Traders keeping a close eye on FTSE after drop to 5,100 November 27, 2011 GLOBAL equities continued to tumble last week with many indices crashing through technical support areas. At the start of the week, the FTSE gapped below its 50-day moving average around 5,350 and went on to trade below 5,100 briefly on Friday. This level is not only psychologically significant, but also important in technical terms. It [...]
Anti-capitalist slogans have real costs: Don’t put down a goose that lays golden eggs November 27, 2011 A COTTAGER and his wife had a hen that laid a golden egg every day. They supposed that the hen must contain a great lump of gold in its inside, and in order to get the gold they killed it.” The protesters in the City understand Aesop’s fable as a warning against the greed of [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 24, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES TERRA FIRMA SEEKS €1BN SOVEREIGN FUND POOL Guy Hands’ Terra Firma Capital Partners is looking to raise up to €1bn (£860m) from a sovereign wealth fund to retain its ability to do deals after the investment period of its buy-out fund runs out next year. The private equity group has been approached by [...]
Australian mining tax clears hurdle November 23, 2011 A NEW Australian tax on miners that will cost the industry A$7.7bn (£4.82bn) over the next two years has passed its biggest hurdle so far. After 18 months of acrimonious debate that brought down former leader Kevin Rudd, politicians agreed to back Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s 30 per cent profit tax in return for minor [...]
US slump worsens November 23, 2011 US stocks suffered a sixth straight day of losses yesterday as frustration over the Eurozone’s debt crisis, coupled with weak Chinese factory data, further dented investor sentiment. A weak German bond sale sparked fears the debt crisis was even beginning to threaten Berlin, with the leaders of France and Germany still at odds over a [...]
China doubles HK yuan swaps to offer relief valve November 22, 2011 China’s central bank has doubled the size of a currency swap with Hong Kong to 400 billion yuan (£40bn), a move aimed at giving the financial centre a bigger relief valve to cope with rising demand for trade settlement in the currency. The expansion will also boost confidence that Beijing intends to internationalise the yuan, [...]
Economy in the Eurozone set to shrink by 0.3pc November 21, 2011 THE EUROZONE economy will shrink by 0.3 per cent next year, a leading group of economists has predicted. Economic activity across the 17-state single currency area will thereafter stage only a “modest recovery” in 2013, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said yesterday. “The latest plan to resolve the crisis is expected to comprise coordinated bank [...]
FTSE slides to a six-week low over Eurozone debt worries November 21, 2011 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 slid to its lowest close in six weeks, with worries mounting over the health of the global economy as the US and Europe wrestled with their respective debt problems. London’s blue chip index fell 140.34 points, or 2.6 per cent to 5,222.60 yesterday, its sixth straight day of losses and adding to [...]
George Osborne has to hold his nerve – the UK economy needs vision, not populism November 21, 2011 EVERY day the pressure grows for the government to do something about growth. Usually this translates into calls for more borrowing and spending, special rules for struggling businesses, or other eye-catching initiatives. The government should resist. Recent history has taught us such quick wins often end up being own goals. They make the business environment [...]
Pearson to buy China education firm for $294m November 21, 2011 Publishing group Pearson announced today an agreement to acquire Chinese-based Global Education and Technology Group for a headline price of $294m (£187.8m). The purchase of Global Education, a test preparation service for students learning English, bolsters Pearson’s position as the world’s largest learning company while also expanding its operations in China. Pearson believes Global Education [...]