UK insurers flourishing following a benign 2009 January 11, 2010 BAD weather is normally bad news for insurers, as householders claim for snow, flood and wind-induced problems with their homes. However, despite roofs leaking and boilers breaking down all over the UK at the moment , the non-life insurance sector is actually looking pretty attractive for investors. The insurance sector is poised to deliver returns [...]
JANUARY SALES January 11, 2010 Bruce denies Kirkland bid SUNDERLAND boss Steve Bruce has laughed off suggestions he is about to bid £5m for Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland. Bruce admits he is a “big, big admirer” of the England keeper, who played under him at the DW Stadium before his switch to the Black Cats. “Talk of me bidding £5m [...]
BAA in airports victory December 21, 2009 BAA has won its appeal against an order to offload three of its seven UK airports – after the initial decision was ruled to have been subject to “apparent bias”. The Competition Commission ruled in March that the operator must sell Gatwick, Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow airports. But an appeal tribunal reversed the [...]
CITY A.M. TOASTS A NEW ERA IN ALLIANCE WITH INTERACTIVE INVESTOR December 14, 2009 IT WAS off to the iconic Gherkin building last night for one of the most exciting developments in the history of City A.M. – our newly-announced alliance with online financial services provider Interactive Investor. Guests at the party sipped champagne as they admired the view over the City, chatting about the partnership, under which we [...]
Obama criticises banks over lending December 14, 2009 PRESIDENT Barack Obama took top US bankers to task yesterday, telling them to lend more money to small businesses and to embrace financial reforms. A day after calling bankers “fat cats,” Obama said since they had benefited from taxpayer bailouts they owed “an extraordinary commitment” to help rebuild the economy. “Given the exceptional assistance banks [...]
Obama hits out at fat cat US bankers December 14, 2009 US PRESIDENT Barack Obama last night lashed out at Wall Street bankers, labeling them “fat cats” who “don’t get it”. Speaking on the eve of today’s meeting with top US bankers at the White House, Obama said he was frustrated with the banks that the government had bailed out. “I did not run for office [...]
CITY SLAMS PLANS FOR WINDFALL TAX December 7, 2009 THELABOUR government is facing an increasingly furious City backlash over plans to slap a punishing windfall tax on bank bonuses, with senior figures warning that the policy could prove the last straw for the UK’s ability to retain senior banking talent. Chancellor Alistair Darling is expected to unveil the tax bombshell at tomorrow’s Pre-Budget Report [...]
Hodgson in Zamora for England tip December 6, 2009 FULHAM manager Roy Hodgson tipped Bobby Zamora for a shock World Cup call-up after the forward hit back at his critics by downing Sunderland. Zamora, who has come under fire for his meagre strike rate, appeared to gesture at his own fans after nodding home in the seventh minute. It was only the former West [...]
What’s in the box? Not very much December 3, 2009 FilmTHE BOXCert: 12A WHAT would you do if a stranger with half a face offered you a box, and explained that if you pressed the button inside it you could win $1m but a stranger would die? Probably send him packing and check what you’d been drinking, but if you were Cameron Diaz and James [...]
Severn Trent profits rise as prices go up November 24, 2009 UTILITY Severn Trent saw its pre-tax profits surge yesterday, as a slump in consumption was offset by price rises. Profits went up by 51 per cent to £208.2m in the six months to September, beating analysts’ expectations. But Severn Trent still warned that demand was falling at a similar rate to last year. The group, [...]