US new unemployment claims enjoy second December drop December 13, 2012 NEW CLAIMS for unemployment insurance fell back again in the first full week of December. Seasonally adjusted initial claims dropped 29,000 to reach 343,000 in the week ending 8 December, the Department of Labor said yesterday. This reflected a bigger than seasonally usual fall in the underlying claims, bringing them from 500,931 last week to 428,814 [...]
UK individual consumption falls to fourth in the European Union December 13, 2012 UK INDIVIDUAL consumption slid to fourth in the EU in 2011, falling behind Austria and Germany. British individuals were still able to exercise 18 per cent more purchasing power in their consumption than the EU average, Eurostat revealed yesterday, but this placed them fourth. In 2010 their consumption was a fifth above average, putting them in second, [...]
Drop in factory orders now less severe than long run average December 13, 2012 ORDERS on manufacturers’ books have begun to show improved signs of life this month, according to a survey out yesterday. A net balance of 12 percentage points more firms told the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) their order books were below normal in December, than those that said their books were more full than normal. But [...]
London gives birth to new firms December 13, 2012 London is the new mother of business, according to data released yesterday, with a business birth rate of 14.5 per cent, the highest in the UK. The Office for National Statistics said yesterday that nearly 13,000 new companies opened in London between 2010 and 2011. Overall, the UK saw a business births increase by 26,000, [...]
Small firms will drive recovery December 13, 2012 Three hundred thousand new small firms are needed to restore the UK economy to its former heights, said a study out yesterday. Smaller firms are currently contributing 52 per cent of the private sector output in the economy, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said yesterday. And while the number of large companies fell [...]
Greek jobs crisis worsens further December 13, 2012 Greek unemployment continued to rise in the third quarter, the Hellenic Statistical Authority said yesterday. The number unemployed jumped 5.3 per cent between the second and third quarters of 2012, it said, putting the total number of jobless up 40.2 per cent in just a year. Women under the age of 24 are finding it [...]
Iata says airline profits will be higher in 2013 December 13, 2012 GLOBAL airlines yesterday revised upwards widely-watched industry profit forecasts for 2012 and 2013, but said that carriers remain vulnerable to risks including the Eurozone crisis and the threat of a US fiscal cliff. The International Air Transport Association (Iata), which represents 240 carriers, said that airlines were set to make a collective profit of $6.7bn [...]
Wood Group drops in spite of an upbeat trading statement December 13, 2012 OIL AND gas services firm John Wood Group said yesterday that it expects to deliver “good growth” for the year in line with expectations, despite a subdued downstream market outlook. The FTSE 100 firm said in a pre-closing trading statement yesterday that Wood Group PSN was boosted by strong performance in the North Sea and [...]
BAE clinches a $400m deal to service US Navy trainer aircraft December 13, 2012 THE US unit of aerospace company BAE Systems has won a five-year contract worth $400m (£248m) with the US Navy, it announced yesterday. The London-listed company will perform inspections, maintenance and modifications for more than 300 T-34, T-44 and T-6 trainer aircraft used by the Chief of Naval Air Training in Florida and Texas. “This [...]
Ryanair appeal over Aer Lingus bid hit by court rejection in UK December 13, 2012 EUROPE’S largest budget carrier, Ryanair, yesterday lost its appeal to block an investigation into its near-30 per cent stake in rival Aer Lingus. The UK’s Court of Appeal ruled that it is within the jurisdiction of the Competition Commission (CC) to investigate Ryanair’s ownership. The CC is investigating the case after the Office of Fair [...]
