Bullish US fails to prop up the FTSE as Eurozone fear weighs on stocks November 14, 2012 UK shares fell yesterday, testing a two-month low but failing to break a main support level as growth fears in Europe led stocks that are vulnerable to a downturn in economic activity lower. The FTSE 100 index was down 1.1 per cent at 5,722.01 points at the close, having gained 0.3 per cent in the [...]
Fiscal cliff fears hurt Wall St as talks continue November 14, 2012 US stocks fell one per cent yesterday as investors worried over US budget negotiations and a flare-up of violence in the Middle East. Investors are grappling with the impact of the US “fiscal cliff,” a series of mandated tax hikes and spending cuts that start to take effect early next year. US President Barack Obama [...]
The Bank of England needs a new method for predicting UK growth November 14, 2012 THIS week’s barrage of economic figures confirmed a gloomy picture for Britain. The Bank of England’s inflation report suggests sluggish growth into next year – just 1 per cent in 2013. Jobs figures show high (though falling) unemployment – still at 7.8 per cent of the workforce. And Tuesday’s rise in inflation confirmed a squeeze [...]
The real reason small businesses aren’t borrowing more from their banks November 14, 2012 ALMOST every politician I meet asks me one question. Often with a hint of menace, they demand: “why are banks refusing to lend to small businesses?” They say their postbags are full of complaints from small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that banks are refusing to approve or renew loans or overdrafts. In reply, banks point [...]
We don’t need an EU target to place women on boards November 14, 2012 EU COMMISSIONER Viviane Reding has returned to her proposal for the boards of European companies to be at least 40 per cent female. Her suggestions may have been watered down – 40 per cent is now a target, not a quota – but the initiative still fails to address the real problem. In the UK, [...]
Is Sir Mervyn King too optimistic about the outlook for inflation in the medium term? November 14, 2012 YES John Hawksworth The Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) projection – that growth will pick up towards 2 per cent in the medium term – seems reasonable, assuming that there are no severe shocks from the Eurozone. But as the recovery becomes more sustained, its view that inflation will fall back to less than 2 per cent [...]
Rapid responses November 14, 2012 Trust issues [Re: Scandals have made the UK a dangerously low-trust society, yesterday] This article properly reflects how much of a problem a lack of trust is for society, and not just in the UK. The starting point of trust for many of the sectors mentioned was already very low. The question is, how low [...]
Face off: battle of the racing giants November 14, 2012 GAMES FORZA HORIZON Xbox 360 | By James Titcomb ***** HORIZON IS the fifth title under the Forza name – a series of elite racing simulators Microsoft set up in 2005 to give the Xbox a rival to the PlayStation’s Gran Turismo. Until now, Forza has seen huge success, both critically and commercially, so it [...]
Is EE 4G really OMG? We get stuck in with the new LTE network November 14, 2012 You know that feeling when you simply must watch the video of a man leaping towards a frozen pool – the one where the ice doesn’t break, and the man crashes onto the ice and it’s funny because the man hurts himself – but you can’t because you’re in the middle of a shop and [...]
ART & SOUL November 14, 2012 The annual ING Discerning Eye exhibition, showcasing the work of unknown artists alongside more established names, opens to the public today at The Mall Galleries in London. Nearly 200 selected artists will display their artworks at this year’s exhibition, which attracted more than 2,000 submissions. This year’s selector panel includes English abstract expressionist Albert Irvin, [...]
