Why the special relationship is still important October 4, 2009 AHEAD of this week’s Conservative Party conference, it is perhaps a good time to recollect the wise words of one of the party’s and country’s most celebrated leaders. In response to a crisis far graver than the one we have just experienced, Winston Churchill coined the phrase “special relationship” to describe the close connection between [...]
Water firms lobby Ofwat over pricing October 4, 2009 WATER companies are lobbying regulator Ofwat in a bid to convince it to relax plans for a strict pricing regime. The change could see the average yearly bill fall by £14 before inflation to £330 a year. Bosses from the firms met with Ofwat chief executive Regina Finn last week and pleaded for the proposals [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS October 4, 2009 ForestersThe friendly society has hired industry heavyweight Graham Berville to the board as a non-executive director. Berville was formerly director of the Association of Friendly Societies and chairman of the Association of Mutual Insurers, as well as a member and chairman of various Association of British Insurers (ABI) committees. Prior to joining Foresters, he spent [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS October 4, 2009 CHIME COMMUNICATIONSKBC Peel Hunt said that Chime’s takeover of Essentially Group – to form one of the world’s most powerful full-service sports marketing organisations – is a good deal but not one without elements of risk. The broker indicated the potential upgrade that might result if and when the deal completes, and upgraded the stock [...]
A pull back on gold is on the cards, or so the cycles say October 4, 2009 THERE seems to be a general consensus that gold is going to continue its recent powerful rally. All sorts of projected targets have been mentioned, from the not too far away $1,050 all the way through $1,200 and even as high as $2,300. Such elevated levels may eventually be reached but for the time being [...]
CONDITIONS IDEAL FOR THE AUSSIE October 4, 2009 JANE FOLEYRESEARCH DIRECTOR, FOREX.COMFOR most of the past 12 months there have been strong correlations in the market within the group of assets that are commonly described as “risky”. More recently there have been signs that many of these correlations are breaking down or weakening. This should not be surprising. It implies that investors are [...]
THE TIPSTER BAINTERIMS WILL CLARIFY ITS POSITION October 4, 2009 SHARES in Legal & General fell by more than 5 per cent on Friday after National Australia Bank moved to dampen talk of a takeover bid. The firm’s share price had risen to highs of the year of more than 95p before the fall. Will the price drop lower? ShortsandLongs.com has a rolling spread of [...]
Supermarkets to dominate this week October 4, 2009 It’s off to the supermarket this week, with Tesco and J Sainsbury both due to give investors a taste of how the year is shaping up. Tesco reports its interims tomorrow, which will include Tesco Personal Finance (TPF) as a consolidated entity for the first time. UBS expects the chain to indicate that it is [...]
Doubts about the pace of the recovery will soon surface October 4, 2009 After Friday’s weaker-than-expected US jobs data and ensuing sell-off in stock markets, doubts are creeping back in as to whether the global economic recovery can be sustained, and the risk of a double-dip recession, although low, is rising. There is a heavy dose of economic data and central bank policy announcements on the calendar this [...]
Going on safari is even better when you do it by balloon October 4, 2009 E ARLY morning in Kenya, Kilimanjaro is on the horizon, and we were driving across the dusty plains past the red-robed herdsmen on our way to begin our dawn safari. But this was no ordinary game drive, as we’d swapped the safety of our safari truck for a wide wicker basket, and were about to [...]
