SPQR correction April 29, 2010 On 23 January we wrote that investors in the hedge fund SPQR lost £1.3bn in the pre-pack administration of Greek telecoms group Wind Hellas. In fact SPQR was only one of a number of investors in Wind Hellas, who together lost a combined total of £1.3bn. SPQR itself only lost a small amount which we [...]
Tighter fiscal policy needed for weak UK April 29, 2010 BESET by fiscal troubles and subdued consumer spending, the UK economy will only manage to grow by one per cent this year before picking up slightly in 2011 and 2012, the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (Niesr) will say today in its latest raft of forecasts. The think-tank expects that four-fifths of this [...]
CITY VIEWS: WILL GREECE’S DIFFICULTIES LEAD TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE EURO? April 29, 2010 OLIVER SADLER | ALLSOP “I think the IMF will stand in to stabilise Greece and prevent the contagion from spreading to other European countries. I don’t think the euro will collapse as a result of the Greek crisis.” JAMES BURGESS | TEMENOS “Its a positive thing that all of the nations in Europe are working [...]
British consumers remain cautious over year ahead April 29, 2010 BRITISH consumers are still cautious about the future for both their personal finances and the general economic situation, the latest consumer confidence survey from GfK NOP will show today. The overall consumer confidence index dipped by one point in April to -16, but is still well above last April’s figure of -27. The uptick in the [...]
HOUSE PRICES RISE FURTHER IN APRIL April 29, 2010 HOUSE prices rose one per cent in April according to Nationwide, in spite of concerns about a double-dip slump in the UK housing market. The upwardly-revised March figure of one per cent fully offset the dip in February. The annual change is now at 10.5 per cent, the first double-digit annual rise since June 2007.
Eurozone retail sales fall in April April 29, 2010 Survey data from Markit revealed that retail sales in the Eurozone fell for a fourth successive month in April but the pace of decline slowed. The index rose to 47.2 from 46.9 in March but remained below the 50 level that separates growth from contraction. Sales in Germany fell at a sharper rate while France [...]
Lending to Eurozone firms drops April 29, 2010 Lending to Eurozone firms fell in March, according to fresh data from the European Central Bank (ECB). Figures showed that corporate borrowing fell by €7bn (£6bn) in March compared to February, and was 2.4 per cent weaker on March 2009. This was offset by a €16bn increase in lending to households, with most of the [...]
Eurozone consumers still upbeat April 29, 2010 Sovereign debt woes have not yet dampened consumer sentiment in the Eurozone, an EC survey showed yesterday. The economic sentiment indicator rose to a 25-month high of 100.6 points from March’s upwardly revised 97.9. Data was collected prior to this week.
Cut-price Sky Sports moves a step closer April 29, 2010 SKY’S stranglehold over subscription TV took a hit yesterday as a court refused to postpone a ruling forcing it to slash the price it can charge rivals for Premier League football. The ruling guarantees top flight games will be available across four platforms by the start of next season. Sky, led by chief executive Jeremy [...]
Popularity of HD services helps profits to rocket April 29, 2010 A RUSH on Sky’s HD services helped to more than double its profits in the last nine months. An astonishing 428,000 viewers signed up to its HD services, a leap of 76 per cent year-on-year. The surge dragged the average annual customer spend over the £500 mark for the first time. The broadcaster will hope [...]
