Computacenter in boost for full year January 11, 2011 IT firm Computacenter – which provides services for supermarket giant Morrisons – said full-year profit would be at the top end of market expectations. The continued growth in IT services and its customers resuming spending on new equipment has helped to fuel the improving figures. The company, which also counts Lloyds Banking Group as a [...]
Dunelm hit by tough Xmas January 11, 2011 HOMEWARE retailer Dunelm said it was cautious about the second half of the year due to the impact of tax rises and higher cotton prices, following a tough Christmas. Dunelm, which sells products like curtains, bedding, blinds, rugs and lighting, announced yesterday that like-for-like sales fell 1.2 per cent in the 26 weeks to 1 [...]
Howden boosts kitchen sales January 11, 2011 BRITISH kitchen-unit supplier Howden Joinery Group said it expected 2010 pretax profit to beat current market expectations comfortably after sales rose and margins improved in the second half of the year. The company, which supplies kitchen units to small builders, said in an update on trading for the twelve months to 25 December that the [...]
UK’s retailers struggle with price inflation January 11, 2011 SHOPS are battling the effects of rising inflation, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) announced today. Shop price inflation hit 2.1 per cent last month, the group said, up from two per cent in November. The rate will concern consumers, but is “well below the wider consumer price index” (CPI) as retailers absorb the effects of [...]
Stubborn unemployment throughout OECD countries despite global recovery January 11, 2011 UNEMPLOYMENT in countries across several continents remained close to post war highs in November, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced yesterday. Unemployment across the OECD area stuck at 8.6 per cent, despite economic recoveries. In 2007 the average was just 5.8 per cent. In the UK unemployment remains below eight per cent, [...]
China overshoots loan target January 11, 2011 CHINA overshot its bank loan target in 2010 and finished the year with money growth still running too fast, underscoring the need for more decisive policy tightening to keep inflation in check. At the same time, a record $199bn surge in foreign exchange reserves in the fourth quarter pushed China’s stockpile, already the world’s biggest, [...]
Banks hoist FTSE back above 6,000 after a losing streak January 11, 2011 BANKS, lifted by upbeat broker comment, helped hoist Britain’s top share index back above the 6,000 level yesterday as investors shrugged off Eurozone debt worries for the time being. The FTSE 100 index closed up 57.73 points, or 1 per cent, at 6,014.03, snapping a three-day losing streak. Banks were the standout gainers after falls [...]
Banks’ shares boost sees FTSE rise back over 6,000 January 11, 2011 THE FTSE jumped back above the psychologically-important 6,000 level yesterday, driven by rises in bank shares. London’s main blue chip index rose by one per cent, up 57.7 points for the day, closing at 6,014. Barclays shares rose 5.5 per cent, and HSBC by 2.4 per cent, as bank shares led the way. A note [...]
VAT rise concerns small firms January 11, 2011 The increase in VAT is one of the leading threats to small and medium sized businesses, according to a survey released yesterday. The poll, commissioned by financial services group The City UK, revealed that 39 per cent of businesses were concerned about the effects of the tax hike.
Energy shares help drive Wall St higher January 11, 2011 ENERGY shares helped the Dow and S&P 500 end a three-day losing streak yesterday, even as investors worried rising fuel costs will undercut economic growth. Earnings reports from smaller companies, including homebuilder Lennar and store chain Sears Holdings, also supported stocks, but volume was low for a second day, raising questions about the sustainability of [...]
