House prices up in May – but pace slows June 3, 2010 HOUSE prices rose by 0.5 per cent in last month, according to a survey by Nationwide. The lender said the increase meant prices had risen 12.2 per cent since February 2009. House prices have risen in 12 of the past 13 months on the Nationwide index, although the pace of growth appears to be slowing. [...]
BP in fresh bid to stem spill June 2, 2010 BP overcame a potentially devastating hitch last night in its efforts to plug the leak currently pumping thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The “diamond saw” used to sever a pipe connected to the damaged blown out preventer had become lodged but BP was successful in removing it. The news is [...]
M&G chief tipped for the Pru June 2, 2010 MICHAEL MCLINTOCK was touted as a successor to Tidjane Thiam at the helm of Prudential yesterday, even as the embattled executive indicated he would not resign. Thiam and his chairman, Harvey McGrath, are at the mercy of their main shareholders after their $35.5bn (£25bn) takeover of AIA was formally abandoned yesterday morning. Views among the [...]
Ferrous pulls London float June 2, 2010 BRAZILIAN iron ore firm Ferrous Resources yesterday postponed a planned listing in London that would have raised up to $400m (£273m) in one of the biggest flotations this year. “We have taken the difficult decision to postpone the initial public offering (IPO) as a result of the considerable volatility in the equity markets,” executive chairman [...]
Slow growth: the UK’s fate for 2010 June 2, 2010 THERE are many problems facing the UK economy – inflation is far too high, the crisis at BP, which accounts for one pound out of every seven paid out in dividends in the FTSE 100, is trashing the stock market, while the belt-tightening about to be announced at the emergency budget will include destructive measures [...]
Tesco’s Leahy nets £5.2m June 2, 2010 TESCO’s Sir Terry Leahy received £5.2m last year in a mixture of salary and performance-related cash and shares. The remuneration of the retailer’s chief executive compares with £5.1m the year before and is part of a boardroom pay package worth £25m compared with £22.2m last year. Leahy’s basic salary was £1.4m. The pay bonanza comes [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 2, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES ROLLS-ROYCE SPIRITS BUOYED BY GHOST Rolls-Royce says it will at least double its sales this year, thanks to the launch of its new Ghost model and a resurgance in demand for its high-priced cars around the world. Sales of the BMW-owned brand’s cars in China, where Rolls-Royce has seven dealerships, will for the [...]
Revenue contests footie debt rule June 2, 2010 Revenue & Customs has filed a writ against the Premier League in a bid to overturn the creditors rule. Under the rule, clubs coming out of administration must first settle football debts in full, while other creditors, such as Revenue, are paid later and often receive only a fraction of the sums they are owed. [...]
Traders clash over marketplace June 2, 2010 Traders clashed over the fragmentation and ultra high speed of US equities marketplace yesterday, as one charged that more traditional orders are being “gamed” but another said that high-frequency traders are unfairly vilified. The trading experts argued over what needs to be done to restore confidence after the Dow Jones industrial average mysteriously plunged some [...]
Bank’s King spurns 2.5pc salary hike June 2, 2010 BANK OF ENGLAND governor Mervyn King has turned down his right to a 2.5 per cent pay rise in both 2010 and 2011 but his annual pay packet, including benefits, will still amount to £305,764, the central bank’s annual report revealed yesterday. This is over £30,000 more per year than the highest-paid civil servant, according [...]
