BBA boosted by cold winter August 6, 2013 AIRCRAFT services company BBA Aviation reported in its half-year results yesterday that freezing winter temperatures helped lift pre-tax profits by 14 per cent. The firm – whose services include refuelling planes and repairing engines – attributed the rise in profits to raised demand for de-icing products during the cold snap that gripped the UK and [...]
888 gambles on US market August 6, 2013 BETTING firm 888 said yesterday it will launch online poker and casino services in the US state of New Jersey. Although federal law forbids online gambling, three states are using their own legislation to usurp Congress in the hope of gaining lucrative tax revenues. The online gambling company announced the move in its second quarter [...]
Best of the Brokers for 7 August 2013 August 6, 2013 VODAFONE Morgan Stanley remains positive on the phone company, keeping its “overweight” rating and 210p. The broker is bullish on telecoms in India, which makes around seven per cent of Vodafone’s earnings, and expects to see margins rise. MONEYSUPERMARKET UBS has moved its rating on the price comparison site from “buy” to “neutral” and lowered [...]
London Report: Mining shares lead FTSE lower in thin trading August 6, 2013 THE UK’S blue-chip share index fell in thin, volatile trade yesterday as a selloff in mining stocks, led by Fresnillo, more than offset gains in financials. Shares in Fresnillo dived 10.9 per cent in volume more than twice their 90-day average after the precious metals miner cut its dividend due to a fall in the [...]
New York Report: Stocks slide on Fed officials’ hawkish hints August 6, 2013 US STOCKS slid for a second consecutive day yesterday after comments from a pair of US Federal Reserve officials left investors uncertain about the timing of a possible reduction in its bond-buying programme. Dennis Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said the Fed could begin trimming the size of the stimulus programme [...]
Economic data picks up but the Bank must clarify its position on inflation August 6, 2013 THIS week has seen a further significant pick-up in the economic data. The Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed services output in July rising at the fastest pace since the boom-times of 2006. The “composite PMI” (which includes manufacturing and construction as well as services) rose at its fastest ever recorded rate since the index [...]
Against the Grain: Even more powerful than an earthquake: The Don Bradman phenomenon August 6, 2013 THE holiday season is in full swing, and many have been more focused on cricket than on the state of the economy. Like in all team sports, a favourite pastime of fans is to argue over their choices of the greatest ever team or player. But there is one person who is an automatic choice. [...]
Our retail industry has a bright future – but it must adapt to survive August 6, 2013 A ROW of boarded up shops is not how we want our high street to look. But since the beginning of the recession, a high number of retail casualties have been claimed – great stalwarts of the high street like Woolworths and HMV among them. Despite flickering hopes of economic recovery, it is unlikely that [...]
Letters to the editor – 07/08 – Human ingenuity, Education reform, Best of Twitter August 6, 2013 Human ingenuity [Re: All hail the boffin burger: The next step in human nutrition, yesterday] We’re proud of our chefs for their innovative dishes. But experimentation can also help in tackling the age-old problem of food scarcity. Ideas like this artificial burger are becoming a reality, promising an age of cheap and nutritious food. Yet too often [...]
Investment Comment: Taking Aim with your Isa investments August 6, 2013 AT THE beginning of this week, the government removed an unpopular restriction on Individual Savings Accounts (Isas). Now, for the first time, investors with the confidence to select individual shares for their stocks and shares Isa are able to invest in companies listed on the junior Alternative Investment Market (Aim). Preventing investors from putting Aim [...]
