Consumer confidence gives little to celebrate December 6, 2011 AFTER Mervyn King’s dire warnings on the economic situation, I wish I could present more positive news on consumer confidence – but the November data from the YouGov HEAT report paints rather a bleak picture. The index is at its lowest since March, job security has fallen to its worst level in two years, perceived [...]
Asia hit by Eurozone’s slowdown December 6, 2011 ASIAN economic growth is slowing as demand from crisis-hit Europe declines, the Asia Development Bank (ADB) warned yesterday. The ADB cut east Asia’s growth forecasts for 2012 to 7.2 per cent, down from 7.5 per cent predicted in September. “The turmoil emanating from Europe poses a growing danger to trade and finance,” the report stated. [...]
Car sales drop as sluggish economy hits UK demand December 6, 2011 New car sales fell in the year to November, though not as severely as was feared according to data out yesterday from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Car registrations in 2011 so far are down 4.5 per cent compared with the same period last year, at 1.82m. However, the SMMT believes sales [...]
Is S&P right to put Europe on watch? December 6, 2011 THIS week we’re asking members of our Voice of the City / PoliticsHome.com panel for their opinion on Standard & Poor’s shock decision to put the ratings of 15 countries, including Germany and France, on review late on Monday. Was S&P right to act when it did, and do you see any link between the [...]
EURO CRISIS REACHES AUSTRALIA December 6, 2011 Glenn Stevens, governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, slashed interest rates for the second consecutive month yesterday, blaming the deteriorating global economic picture and rising bank funding costs – both due to the Eurozone crisis. The cut takes headline interest rates down to 4.25 percent, and represents the first double-cut since the depths of [...]
Saab hovers on brink without GM support December 6, 2011 GENERAL Motors said yesterday it would not support a proposed ownership structure for Saab that included a Chinese bank, moving the Swedish auto company closer to liquidation. “We have reviewed Saab’s proposed changes regarding the sale of the company,” GM spokesman James Cain said in a statement. “Nothing in the proposal changes GM’s position. We [...]
Christmas trading is slow at Metro as it issues profit alert December 6, 2011 METRO, the world’s fourth-biggest retailer, issued a profit warning that sent shockwaves through the sector yesterday, saying Christmas trading had started slowly and the Eurozone debt crisis was undermining consumer confidence. Shares in the German group, which runs cash and carries, hypermarkets, electrical goods and department stores, slumped over 13 per cent. “We feel the [...]
UK government to consult on tobacco packaging rules December 6, 2011 BRITAIN is to begin a wide-ranging consultation on plain packaging of tobacco products by the end of the year, informed by the legal challenges Australia has faced as the first nation to pass such legislation. Australia’s parliament approved laws last month to introduce plain packaging from December 2012 to reduce the attraction of smoking, but [...]
SOTHEBY’S SALE NETS £2.3M December 6, 2011 AN AUCTION of European sculpture at Sotheby’s yesterday proved that art is still seen as a worthy investment, with final prices for the top four lots exceeding estimates by as much as three times over. The star lot was an early south German limewood figure of St John the Baptist, bought by the Getty Museum in [...]
EC probing e-book publishers December 6, 2011 The European Commission is investigating whether e-book publishers owned by Lagardere, Pearson, News Corp and two other firms fixed prices with Apple, blocking rivals and hurting consumers. The decision by the European Commission to open an investigation yesterday followed raids on the companies in March this year. US regulators are also looking into pricing deals [...]
