US GDP growth misses expectations and puts pressure on the Fed to loosen monetary policy January 29, 2016 US economic growth missed expectations in the fourth quarter, reinforcing fears that the Federal Reserve was too hasty last month when it raised rates for the first time in almost a decade. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.7 per cent during the last three months of the year, the US Department of Commerce said [...]
Xerox to split into two quoted companies and Carl Icahn gets to pick three board members January 29, 2016 Xerox, the firm best known for making printers and photocopiers, today announced that it is splitting into two publicly traded companies, in a bid to turn around its ailing fortunes. “Today Xerox is taking further affirmative steps to drive shareholder value by announcing it will separate into two strong, independent, publicly traded companies,” said Ursula [...]
Trade body blasts local councils for blocking small builders from winning public sector contracts January 29, 2016 Local councils are blocking smaller builders from winning public sector work, an industry body has claimed. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) cited new research from the Electrical Contractors’ Association that shows over two thirds of local authorities are not using a simplified pre-qualification questionnaire that is easier for the supplier to complete. The FMB [...]
London house prices skyrocket at double the national rate but sales fall January 29, 2016 London house prices rose at almost double the average rate for England and Wales last year, with the average price of property in the capital now totting up to a lofty £514,097. The Land Registry’s House Price Index in December showed that the cost of getting on to the ladder in London rose by 12.4 per [...]
Eurozone inflation edges up to 0.4 per cent but is still way off the European Central Bank’s target January 29, 2016 Eurozone inflation crept up slightly to 0.4 per cent in January, but remains far from the European Central Bank’s target of just under two per cent. Consumer prices grew from a rate of 0.2 per cent in December, according to official figures from Eurostat. The services sector picked up in January, coming in at 1.2 [...]
Vedanta Resources’ share price jumps despite lacklustre third-quarter update January 29, 2016 Core earnings at Vedanta Resources plummet 51 per cent in the third quarter, hammered by the ongoing commodities rout. The Indian mining conglomerate reported a decline in core earnings to $493.6m (£343.8m), while total group revenue slumped 27 per cent to $2.4bn. Its aluminium division took the biggest hit, with earnings falling 84 per cent over [...]
Jupiter Energy in turm-oil due to fall in Brent crude price January 29, 2016 What a difference a year makes. Aussie oil producer Jupiter Energy, which explores in Kazakhstan, shut all its operational wells back in February 2015, saying it wanted to wait “until domestic oil pricing reaches a level where oil production is cashflow positive”. Back then, Brent crude was priced at around $60 a barrel, which seemed like [...]
Oil price volatility has turned around this company’s fortunes January 29, 2016 Oil market volatility has been lucky for some – Tullett Prebon today said it expects its full-year profit margin to be higher than previously thought, thanks to the continued uncertainty surrounding black gold. While oil explorers are crying into their (offline) wells, the FTSE 250-quoted interdealer broker said “the increased level of activity experienced throughout the year [...]
First-time housing market booming in the UK despite fall in purchases over the Christmas period January 29, 2016 THE NUMBER of first-time home buyers in the UK fell in December due to the traditional Christmas period slowdown, but showed healthy growth over the year, new data has shown today. First-time buyer numbers fell by 1,300 or 4.7 per cent month-on-month due to the “traditional winter cooling” period, according to the first-time buyer tracker [...]
UK confidence in housing market remains strong despite waning economic outlook January 29, 2016 CONFIDENCE in the UK housing market remains strong, despite growing concerns over the wider economy, according to new research today. The latest quarterly Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker showed that despite confidence declining steadily since May, the majority of people still believe that average UK property prices will be higher in 12 months’ time, with [...]
