US economic recovery looks weak as manufacturing orders take a hit February 28, 2012 US MANUFACTURING orders were weak and house prices kept tumbling last month, data out yesterday showed – though consumer confidence did rise in February. Durable goods orders fell four per cent in January, the Commerce Department said yesterday – the largest fall since January 2009 when the country was mired in recession. The orders rose [...]
Consumers remain cautious but show signs for optimism February 28, 2012 CONFIDENCE in the UK remained at very low levels this month, according to a survey published today. The GfK NOP index showed consumers feel slightly less negative about their financial situation over the past year, but are still worried about the general economic situation and are more concerned about making large purchases. The overall index [...]
House prices stabilised in January on falling supply February 28, 2012 HOUSE prices stabilised in January, the Land Registry said yesterday, as the market in London and the south east continued to rise much more strongly than the rest of England and Wales. Prices nationwide rose 1.1 per cent in the month, but remain down one per cent compared with January 2011. London’s prices were up [...]
Savers are not using full ISA allowances February 28, 2012 AS the deadline for this year’s ISA allowance approaches on 5 April, research claims that just half of Britons will contribute to the tax-free schemes, with the UK’s total ISA savings falling £182bn short of the combined allowance for the year. Mainly citing financial restraints such as paying off credit card bills, those who do plan [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS February 28, 2012 Houlihan Lokey Stephen Winningham has joined the international investment bank as managing director, and co-head of European corporate finance in the firm’s London office. Winningham was until recently head of major corporates at Lloyds Banking Group, overseeing the group’s coverage of UK and US investment grade corporate clients. Prior to this, he was global head [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS February 28, 2012 BANCO ESPIRITO SANTO Nomura has maintained its negative view on Portuguese banks, but sees Banco Espirito Santo as better placed versus its domestic peers against a possible Portuguese debt restructuring. The broker also says it faces a lower shortfall than others against capital requirements for 2012 issued by both the Bank of Portugal and the [...]
FTSE jumps on prospect of new cash injection from ECB February 28, 2012 THE FTSE 100 crept into positive territory yesterday, with miners tracking metal prices higher as the anticipation of cheap European Central Bank loans flooding the financial system boosted the outlook for raw materials demand and for lending. London’s blue-chip index closed up 12.36 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5,927.91, as gains were capped after [...]
Dow closes above 13,000 milestone February 28, 2012 THE DOW closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008 yesterday and the Standard & Poor’s 500 also hit a milestone, as buoyant US consumer confidence data and a sharp drop in oil prices nudged the nearly five-month rally forward. The S&P 500 closed above 1,370, its May 2011 intraday high, a move [...]
Accommodating the greatest show on earth by calling on a global team February 28, 2012 COUNTDOWN TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES 149 DAYS TO GO Chris Hale explains why it makes sense to be the official hotel services provider to this summer’s Games Q. What was your brand’s primary reason for being involved with the Games? A. There are many compelling reasons why we have chosen to be a [...]
Hysteria over student visas is damaging our reputation and Britain’s future growth February 28, 2012 THE UK’s higher education sector is an export success story. Only the United States recruits more international students. Those from outside the European Union contribute £2.5bn each year in fees to our universities and spend a further £2.5bn while they are here. If students in further education and private sector colleges are included, the figure [...]
