Hong Kong protests hit Asian markets September 29, 2014 Demonstrators thronged outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong yesterday as the protest against the Chinese for free elections continued. The unrest has hit stocks for Asia-focused banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered as well as miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. It is likely to escalate tomorrow, which is China’s National Day holiday.
FTSE flat as Hong Kong protests hits Asia-exposed firms – London Report September 29, 2014 Britain’s top share index ended flat yesterday as unrest in Hong Kong kept a lid on Asia-exposed stocks and concern over demand for metals hit miners. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down 2.79 points – flat in percentage terms – at 6,646.60 points. The index, which dropped 2.8 per cent last week, is down [...]
BHP Billiton set to add London listing for miner September 24, 2014 BHP Billiton is seriously considering offering an additional London listing for its new mining spin off, in a potential victory for UK shareholders who had pushed for such a move since demerger proposals a month ago. BHP had initially announced listings only on Australian and South African exchanges for the new company, but is now [...]
London Report: FTSE stems its losses after BHP announces spin-off firm plans September 24, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index yesterday ended higher, with gains from BHP Billiton on its plan to list a spin-off company also in London and supportive comments from ECB chief Mario Draghi. The FTSE 100 finished 0.5 per cent higher at 6,706.27 points after staying almost flat during most of the session. BHP Billiton ended 3.2 [...]
London Report: New US pharma rules drag down UK drug firms September 23, 2014 THE FTSE 100 took a tumble yesterday as pharma shares were hit by overnight news that the US had announced new rules to reduce the benefits available to its companies buying overseas businesses for tax reasons. The FTSE 100 suffered a 1.44 per cent fall to 6676.08 points, its worst performance since 3 March. Poor economic [...]
The BMW M235i is the perfect all-rounder coupe September 23, 2014 The M235i may be the best all-rounder coupe on BMW’s books – we drive it from New York to Montreal I’m powering along Interstate-87 in upstate New York, skirting the navy lakes and emerald mountains of the Adirondacks when I pass a police car hidden behind the trees and see its red lights [...]
BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi share prices bumped up by coal mine job cuts September 23, 2014 Investors reacted positively to the news that BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi are cutting 700 jobs at a joint coal venture in Australia. Shares in BHP Billiton went up by 0.92 per cent to 1,746.5 pence on the London Stock Exchange this morning, while Mitsubishi shares rose by 0.7 per cent $5.79 on the New [...]
China slowdown hits high fashion and miners September 22, 2014 CONCERNS of a continuing slowdown in China hit shares of a wide and diverse range of major global firms yesterday, from high fashion chains to huge mining companies. Shares of Italian fashion brand Prada fell to their lowest in 26 months during trading yesterday on fears of weaker consumer demand growth in China, a key [...]
London Report: Tesco’s woes and miners’ China fears drag down market September 22, 2014 SHARES in giant retailer Tesco tumbled yesterday 11.5 per cent to 203p – their lowest in 11 years – because of fears that first-half profits were overstated by around £250m, dragging down the FTSE 100. The blue-chip index was off 64.29 points, 0.94 per cent, at 6,773.63 points. Supermarket rivals Morrison and Sainsbury’s were hit [...]
Car review: The Morgan Roadster may be unwieldy, but it’s a joy to ride September 22, 2014 Sometimes life throws you a curve ball – my drive in the Morgan was one. This was no ordinary road-test; no private jet awaited at the Harrods terminal at Stansted, the London Morgan dealership simply arranged for a Roadster to be delivered to my home. The plan then was to drive 400 miles [...]