ABI: Darling must end ‘ill considered’ taxes July 24, 2008 Chancellor Alistair Darling must put an end to “ill-considered” tax measures and create greater tax certainty to enable British businesses to compete internationally and encourage investment from overseas, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). A report published today puts forward a series of proposals that it thinks will help see Britain through the [...]
Optimism remains possible amid the economic meltdown July 24, 2008 UK economic news over the last week has been bad. Consumer prices are now increasing at an annual rate of 3.8 per cent, almost double the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target. Inflation is now likely to reach almost 5 per cent by the autumn. At the same time, the labour market is being [...]
Pips and pairs: forex trading comes to a screen near you July 23, 2008 Phil Thornton takes a look at some of the new retail forex platforms out there Just a decade ago, the closest that even the savviest investors came to foreign exchange trading was deciding when and where to buy foreign currency for their summer holiday. Thanks to financial liberalisation and massive advances in technology, private investors [...]
A good trading plan is the first step if you want to make money with CFDs July 23, 2008 You could come a cropper if you don’t have information at your fingertips, says David James Norman Trading with contracts for difference (CFDs) can be a complicated undertaking. That is why arguably the most important part of successful CFD trading is to have a clear plan. Think of your CFD trading like a business: it [...]
Designer drugs are all the rage, but do you need chemical help to get ahead? July 23, 2008 More people in the City are taking uppers and downers to help them work, rest and play Yet again this week the news has been full of stories about new wonder-drugs, and tales of successful types taking Ritalin or modafinil, drugs which are prescribed for, respectively, ADHD and Alzheimer’s. Apparently, when given to healthy people [...]
Brown hints at Iraq troop withdrawals July 23, 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown played up an improving security situation in Iraq yesterday and said the number of British troops there could continue to come down as key security tasks were completed. Brown told parliament the 4,100 British troops serving in Iraq would stay for the “next few months” but said he expected to see [...]
Crusaders and Salford get the nod to contest new-look Super League July 23, 2008 Rugby Football League chief Richard Lewis admitted selecting licenses for the new-look Super League was a “difficult decision” after several top clubs missed out. All 12 of the existing Super League clubs retained their place in the 14-club top-flight, joined by National Leaguers Salford City Reds and Celtic Crusaders. Licenses run until 2011, with no [...]
McCanns are in the clear July 22, 2008 Portugal’s chief public prosecutor yesterday dropped the case on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann pending any new leads and cleared her parents of suspicion of involvement. Prosecutor Fernando Pinto Monteiro said in a statement a third suspect, Robert Murat, a Briton living in Portugal, was also cleared. “The public prosecutor’s office has determined that the [...]
Bank of America adds cheer to bank stocks July 22, 2008 Shares in Bank of America, the largest retail bank in the US, surged after the mortgage lender revealed better-than expected second quarter results, despite a 41 per cent drop in profits and a rise in bad loans. The stock climbed 6 per cent higher after the bank topped earnings forecasts, boosting confidence amongst investors that [...]
More firms on brink of bankruptcy July 21, 2008 The number of companies in Britain that are facing bankruptcy rose 685 per cent in the last year, new figures have revealed. Some 4,258 firms faced “critical problems” – defined as being embroiled in some kind of insolvency related legal action – in the second quarter of 2008, compared with just 542 in the same [...]
