn) of 12- and 18-month Treasury bills, above the top end of the targeted range, at rates of almost [...]
FTSE up despite Europe summit concerns December 9, 2011 The UK’s top share index has closed higher as investors took the positives from the agreements at the European summit. Talk of potential Chinese investment in Europe and improving economic data in the US also lifted sentiment. While not the emphatic solution to the Eurozone’s two-year old debt crisis some had hoped for, EU countries [...]
FTSE up despite Europe summit concerns December 9, 2011 The UK’s top share index has closed higher as investors took the positives from the agreements at the European summit. Talk of potential Chinese investment in Europe and improving economic data in the US also lifted sentiment. While not the emphatic solution to the Eurozone’s two-year old debt crisis some had hoped for, EU countries [...]
