Hope of bright 2013 in UK lifted by 15-month factory activity high January 2, 2013 ECONOMISTS registered hope for the UK economy after factory data out yesterday put December as the best month since mid-2011. The UK’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) climbed to 51.4 in December, Markit said, a 15-month high, and up from 49.1 in November. This pushed the sector back above the crucial no-change level of 50 and [...]
Legal threat to Portugal cuts January 2, 2013 PORTUGAL’S austerity budget faces a legal challenge after the country’s President yesterday referred the plans to the nation’s supreme court. Aníbal Cavaco Silva wants to ensure cuts to pensions and public sector pay are constitutional because they do not affect all citizens. If the legal challenge is successful the Portuguese government could be forced to [...]
Germany leads fresh decline in Eurozone manufacturing woes January 2, 2013 EUROZONE manufacturing woes went on in December, as German factory activity declined further. The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for manufacturing in the Eurozone edged down to 46.1 in December, from 46.2 a month earlier, Markit said yesterday. The German PMI was 46.0, down from 46.8 in November, as the formerly resilient economy found itself unable [...]
CVC buys Italian firm for €1.1bn January 2, 2013 Funds advised by CVC Capital Partners said yesterday they had agreed to buy Italian data provider Cerved from private equity firms Bain Capital and Clessidra for €1.13bn (£0.9bn) to tap the growing credit market. Cerved provides credit records to 90 per cent of Italian banks.
Buffett’s $2.5bn solar gamble January 2, 2013 A company controlled by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway yesterday agreed to buy two large solar power projects in California from SunPower Corp for up to $2.5bn (£1.5bn) in proceeds and related contracts. The projects are expected to be finished during 2015.
KitKat’s four fingers trademarked January 2, 2013 Chocolate maker Nestle yesterday won a trademark case over the shape of its iconic KitKat product, meaning it now has exclusive rights to make four-fingered chocolate bars. The KitKat was invented in York in 1935 by Rowntree’s and more than a billion are sold every year in the UK.
Gigs at Olympic Stadium this year January 2, 2013 The Olympic Stadium is set to reopen this July to host a series of rock concerts after promoters were forced to cut down the number of large-scale concerts held in Hyde Park. The news, revealed by BBC London, will be a boost to the capital’s live music promoters following a series of noise complaints at Hyde [...]
Digital sales hit £1bn as CDs and DVDs in decline January 2, 2013 BRITISH consumers spent more than £1bn on downloads of films, music and games in 2012, as sales of CDs and DVDs declined. Industry data released yesterday showed that digital entertainment spending rose by 11.4 per cent last year to reach a record £1.033bn. However, this growth did not make up for a decline in CD [...]
Microsoft’s new Windows 8 not making waves January 2, 2013 MICROSOFT’S flagship new software, Windows 8, has seen weak sales in its opening weeks on sale, and is now installed on less than two per cent of computers worldwide, data released yesterday claimed. Market share research from statistics firm Net Applications showed that the redesigned operating system, released at the end of October, is installed [...]
Apple tests new phone amid talk of early launch January 2, 2013 APPLE is testing a new version of its iPhone, as well as new iOS software for the device, heightening speculation that it will release its next handset earlier than expected. App developers have noticed that usage logs – records to track what devices are using their apps – include references to an “iPhone 6.1” identifier. [...]
