Best of the Brokers September 20, 2012 RANK GROUP Peel Hunt’s Nick Batram has reiterated his “Buy” recommendation on leisure firm Rank Group and upped his target price to 206p. He says the firm has “evolved from a disparate leisure conglomerate” to be “a focused, fully regulated, gaming group with a high quality management”. Batram believes there is a 50 per cent [...]
FTSE drifts lower as fears over UK’s economic outlook leads to caution September 20, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index wilted yesterday after economic data painted a bleak picture of prospects for a rebound in activity in the United States, Europe and China, heightening concerns over company earnings and valuations. The UK’s FTSE 100 closed down 33.84 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 5,854.64, continuing to edge away from 6-month highs [...]
Morale on Wall Street bucks weak US data September 20, 2012 THE DOW industrials ended slightly higher last night while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq cut most of the day’s losses in a sign that investor sentiment remains generally positive despite several weak manufacturing surveys from around the world. Pockets of strength included housing, with an index of housing stocks up 0.8 per cent, following [...]
Government must think fast and big to make Britain a tech haven September 20, 2012 THE Prime Minister says he wants the UK to be the best place in the world to start, run and grow a high-tech company. As a strategy for rebalancing the economy, this makes a lot of sense. The internet is where the growth is. It accounts for a greater share of UK GDP than in [...]
Economic malaise reveals itself behind a global surge in nationalist violence September 20, 2012 ONE of the most extraordinary images of the week was a display of militarised toothpaste tubes at a Nanjing supermarket. Beneath the Chinese flag, the green boxes were artfully arranged into the shape of an artillery gun, with an uncompromising slogan – “The Daioyu islands belong to China!” – between its wheels. The combination of [...]
Ten golden rules of investing September 20, 2012 The efficient market hypothesis is nonsense. Markets are driven by humans, humans are irrational, thus markets are irrational. Occasionally, something happens and investors panic. You should take advantage of these instances, not join the stampede (or, if you are going to rush for the exit, be the first.) Think of a 20 per cent fall [...]
Are there signs that mergers and acquisitions activity might rise over the coming months? September 20, 2012 YES Alexis de Rosnay There have been tentative signs that the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market has picked up over the last few weeks. The key ingredients for a sustained pick up in M&A is the performance of the equity markets in general – it is no coincidence that the bumper years for transactions have [...]
Rapid Responses September 20, 2012 Clegg’s apology [Re: How one ticking economic timebomb is being slowly defused, yesterday] Nick Clegg’s apology wasn’t just confused. It’s another step in the quiet unravelling of the coalition. You can see how Clegg and David Cameron are slowly beginning to reposition their parties in preparation for the next election. Whether either will still be [...]
Open House unlocks London’s hidden gems September 20, 2012 The Gherkin 30 St Mary Axe, EC3A 8EP; Sunday 9am-5pm Sir Norman Foster’s spectacular 40-storey office building has become a landmark of the London skyline. Built in the heart of the financial district, it has 360-degree views across the city. Every 10 minutes, groups of 30 people will be shown around this magnificent building. Heron [...]
Pre-Raphaelite exhibition is an ethereal, poetic success September 20, 2012 ART PRE-RAPHAELITE, VICTORIAN AVANT GARDE Tate Britain | **** THE TATE Britain presents the most extensive Pre-Raphaelite exhibition on these shores in 25 years. The collection maps the progress of the brotherhood, paying special focus to the three originators; Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, and records how they challenged the [...]
