Chiefs defend rules that let cocaine users off with fine April 13, 2010 RUGBY chiefs insist their liberal new policy on testing for recreational drugs such as cocaine is not a soft touch. Players could escape with only a £5,000 fine and their anonymity protected if they return a positive sample from a non-matchday test. That is compared to the automatic two-year ban, prescribed, by world anti-doping chiefs [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS April 13, 2010 AIR FRANCE-KLM The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has upgraded its recommendation of Air France-KLM from “hold” to “buy” after brightening revenue trends in both passenger and cargo numbers. RBS has raised its forecasts, reflecting the stronger demand environment offset by higher fuel costs. It raises its target price to €14. MARKS & SPENCER Marks [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS April 13, 2010 Hoare Capital The agency broker has appointed Tim Cartmell as chief operating officer and promoted Sergio Marques and Andrew Sheppard to partner. Cartmell (pictured) currently runs the firm’s credit desk, having previously held positions as head of gilt sales at JP Morgan and head of UK credit sales at Dresdner Kleinwort. Marques is responsible for [...]
Oil and mining shares drag FTSE lower as commodity price falls take their toll April 13, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading shares shed 0.3 per cent yesterday as oils and miners fell back on lower commodity prices, while banks moved lower on investor caution ahead of first-quarter results in the United States. At the close, the FTSE 100 was down 15.99 points at 5,761.66, having been stuck in a tight 37 point trading range [...]
SPORT | IN BRIEF April 13, 2010 Ford to make Saints switch RUGBY UNION: Highly-rated fly-half Joe Ford has agreed a deal to join Northampton Saints from Leeds at the end of the season. The 19-year-old, whose dad Mike is the England defence coach, has enjoyed a fine season with Carnegie and is seen as one of England’s brightest young talents. He [...]
US stocks rise as investors buy ahead of bank results April 13, 2010 US stocks eked out a gain yesterday as investors looked ahead to earnings from big banks and tech bellwethers, even as disappointing revenue from Alcoa acted as a headwind. With the Standard & Poor’s index up about 40 per cent over the past year, some analysts say stock gains during earnings season could be minimal [...]
Hedging your dividends April 13, 2010 FOR the first time since 2007 institutional investors are ranking higher dividends as a top priority for investing in equities. According to the latest BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research Report fund manager survey, released yesterday, 27 per cent of fund managers would rather see firms distribute their cash as dividends to shareholders, compared with 23 [...]
DANNY GETS BAABAAS CALL April 13, 2010 ENGLAND outcast Danny Cipriani could get the chance to show coach Martin Johnson just what he’s missing after being named in the Barbarians squad. Cipriani is joined in the star-studded squad by Wasps team-mate and fellow international exile, Paul Sackey, for the games against England on 30 May and Ireland on 4 June.
Opportunities for growth in green Asia April 13, 2010 TAKE a trip around emerging Asia these days and you won’t just see skyscrapers and coal-fired power plants growing out of places where there were once nothing but fields. Wind turbines, solar energy plants, incinerator manufacturers, water treatment plants and microirrigation developments are just as likely to spring up before your eyes. There is now [...]
SHAGGAN AND OTHER TALES OF INTEREST April 13, 2010 DICK TURPIN MANAGING DIRECTOR, ARTEMIS THE Arabic word “shaggan” has no equivalent in English. It means the power some singers, such as Edith Piaf, have to imbue the lyrics of a song with an inexpressible melancholy; a yearning for better times. The shaggan has worked, it seems. As I write, the UK market is well [...]
