Best of the Brokers October 22, 2012 GO-AHEAD Shore Capital has upgraded the transport group from “sell” to “hold” after an investor day where the firm laid out plans to target £100m in profit from its UK bus business by 2015-16. AGGREKO Following last week’s profit warning, Panmure Gordon has downgraded 2012 and 2013 forecasts, but kept its “hold” rating on the temporary [...]
US flat as macro fears offset by strong earnings October 22, 2012 THE Dow industrials and the S&P 500 ended flat yesterday after a late-day bounce, as worries about slower global growth hitting corporate sales were offset by earnings that beat expectations. Technology shares led the day’s gains and pushed the Nasdaq up 0.4 per cent, as shares of Apple jumped four per cent to $634.03. Apple [...]
FTSE loses ground as investors fear weak third quarter earnings data October 22, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index lost ground yesterday, extending declines on concerns about upcoming third quarter earnings. Drugmakers dipped, with Shire down 1.8 per cent and AstraZeneca off 0.5 per cent. The firms kick off the heavyweight sector’s results season tomorrow. According to Thomson Reuters Starmine data, of the eight per cent of European companies that [...]
Why investors should take a stake in high-growth UK tech companies October 22, 2012 THE campaign to reawaken the London tech initial public offering (IPO) market has kicked off. Recent announcements from Downing Street and the London Stock Exchange should result in some small but important regulatory changes. They are important steps towards making London a major hub for tech IPOs. But regulation is not the only barrier to [...]
We must stand up for academic freedom against government restrictions October 22, 2012 WHEN academics extol “free wheeling” research, they risk being accused of an ivory tower arrogance that disregards their obligations to the public. But they should strongly counter such allegations. Choices of research project are anything but frivolous: what is at stake is a big chunk of our lives, and our professional reputation. The traditional compact [...]
A worm could turn the close fight for the US presidency October 22, 2012 LAST night, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney met for the third and final US presidential debate before November’s elections. The latest polls suggest the race is a lot closer than many expected – not least because Romney was judged to have won the first debate in Denver. Research on the psychology of elections underlines the [...]
As David Cameron outlines new justice plans, is he right to criticise current prison policies? October 22, 2012 YES Andrew Neilson If the Prime Minister wants prisons to work, the first question to ask is whether the right people are being sent there in the first place. The Ministry of Justice faces 6 per cent cuts year on year. And the agency running prisons and probation is forecast to spend £32m more than [...]
Rapid responses October 22, 2012 Female disclosure [Re: Is the coalition right to force firms to disclose the number of senior women they employ?, Friday] I’m not in favour of quotas, but there are many eminently capable women who are failing to make it to the top of their chosen professions. We know that greater gender parity at board level [...]
Top trader who wants to help the underdog October 22, 2012 ATRAIT common among successful traders is a thirst for knowledge. More knowledge means more trading ideas, according to Lex van Dam, who (in)famously handed eight trading novices $1m (£500,000 at the time) of his own cash to trade the markets at the end of 2009. With training from van Dam, the group outperformed professionals during [...]
A Romney victory could heighten China tensions October 22, 2012 FX360 WITH the US presidential election looming, the subject of employment and the health of America’s economy has predictably been high on the agenda. With the country’s manufacturing base suffering, there is a swathe of US voters looking for someone to blame for the unsettling situation. The Republican challenger Mitt Romney has pointed the finger [...]
