Inflation eases in Switzerland November 7, 2011 Swiss annual consumer prices fell for the first time in two years in October, arguably boosting the case for policymakers to cap the strong franc at a lower level. Prices fell 0.1 per cent year-on-year having risen 0.5 per cent a month ago, the Federal Statistics Office said yesterday. Core prices – stripping out volatile [...]
Small firms call for more credit November 7, 2011 The government should channel its credit easing plans towards helping small businesses, an industry body said yesterday. “Credit easing must be bold and look to boost competition by stimulating innovative models such as peer-to-peer lending and smaller internet banks,” said John Walker of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Over a third (34 per cent) [...]
Consumer credit spikes in US November 7, 2011 Americans boosted their levels of borrowing in September, data revealed last night, while separate figures suggested that the US economy remains too weak to combat its relatively high level of unemployment. The Conference Board index edged up to 101.92 from 101.20 in September yet the group’s statement said: “We think that the economy is simply not [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS November 7, 2011 RFC Group John Harrison, who retired as a managing director of Numis Securities last month, has been named as chairman of Ambrian Partners, subject to completion of RFC’s acquisition of 100 per cent of Ambrian’s share capital. Harrison joined Numis in 1994 following a career at Lloyd’s of London. Since 2003, he has led the [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS November 7, 2011 BETFAIR Numis rates the online betting group as a “buy” with a target price of 1,150p, ahead of first-half result to be published on 14 December. The broker forecasts sports revenue for the second quarter of £66m, up from £60m in the first quarter. It expects first-half numbers to show healthy growth in Ebitda to [...]
FTSE ends in the red based on soaring Italian debt costs November 7, 2011 BRITAIN’S blue-chip share index fell yesterday as political turmoil in Italy sparked fears the Eurozone’s largest debtor may fail to deliver much-needed economic reforms. The FTSE 100 ended down 16.34 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 5,510.82, with banks weighing the most as investors positioned for months of continued uncertainty on the euro front and [...]
Wall Street edges up in choppy day November 7, 2011 US stocks closed a volatile, lightly traded session slightly higher yesterday, with sentiment continuing to shift with the latest headline from Europe. Wall Street spent most of the session lower before rebounding after Juergen Stark, a member of the European Central Bank’s Executive Board, said the region’s debt crisis might be overcome in “one or [...]
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA FOR LEGAL SOPRANOS November 7, 2011 BETRAYAL, revenge and murder – it was business as usual when the Magic Circle decamped to the dress circle at Sadler’s Wells to watch Allen & Overy’s modern-day reworking of Carmen set in Seville Airport. The opera, which follows last year’s staging of The Magic Flute at Glyndebourne, involved 74 of the firm’s staff past [...]
‘I’ve been physically and mentally abused many times at games in UK’ November 7, 2011 TOPICS of conversation are not hard to come by with Tony Fernandes, the gregarious Malaysian entrepreneur who recently added Premier League football club Queens Park Rangers to an empire that includes AirAsia and Formula One racing team Lotus. In a whirlwind half-hour he explains his recipe for business success, discusses QPR becoming bigger than Liverpool [...]
Death threat Anton not to blame, says Fernandes November 7, 2011 QPR owner Tony Fernandes says neither Anton Ferdinand nor the club are to blame for prompting the ongoing police and Football Association investigations into allegations Chelsea and England captain John Terry used racially abusive language towards the Rangers player. Ferdinand has received death threats since the controversy erupted last month, following QPR’s 1-0 defeat of [...]
