EasyJet rolls out allocated seats November 26, 2012 Budget airline EasyJet will from today allow passengers on all of its flights to choose a seat, for an additional cost. Following a trial in April, the carrier is rolling out allo-cated seating across all routes. Chief exec Carolyn McCall said last week the trial had originally targeted business travellers, but found that families and [...]
Tory MPs demand pay and benefits freeze November 26, 2012 CUTTING entire government departments, freezing public sector pay and benefits, and allowing some cuts to NHS spending are the only ways to put state spending on a more sustainable long-term footing, Conservative MPs warned yesterday. It came as Arbuthnot Bank’s economic adviser Ruth Lea warned the government will not balance its budget until 2017, and [...]
Highest number of first time buyers in London since 2009 November 26, 2012 TEN thousand first-time buyers took out a mortgage in London during the third quarter of the year, according to Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) data out yesterday. The figure was the highest on the CML’s records since the fourth quarter of 2009, yet its research also revealed significant barriers to getting on the property ladder [...]
Banks warn tough new capital rules hit lending to small firms November 26, 2012 BRITISH banks are being hit hard by incoming regulations, hurting their ability to lend and so damaging the economy, TheCityUK warned yesterday. The lobby group particularly singled out the impact on small firms, who are more reliant on bank funding than bigger businesses, and called on the government to slow down the implementation of the [...]
Bank of Japan split over new stimulus ideas November 26, 2012 A SPLIT within the Bank of Japan was laid bare yesterday, with newcomers to its board pressing to strengthen commitment to an ultra-loose policy. Pressure on the central bank for bolder action has intensified in the run up to next month’s election with leading opposition candidate Shinzo Abe calling for the central bank to adopt [...]
Inflation expectations ease November 26, 2012 Inflation expectations have fallen slightly this month, according to a prominent survey released yesterday – yet people still expect prices to keep ticking up. Median inflation expectations for the year ahead edged down to 2.8 per cent, the YouGov report for Citigroup said, down from three per cent in October. In the longer term – [...]
Taxes crippling the high street November 26, 2012 High taxes on empty retail properties are “crippling the recovery agenda”, a leading group of chartered surveyors will argue this morning. More than nine in 10 surveyors say that the charges on the high street are “significantly detrimental” to UK town centres. “The charges faced by property owners are quite simply crippling the high street [...]
Argentine floods hit food prices November 26, 2012 Flood-hit Argentina will harvest corn later than expected this season, supporting already-high world food prices as consumer nations are forced to rely longer on thin US supplies. Argentina is the number two corn exporter after the US, where the worst drought in decades trampled this year’s crop. With food stocks hit by dry weather in [...]
French minister wants Mittal to leave country November 26, 2012 STEELMAKER Mittal, which acquired France’s Arcelor in 2006, is no longer wanted in France due to years of broken promises, Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg said yesterday, intensifying a row over plans to close two furnaces in north-eastern France. Montebourg’s attack on ArcelorMittal, which he later qualified, risks exacerbating tensions in a dispute that is central [...]
Egypt unrest and worries over funding slash Centamin shares November 26, 2012 CENTAMIN was yesterday the second biggest faller on the FTSE 250 as funding worries spooked investors. The mining company said it needed to make a gold shipment from Egypt shortly to meet its working capital needs. The growing political tension in Egypt has also unsettled shareholders. Centamin said yesterday it was preparing to resume exports [...]
