Attaglance looks set to continue Jefferson’s fine record at Prestbury Park December 12, 2013 MALCOLM Jefferson has enjoyed some tremendous success at Cheltenham in recent years and he could be celebrating in the winner’s enclosure again tomorrow as I like the look of his ATTAGLANCE in the Stewart Family Thank You Gold Cup (2.25pm). Even though the seven-year-old is yet to win over fences, and admittedly had a poor [...]
Britain starts spending again December 11, 2013 CONSUMERS are splashing their cash again after several years of belt-tightening, new figures revealed yesterday. Spending has jumped 3.3 per cent in the year so far, outstripping inflation, as the recovery gathers speed and shoppers regain confidence. The data from Barclaycard, which consists of a significant chunk of credit and debit card transactions in the [...]
Lloyds and RBS slapped with £90m in fines December 11, 2013 RBS and Lloyds Banking Group were yesterday hit by a combined £90m worth of fines from regulators in the UK and US. Lloyds was asked to pay £28m for “serious failings” in relation to bonus schemes for sales staff, marking the largest fine that the Financial Conduct Authority or its predecessor, the Financial Services Authority, [...]
Heavy fog shrouds Canary Wharf December 11, 2013 CANARY Wharf was shrouded in heavy fog yesterday morning causing disruption for thousands of air travellers. Around 280 flights at London’s Heathrow Airport were cancelled, with a spokesman warning there could be further cancellations today due to the backlog. At London City Airport, every flight yesterday morning was either cancelled or delayed. Travellers were advised [...]
Deficit £185bn not £90bn committee of MPs warn December 11, 2013 THE PUBLIC Accounts Committee has warned that government deficit figures may be misleading, after the whole government accounts report put the deficit at £185bn, not £90bn. The accounts, released today, examine all the assets and liabilities in the public sector between 2011 and 2012 and raise questions about the way figures are calculated. Chair of [...]
We need to stop playing politics with aviation and go for growth December 11, 2013 IT is time for our political establishment to get its act together and take the tough decisions this country needs. The case in favour of airport expansion is overwhelming. Britain has failed to build a single new full-length airport runway anywhere in the South East of the country since the Second World War (City Airport, [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 12 December 2013 December 11, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Nigeria’s missing $50bn oil cash A letter from the Central Bank of Nigeria suggests that the state oil company has failed to account for nearly $50bn in crude oil sold between January 2012 and July 2013 that should by law have been remitted to government coffers. The alleged shortfall amounts to 76 per [...]
Facebook gets S&P 500 listing December 11, 2013 SOCIAL network Facebook will join the S&P 500 index at close of trading on 20 December. It will replace Teradyne, a technology company. Facebook shares rose nearly four per cent in after-hours trading as a result of the announcement, which comes 19 months after the company started trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Shares in the [...]
Ashtead joins FTSE 100 index December 11, 2013 INTERNATIONAL equipment rental company Ashtead will join the FTSE 100 for the first time at close of trading on 20 December. The news comes as natural resources company Vedanta Resources and Croda International, a specialist chemical company both drop out of the index. Ashtead has seen its share price rise 66 per cent this year, [...]
StanChart faces questions over pace of cost cuts December 11, 2013 STANDARD Chartered, the emerging markets bank, is being urged to start taking costs out of the business as soon as possible in the hope of avoiding the need for a cash call in the New Year. “The management has got to take the market’s concerns more seriously than it is currently,” said one source close [...]