BENTLEY REVS UP AS CHINESE MARKET GROWS January 3, 2012 VOLKSWAGEN’S extravagant Bentley brand has jumped back to pre-recession levels of demand after it saw a 37 per cent rise in sales for 2011, strengthened by booming sales in China. The US is still Bentley’s number one market, with sales up by over a third to 2,021 cars – an increase of 32 per cent. [...]
Manufacturing data sparks FTSE’s racing start to 2012 January 3, 2012 BRITAIN’S top shares powered ahead at the start of the new trading year yesterday as upbeat economic data from the United States, Europe and China boosted risk appetite and helped investors set aside fears over the Eurozone debt crisis. The pace of growth in the US manufacturing sector accelerated in December, its best month since [...]
Commodities fuel FTSE gains January 3, 2012 The FTSE 100 was off to a positive start this morning led upwards by commodity stocks which were boosted by strong data from China. Asian markets were given a lift as the official Chinese purchasing managers’ index indicated a rise in factory activity in December and London followed suit. Industrial metals such as copper rose [...]
Asian stocks rise fuelled by positive China data January 3, 2012 Asian stocks rose as the first trading day of 2012 in most markets brought renewed appetite for riskier assets, while US crude jumped more than 1.5 per cent to above $100 a barrel on escalating tensions between Iran and the West. Stronger-than-expected manufacturing data from China boosted sentiment in Asia, but Europe’s drawn-out debt crisis [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 20, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BP, TOTAL AND STATOIL SECURE ANGOLA RIGHTS A new exploration frontier off the coast of Angola that may be similar to oil fields found in Brazil is to be opened after the government of the African country awarded drilling rights to some of the world’s largest energy groups. Britain’s BP, Total of France [...]
DOLLAR RISE WILL DENT ALL ASSETS December 18, 2011 NOTWITHSTANDING the recent agreement to amend the EU treaty, the world’s financial markets are not reassured. A solution to the Eurozone debt crisis is still wanting, and many believe that the world’s emerging economies could provide it. As a collective driving force they might be able to stop the debt contagion, but the question is [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 15, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES CVC STRUGGLES WITH TERRIBLE RESULTS IN ASIA When CVC raised a $4.12bn Asian buy-out fund in 2008, Marc St John, its head of investor relations, referred to the private equity group’s record in the region when he said investors “like what they see”. A few years and a financial crisis later, investors are [...]
Bursting the Eurozone’s AAA rated bubble December 13, 2011 WITH the long-term health of the AAA-ratings of the core Eurozone countries looking shaky at best, is it going to be a case of last man standing for Europe? And will the credit ratings agencies end up deciding the direction of the haven currency flows? Sarkozy has been telling anyone who will listen that, should [...]
Official timekeeper for 2012 finds too many brand benefits to count December 13, 2011 COUNTDOWN TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES 226 DAYS TO GO Omega’s president Stephen Urquhart explains why it will be keeping time in London once again Q. What was your brand’s primary reason for being involved with the Games? A. Omega first served as Official Olympic Timekeeper at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games and [...]
Why this week’s oil meeting matters for Opec December 11, 2011 IT was one of the worst Opec meetings ever,” exclaimed the most important man in world oil, Ali al-Naimi, back in June to a gob-smacked press pack in Vienna. Seriously, this was a truly amazing utterance from a man who, despite his enormous power, likes to let others do the talking at Opec meetings. Fast [...]