China’s service sector slows in August September 5, 2011 China’s fledgling services sector grew at the lowest pace on record in August, a private survey has shown, as new orders ebbed and measures to rein in the property sector started to pinch. The slowdown in the services sector, which accounts for less than 45 per cent of gross domestic product, reinforces signs that China [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING September 1, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES PEERS IN FRESH THREAT TO BILL FOR FIXED-TERM PARLIAMENTS The coalition’s plan for fixed five-year parliamentary terms is in jeopardy, with peers threatening to vote against the legislation in the autumn for a third time. David Cameron and Nick Clegg put the promise in their coalition agreement last year in an attempt to [...]
THE TIPSTER August 30, 2011 THE Kiwi dollar has gone up against the US dollar to its highest since the beginning of the month, after building permits had its biggest jump since 2008 and Chinese manufacturing increased. This data shows traders are hungry for riskier assets at the moment, which could see the Kiwi push higher short-term. Capital Spreads quotes [...]
Irene’s not all she is made out to be August 29, 2011 IN the end Hurricane Irene turned out to be mercifully less destructive than feared. Many New Yorkers were able to be at their desks yesterday after all, even after the dire warnings of Mayor Bloomberg who had ordered a mandatory evacuation of 370,000 people in low-lying areas. Bloomberg is being criticised for being alarmist, but [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 29, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES WATCHDOG HITS OUT AT BANKS OVER GREEK DEBT Some European financial institutions should have taken bigger losses on their Greek government bond holdings in recent results announcements, according to the body that sets their accounting rules. the International Accounting Standards Board criticised the inconsistent way in which banks and insurers have been writing [...]
BHP Billiton profits surge to record high August 24, 2011 BHP BILLITON unveiled record-breaking profits yesterday on the back of high commodity prices and strong demand from emerging markets, but the world’s largest mining company also struck a gloomy note on the state of the world economy. BHP reported an eye-watering 74 per cent jump in annual profits to $21.7bn (£13.2bn) – the seventh biggest ever [...]
Antofagasta ups dividend as profits rise August 23, 2011 CHILEAN copper miner Antofagasta doubled its half-year dividend yesterday after a 54 per cent jump in earnings, confident that strong demand in China and a pickup in Japan and the United States would help underpin volatile copper prices. Copper is down over 10 per cent this month, as investors grow uneasy about economic recovery prospects [...]
THE TIPSTER August 23, 2011 STERLING rose sharply against the dollar yesterday as traders sought alternative currencies amid the continued concern over US and European debt levels. Spread betters were targeting a potential test of highs of $1.6618, touched last week. However, analysts are voicing caution over a possible fall in the strength of the pound on Friday should GDP [...]
China warns Eurozone to act on Black Death crisis August 22, 2011 CHINA has urged the Eurozone to take drastic action to restore confidence in its economy to prevent the “Black Death” of its sovereign debt crisis from damaging the world economy. Chinese state media warned that the bloc’s surging debt costs will lead to a decline in demand for exports that will have a “far-reaching impact” [...]
There is nothing so bad that politicians can’t make it worse August 18, 2011 IT was Thomas Sowell, the American economist, who said “there is nothing so bad that politics cannot make it worse”. In recent weeks, politicians have tested that maxim to destruction. From horse-trading over the US debt ceiling to cack-handed policymaking in Europe, almost every political intervention has served only to fan existing fears over the [...]