ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DO THE CONTRACT WINS MEAN FOR AUTONOMY? January 24, 2011 VIJAY ANAND | EXECUTION NOBLE Our position on Autonomy is a ‘hold’. It had a disappointing end to 2010, in terms of both results and acquisitions. Now investors’ focus will be on its outlook for 2011. TOM GIDLEY-KITCHEN | CHARLES STANLEY It is telling that Autonomy hasn’t issued a pre-results trading update. This means it [...]
Powerhouse Germany still driving Euro January 24, 2011 RECOVERY in the Eurozone is continuing despite troubles in peripheral economies, data revealed yesterday. Business activity hit a six month high, according to Markit’s purchasing managers’ index, exceeding forecasts. The service industry’s expansion accelerated this month, while manufacturing growth slowed – to an index score of 56.9, down from 57.1 in December. The service sector [...]
UK insolvencies drop in 2010 January 24, 2011 BUSINESS failures declined by 18 per cent last year as the health of UK businesses improved, according to an insolvency index released today. The upturn was the first in two years, data company Experian revealed. The total number of insolvencies dropped from 24,209 in 2009, to 19,946 last year, it said – an 18 per [...]
Reduced contract hours saved jobs during slump January 24, 2011 SHORT-TIME work schemes (STW) led to an “important impact on preserving jobs during the downturn,” according to the organisation representing the world’s most developed nations. A new working paper on the impact of STWs during the financial crisis by the OECD finds Germany and Japan benefited most from implementing schemes, saving a combined 650,000 jobs. [...]
FACT CHECKER January 24, 2011 MAYOR JOINS FUEL COST DEBATE MAYOR Boris Johnson occasionally piles a spot of political pressure on his old Etonian chum, Prime Minister David Cameron. Having complained about the government’s policies on immigration, City bonuses and the 50p tax rate, Johnson has now joined a chorus calling for the introduction of a “fuel stabiliser” – effectively [...]
SENTANCE SAYS BANK MUST UP RATES January 24, 2011 BANK of England policymaker Andrew Sentance yesterday said factors pushing up inflation cannot be dismissed as “one off” influences, as the Bank risks losing credibility if it fails to respond. He said: “If we do not start to raise UK interest rates gradually soon, we risk having to do so more aggressively in the future [...]
Sustainable home design calls January 24, 2011 Sustainable design could help ease the UK’s growing housing crisis by replacing traditional building methods with more cost effective processes, a new research report claims. The report, commissioned by RICS, into the future of UK house building found that construction rates were currently around 80,000 new homes below the required level to meet population growth [...]
Stamp duty to hit home buyers January 24, 2011 Raising the stamp duty on properties worth more than £1m from four per cent to five per cent could cost London buyers an extra £18,152 per property, according to research by property website Zoopla.co.uk. Stamp duty paid on the average property sold for over £1m was £72,706 and will rise to £90,759 when stamp duty [...]
Canadian dollar to top greenback January 24, 2011 The Canadian dollar is expected to stay stronger than the US dollar after strong retail sales in Canada. Overall retail sales increased by 1.3 per cent in November to hit C$37.3bn, the sixth month in a row sales have improved. Strong consumer spending is expected to continue in Canada, spurring the country’s economy and making [...]
CFD research clarification January 24, 2011 In yesterday’s paper we ran a story headlined “Investors beat tax by using CFDs”, in which we reported that contracts for difference (CFD) are capital gains tax exempt. This was incorrect and was not sourced from research published by Tabb Group. Contracts for difference do not incur stamp duty, however they are subject to capital [...]
