Santa rally stumbles as FTSE 100 flat December 20, 2012 The Santa rally stumbled this morning, as the blue chip index remained flat in early trading, stalled by tensions in US budget talks. Yesterday, the FTSE 100 closed just four points behind the year’s highest closing mark. The ongoing Libor scandal, which continued in the spotlight for another day as two UBS traders were charged, [...]
Retail sales flat in November December 20, 2012 Retail sales were flat in November, falling below analyst expectations and a fresh sign that the economy as a whole has stalled in the final quarter. According to official data from the Office for National Statistics out this morning, retail sales were weaker than expected in November and grew only 0.9 per cent annually. The [...]
Insurers count the cost of Superstorm Sandy December 20, 2012 Two British insurers this morning said they would take a combined hit of around $300m (£185m) from Superstorm Sandy. Insurer Amlin estimated its losses from Sandy at around £145m while rival Lancashire estimated a hit of between $40m and $60m, both companies said today. Yesterday, the Lloyd’s of London insurance market said that Sandy claims [...]
Ofcom names seven 4G auction bidders December 20, 2012 Regulator Ofcom this morning announced that seven telecoms companies had qualified to bid in the forthcoming 4G mobile airwaves auction. Mobile network operators Everything Everywhere, Three, 02 owner Telefonica, Vodafone and fixed lines provider BT are among the bidders, Ofcom said. Bidders, who will be competing to acquire new capacity to roll out superfast 4G [...]
Bank of Japan boosts stimulus programme December 20, 2012 The Bank of Japan injected 10 trillion yen (£73bn) to its asset purchase programme in an attempt to revive growth, as it faces increasing pressure from the country’s next leader to beat deflation. Shinzo Abe, whose opposition Liberal Democratic Party won Sunday’s election by a landslide, has put the central bank’s independence on the line [...]
Greece’s Eurobank posts €223m loss in third quarter December 20, 2012 Greek lender Eurobank this morning posted a third-quarter loss of €223m (£181m), as the recession caused a rise in non-performing loans. Its nine-month losses came in at €1.1bn, a sharp increase from losses of €575m over the nine months of 2011. Higher funding costs led to a four per cent fall in net interest income [...]
Jet-heeled Chelsea set up Swansea semi-final December 19, 2012 LEEDS UNITED 1 vs CHELSEA 5 CHELSEA manager Rafael Benitez hailed his players’ powers of recovery after they shrugged off jet-lag and came from behind to thrash Leeds and set up a Capital One Cup semi-final against Swansea. A shock looked in prospect when Luciano Becchio put the hosts ahead but the Blues hit back [...]
Five sign but Arsenal set to miss Huntelaar December 19, 2012 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has declared his intention to build his team around a core of young British talent, after tying midfielder Jack Wilshere and four other players to new long-term contracts. Full-backs Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson and midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – all full England internationals – and Wales star Aaron Ramsey have joined [...]
Test series has given underdogs England a T20 lift, says Morgan December 19, 2012 ENGLAND stand-in Twenty20 captain Eoin Morgan believes the Test side’s landmark victory in India this week can give his men extra impetus when they resume hostilities today in Pune. Alastair Cook’s team ended a 27-year wait for a series win in India by clinching a 2-1 victory in Nagpur on Monday, and Morgan, deputising for [...]
Capital set for Olympics MkII December 19, 2012 MAYOR Boris Johnson says London will recapture the spirit of this year’s Olympics in 2017, after being awarded the Paralympic Athletics World Championship. The competition will take place at the Olympic Stadium just weeks before it hosts the World Athletics Championship. It is the first time any city has staged both major events in the [...]
