UK real incomes fall at quickest rate in 30 years June 14, 2012 THE AVERAGE UK income fell at the fastest rate since 1981 last year as inflation eroded real earnings, according to statistics out yesterday. The median income fell 3.1 per cent to £419 a week after inflation and before housing costs, according to the Department of Work and Pensions. The drop in 2010-11 compares with slow [...]
Eurozone concerns and football bid war keep FTSE pinned back June 14, 2012 The FTSE 100 fell back in early trading, reversing the previous session’s gains, with Eurozone concerns dominating after Spain’s debt rating was downgraded and Italy faces up to a crucial bond auction. Last night credit ratings agency Moody’s slashed its rating on Spanish government debt by three notches to ‘Baa3’ from ‘A3’, saying the newly-approved [...]
Osborne should reject the Vickers report in his Mansion House Speech June 13, 2012 GEORGE Osborne is a flip-flop chancellor – but on all the wrong policies. One area where a u-turn would be welcome is on the implementation of the Vickers report. However, In his Mansion House speech tonight, he will signal an intention to plough on as before – accepting both the good and the bad. Let’s [...]
Why a bit of risk-free investing can soothe the soul June 10, 2012 BEING a business journalist for CNBC has upsides and downsides. Every day we get to speak to the biggest players in the global markets. The access we get to the likes of George Soros, Mohamed El Erian and Warren Buffett is amazing – yet being surrounded by millionaire, nay billionaire, guests can make you feel [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 6, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Bank staff costs take bigger share of pot The world’s big international banks are paying out much more on staff costs relative to profits since the financial crisis while slashing the portion of income paid out in dividends, according to data compiled by the Financial Times. The findings come amid increasing shareholder complaints [...]
FTSE enjoys some breathing space as bargain-hunters prompt gains May 24, 2012 BRITAIN’S benchmark share index recovered yesterday from stinging losses during the previous session as bargain hunters snapped up beaten-down financial and commodities stocks, although traders said any rally could prove short-lived. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up 83.64 points, or 1.6 per cent, to 5,350.05 points. It fell 2.5 per cent on Wednesday to [...]
Join City A.M. next week for our special trading event May 15, 2012 IN EUROPE, as well as globally, retail and institutional investors have been steadily embracing the use of exchange-traded funds (ETF). The move to ETFs is being driven by several factors: 1) ETFs offer a toolbox: providing diversified, liquid, transparent and cost-efficient benchmark exposures in a fund structure to a wide array of asset classes and [...]
We are in a world without leaders: The G-Zero will soon replace the G7 May 13, 2012 WHEN so many problems bestride borders, the need for international cooperation has never been greater. Cooperation demands leadership, however. Only leaders have the leverage to coordinate multinational responses to transnational problems. They have the wealth and power to persuade other governments to take actions they wouldn’t otherwise take. They pick up the bills that others [...]
Profligate states accused of hijacking credit system April 23, 2012 THE GOVERNMENT was accused of “hijacking” the credit system to fund its own “profligacy” by HSBC’s chief economist yesterday. In a research note, Stephen King slams Western governments, including the US and the UK, for rigging the credit system so that they can “jump to the front of the credit queue” and impose low borrowing rates for [...]
UK is wrong to have turned its back on individual freedom April 17, 2012 LIBERTY. Freedom. When did you last hear these two words in the UK political debate? Well, I certainly can’t remember. Our country is dominated by busybodies and collectivists who believe that they and the state have the right and duty to tell us all what to do, to spend our money for us and to [...]