Paragon sees lending return as rents rise November 24, 2010 UK SPECIALIST mortgage lender Paragon Group said yesterday it expected lending to increase as a result of higher demand in the private rented sector as it reported higher-than-expected full-year results. The lender said profit before tax stood at £71.8m for the year to 30 September 2010, up almost 25 per cent from £54.3m the previous [...]
Irish political turmoil feeds market nerves November 24, 2010 MARKETS remain unconvinced that the Irish government will be able to pass the €15bn (£12.6bn) cuts programme it unveiled yesterday, with Prime Minister Brian Cowen lacking the votes needed to get the measures through parliament. Cowen’s government is already teetering, with the Green Party this week demanding an immediate election once the emergency budget is [...]
Irish political turmoil feeds market nerves November 24, 2010 MARKETS remain unconvinced that the Irish government will be able to pass the €15bn (£12.6bn) cuts programme it unveiled yesterday, with Prime Minister Brian Cowen lacking the votes needed to get the measures through parliament. Cowen’s government is already teetering, with the Green Party this week demanding an immediate election once the emergency budget is [...]
Irish state to nationalise rest of its major banks November 24, 2010 IRELAND is set to nationalise the remainder of its stricken banking system, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen said yesterday. The plunge in share prices for Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Banks this week could leave the state in majority control of Ireland’s three major lenders, with Anglo Irish Bank already having been nationalised. With [...]
Spanish bailout would be fatal for Eurozone November 24, 2010 ATTENTION has turned to the Eurozone’s fourth largest economy as Spain’s leaders scramble to assure the markets that it will not follow Ireland’s lead. Most agree that a Spanish bailout would be potentially fatal for the euro and would exhaust the €440bn of Eurozone funds set aside for emergency aid to its teetering economies. Economists [...]
Belgium eyed as next potential country to fall November 24, 2010 FEARS that Belgium could be the next country heading for financial crisis intensified yesterday after the cost of insuring its debts rose to record levels. The premium to insure Belgium’s debts rose five per cent yesterday, meaning it now costs £155,000 for an investor to insure £10m of Belgian bonds against possible default. The cost [...]
Kinnect with the family this Christmas November 24, 2010 FORGET the Xbox you know: the Xbox of Halo and Assassin’s Creed. Instead, try to imagine an Xbox full of giant furry animals, soothing raft rides and cute dance moves to get you in shape. Now add a slick new peripheral that detects your motions without the need for a manual controller and you have the [...]
Keep an eye on all your friends, and lots more too November 24, 2010 WE’RE well into the festive drinking season and mobile social media could help you crash all the right places. They say that Smartphones give you social networks on the go. So you can keep tabs on all your friends (and enemies) as they move from bar to bar. They don’t tell you what a pain [...]
REVIEW: BLACKBERRY BOLD 9780 November 24, 2010 Following the much-hyped launch of RIM’s flagship touch-screen Torch, the emergence of its new BlackBerry Bold 9780 has been an altogether quieter affair. The Bold has, almost through osmosis, become the City-type’s phone of choice, an elegant, practical solution to checking and replying to emails on the go. At a glance, there is little to [...]
ENGLAND’S ASHES FALSE START November 24, 2010 AFTER all the hype, the Ashes finally got underway last night in Brisbane in front of a captive audience at the Gabba. And the drama was almost instantaneous with England skipper Andrew Strauss (inset) out third ball, cutting a loose delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus straight to Michael Hussey at gully.