Unemployment heading toward 3m, warns study February 13, 2012 UK JOBSEEKERS face the worst labour market environment since early 2009, according to a study from the Chartered Institute for Personnel (CIPD), published yesterday. A net balance of eight per cent of firms are set to cut headcount, the group’s survey showed, which is expected to take unemployment up to 2.85m by the end of [...]
FIRST TIME BUYERS HURRY TO BEAT STAMP DUTY DEADLINE February 13, 2012 THE HOUSING market saw a jump in activity in December and January as first-time buyers snapped up houses before the stamp duty exemption runs out next month, data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) showed yesterday, and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) today. Loans to first-time buyers were up 14 per cent on [...]
EU sees jump in trade to China February 13, 2012 Exports from the EU to China dramatically outgrew sales to other countries and regions in the last decade, Eurostat data revealed yesterday. The 27 countries saw exports to China rise consistently from €26bn (£21.78bn) in 2000 to €113bn in 2010, defying the overall drop in exports experienced in 2009. Imports rose from €79bn to €283bn [...]
Debt consolidation hits £1.5bn February 13, 2012 Consumers are set to borrow £1.5bn for debt consolidation in the thirst three months of 2012, according to data out yesterday from Sainsbury’s Finance. The 157,000 loans account for almost one in three of all unsecured loans taken out in the period, and average £9,800 each. “For those who perhaps have balances on credit cards [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS February 13, 2012 Avoca Capital The European credit investment manager has strengthened its credit offering by hiring Credit Suisse banker Vaibhav Piplapure, who joins as head of structured and illiquid credit. At Credit Suisse, Piplapure was most recently head of asset finance for Europe in the securitised products group. Prior to that, he was global head of the [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS February 13, 2012 RWS HOLDINGS Numis has upgraded the intellectual property support service provider from “add” to “buy” and increases its target price on the stock from 534p to 565p, after the company reported trading in its first quarter has been in line with expectations. The broker sees RWS as a highly attractive business, with solid top line [...]
FTSE breaks through 5,900 mark on Greek bailout deal February 13, 2012 BRITAIN’S leading shares index closed higher yesterday, led by commodity and financial stocks, after Greece moved a step closer to securing an international bailout and avoiding a messy default. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 53.31 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,905.70, in volume just 70 per cent of the 90-day [...]
US stocks rise and Apple hits its peak February 13, 2012 US stocks rose yesterday, with the S&P 500 near seven-month highs, after Greece’s parliament approved reforms needed to qualify for a bailout and avoid an unruly default. Apple shares closed above $500 for the first time after a gain of 1.9 per cent, leading the Nasdaq Composite to close at a more than 11-year high. [...]
Freeing Abu Qatada showed that Europe is the new judge of Britain’s national security February 13, 2012 THE release on bail yesterday of the terror suspect Abu Qatada has generated headlines around the world. Once described by a Spanish judge as “Bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe”, Qatada is wanted in a host of countries on serious charges. Our own courts and Home Office regard him as a direct threat to our [...]
The Greek riots have unmasked its tragic future February 13, 2012 THERE is a sense of malaise in Brussels after the terrible riots in Greece over the weekend. Their growing ferocity and frequency mean that EU politicians dismiss them at their own peril. In fact, this could be a glimpse into Greece’s future. Assume everything goes to plan and the Eurozone manages to muddle through; by [...]
