Swiss deflation starts to ease October 8, 2012 Swiss consumer prices fell 0.4 per cent in September compared to a year earlier, according to official data released by its Federal Statistics Office yesterday. However, the data contained some signs of recent inflation, with prices picking up 0.3 per cent compared to August. “We expect consumer price inflation to be positive again by the [...]
City Moves | Who’s switching jobs October 8, 2012 Dechert Lewis Ho has been appointed to Dechert’s Hong Kong office as a partner in the corporate and securities practice. He was previously partner at the Simmons & Simmons Beijing office. He has represented international pharmaceutical companies including GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, served as vice chairman of the IP Working Group of the European Union Chamber of [...]
Best of the Brokers October 8, 2012 DEUTSCHE BANK Deutsche has given easyJet an upgrade from “hold” to “buy”, based on a positive update and its new allocated seating plan, and has increased its target price by 17 per cent to 745p. SEYMOUR PIERCE Seymour Pierce maintains its “hold” rating for the luxury fashion retailer, judging it a “long term growth story” [...]
FTSE falls as banks and miners hit by concerns over earnings outlook October 8, 2012 BRITISH blue chip shares dipped yesterday with growth-linked banks and miners hit by concerns about earnings and the global outlook, although analysts said the market’s uptrend would resume soon. UK banks fell 1.2 per cent, while mining stocks were down 0.4 per cent after the World Bank cut its growth forecasts for China and as [...]
US stocks fall in Columbus Day light trade October 8, 2012 US stocks slipped in light trading yesterday, pulling back from recent five-year highs ahead of an earnings season expected to be weak. Trading volume was the lowest so far this year in a full session as the US government and the bond market were closed for the Columbus Day holiday. About 4.1bn shares changed hands [...]
Taking a long view: Radical ideas for the Conservative’s manifesto October 8, 2012 IF YOU’RE keen to catch sight of what the Conservative party might look like in a decade’s time, you should make your way to the Sonata room at the Hyatt Hotel in Birmingham at half past seven this evening. A fringe meeting there, organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Free Enterprise Group [...]
Businesses need to wake up to the real and present danger of cyber-crime is October 8, 2012 SPEAKING in Budapest, the Foreign Secretary William Hague recently announced that cyber-crime is “one of the greatest global and strategic challenges of our time”. In July, the director general of the Security Service Jonathan Evans stated that cyber security ranks alongside terrorism as one of the four key security challenges facing the UK. There is [...]
The Muslim world is opening up for Western investors October 8, 2012 AS INVESTORS and companies steer a course through social and economic turmoil, it is understandable that they are cautious of new markets. But, despite the volatility of the Arab Spring, it would be a missed opportunity to ignore the Muslim world. There are 1.8bn Muslims globally; the majority are spread across the 57 countries of [...]
Is Osborne right to encourage employees to trade workplace rights for tax-free shares? October 8, 2012 YES Carol Dempsey Employees owning shares in their employer is good for the business and can help drive the right behaviours. At first glance this new proposal seems simple and generous, and will be of particular interest to start-ups. But its success will depend on the detail and consultation will be crucial. For example, since [...]
Rapid Responses October 8, 2012 Public services [Re: Lessons to be learnt from government’s rail franchise fiasco, Thursday] Only the free market provides the incentives necessary to create an efficient operation. It is a public servant’s incentive to create complex organisations that voters can’t always understand and thus the argument will remain better management rather than better incentives. Tobias Wahl There [...]
