Credit cards charging the highest rates for 13 years May 5, 2011 CREDIT card interest rates have soared this year, it was revealed yesterday. Since the start of the year, 18 credit cards have hiked the rates they charge customers, compared to just four in the same period last year. The average interest rate on plastic has hit a 13-year high of 19.1 per cent, the website [...]
US rocked as claims for unemployment leap up May 5, 2011 THE number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose to an eight-month high last week and productivity growth slowed in the first-quarter, clouding the outlook for an economy that is struggling to gain speed. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 43,000 to a seasonally adjusted 474,000, the highest since mid-August, the Labor Department said [...]
Eurozone rates stuck at 1.25pc as Trichet refuses to signal another hike at next month’s ECB meeting May 5, 2011 EUROZONE interest rates were kept at 1.25 per cent yesterday with central bank president Jean-Claude Trichet suggesting that fewer hikes are on the horizon than many analysts were expecting. Trichet declined to use the term “vigilance” in his statement, the codeword understood to indicate imminent monetary tightening. “We will continue to monitor very closely all [...]
Demand for London’s office space boosted by growing finance sector May 5, 2011 FINANCIAL services are driving up demand for London’s offices, a survey revealed today. The market for office space in the capital continued to outperform all other regions in the UK and all other commercial property sectors, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said. Overall commercial tenant demand grew in the first three months of [...]
CITY VIEWS: SHOULD THERE BE A CHANGE IN THE LAW TO STOP TUBE STRIKES? May 5, 2011 MICHAEL ALBONE | VTB CAPITAL “Yes. I find it a bit annoying when they go on strike. It causes a lot of hassle for people. Bob Crow is not exactly a popular figure and the strikes are not worth what they are arguing for.” MARK BROWN | HIGH FINANCE GROUP “Yes. Every time they strike [...]
Malaysia hikes its interest rates May 5, 2011 Malaysia’s central bank ended its rate-hike pause yesterday, raising its key policy rate by 0.25 per cent to three per cent, and ordered banks to set aside more money in reserves to fight inflation stoked by rising oil and food prices. The Bank raised the Statutory Reserve Requirement – the amount of cash reserves banks [...]
Price pressures felt in Philippines May 5, 2011 Meanwhile, inflation in neighbouring Philippines came in slightly above expectations at 4.5 per cent in April, with core inflation measuring 3.8 per cent.
Malaysia Airlines seat giveaway May 5, 2011 Malaysia Airlines has today launched a global cut price flight giveaway for business and consumer customers. As many as 10,000 seats are on offer from £305 return to Malaysia from Heathrow.
Drop in German factory orders May 5, 2011 Factory orders in Germany unexpectedly dropped in March, official data showed yesterday. Orders were down four per cent compared to February.
Diageo toasts sales growth May 5, 2011 THE world’s biggest spirits makers Diageo and Pernod Ricard beat forecasts yesterday with strong sales growth in the first three months of 2011 as buoyant emerging market growth offset a weak Europe. Diageo, the maker of Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whisky, reported its third-quarter January to March underlying sales rose seven per cent. Meanwhile, [...]
