THE TIPSTER Swiss franc finds itself in neutral territory against the dollar March 27, 2012 WITH the dollar taking a hit this week, the Swiss franc has rallied to four-week highs against the greenback. But right now, the pair is in the middle of nowhere, with good support waiting below to offer buy opportunities at SFr0.8950 and strong resistance sitting above at SFr0.9150. Might be best to wait and see [...]
Nissan Micra: not so cute now March 27, 2012 THE Nissan Micra is not a car that usually sets hearts racing. But with the latest DIG-S model, Nissan is hoping to persuade commuters that you don’t need to buy a a diesel-powered car to achieve great mileage. Its supercharger is bolted to its 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine to squeeze as much fuel economy and power [...]
EU lawmakers want tougher rules on banker bonuses March 27, 2012 Bankers’ bonuses should be capped at twice their basic pay and “golden hellos” handed back if performance disappoints, European Union lawmakers said. The bloc’s parliament and member states are approving a draft law to implement Basel III, global rules to toughen up bank capital and liquidity requirements from 2013 to plug regulatory gaps highlighted by [...]
Royal Mail privatisation set for start of 2014 March 27, 2012 Royal Mail is readying for privatisation in the first quarter of 2014, according to chief executive Moya Greene. “I don’t think that it is impossible that we could be in a deal mode in 2013, but personally I think it is probably more likely to be the first quarter in 2014. My preference and I [...]
Banks buoyed by Abu Dhabi move for RBS stake March 27, 2012 Banks fuelled FTSE 100 gains this morning after the sector was lifted by reports that Abu Dhabi was considering making a bid for RBS assets. Talks between Abu Dhabi and the British government over a stake in state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland are at the level of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, a source close [...]
Total gas leak now triggers evacuation of Shell workers March 27, 2012 A growing gas cloud from a leak at a platform operated by Total off Scotland has forced Shell to remove some workers from two nearby rigs for safety reasons. The gas leak on a rig operated by the French firm began on Sunday and has formed a cloud dense enough to be seen by workers [...]
Barclays has “encouraging” start to year says Diamond March 27, 2012 Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond said the bank has had an “encouraging” start to the year, across key areas such as retail and investment banking. Commercial and investment banking had enjoyed a “pleasing” increase in volumes, continuing a strong January, Diamond told Reuters, repeating comments made to analysts and investors at a Morgan Stanley conference. [...]
RBS shares rise as Abu Dhabi mulls buying stake March 27, 2012 Talks between Abu Dhabi and the British government over a stake in state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland are at the level of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, a source close to the ruling family said. It is too early to say whether a deal will come through, the source told Reuters. But RBS was the [...]
Resolution profit rises as it prepares split March 27, 2012 Insurer Resolution reported better-than-expected 2011 profit, helped by a one-off boost from outsourcing, and said it was working on a plan to split itself into two to make itself more attractive to investors. Resolution, created in 2008 to buy underperforming life insurers and merge them into a more profitable whole, made an operating profit of [...]
Wolseley profit rises but Europe still drags March 27, 2012 Wolseley, the world’s biggest building supplies company, said recent growth had slowed on weaker trading in Europe, as it posted a 28 per cent rise in first-half profit. Wolseley, operator of the Plumb Centre and Ferguson chains in Britain and the United States, said pre-tax profit in the six months to end-Jan was £250m, with [...]
