Bankers must get act together December 21, 2009 IT SEEMS an age away now but back in July, on one of those long summer evenings that makes London such a marvellous place to live in, a group of the country’s foremost politicians, business leaders and bankers gathered at the home of Roland Rudd. Rudd, the founder of the City’s foremost public relations firm [...]
Eurostar launches probe as limited services resume today December 21, 2009 EUROSTAR yesterday launched an independent investigation into the problems which forced it to cancel all train services for three days in a row. The review will be led by Christopher Garnett, former chief executive of GNER and the former commercial director of Eurotunnel, and Claude Gressier, the French inspector general of bridges and roads. Eurostar [...]
SALES CHILLED December 21, 2009 HEAVY snow and freezing temperatures have deterred Christmas shoppers from hitting the High Street for some last minute purchases. According to data firm Experian, the number of shoppers on 19 on 20 December was 6.9 per cent lower than for the same weekend last year. Central London was one hot spot, with the West End [...]
House prices to rise in 2010 December 21, 2009 HOUSE prices will continue to creep up in the New Year but end next year just one to two per cent higher than where they are now, according to new research published today. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) predicts that the housing market will revive, with transactions rising to a monthly average of [...]
CITY VIEWS: WILL YOU BE DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR? December 21, 2009 KRISTINE HEALY | CQC “I do hope it will snow this year, as I can’t remember ever having a white Christmas. It’s not looking very likely with the drizzle, but we can always hope. I did spend December one year in Australia, but it wasn’t the same – the best Christmas is always in England.” [...]
EDF Powerlink workers to strike December 21, 2009 Members of the Unite union working for EDF Powerlink are set to go on strike for four days from today after last-minute talks with the company broke down. The strike could bring London Underground services to a halt over the Christmas period as the workers maintain its electrical systems. They rejected a two-year pay deal [...]
CORPORATE SCROOGES FAIL TO PUT DAMPENER ON XMAS PARTY SPIRIT December 21, 2009 ANOTHER year, another load of City types wistfully remembering the good old champagne-soaked extravagances of old? Well, not exactly. Company bosses are certainly trying to give the impression of having left behind those days for good, what with all those blanket bans on corporate decorations, measly £10-a-head allowances at the likes of Royal Bank of [...]
Commodities and banking stocks lead Santa Claus rally December 21, 2009 BRITAIN’S top share index closed sharply higher in thin pre-Christmas trading yesterday, buoyed by commodity stocks on firmer metals and crude prices and a rally in banking equities. The FTSE 100 index ended up 97.18 points, or 1.9 per cent, at 5,293.99, posting its biggest one-day percentage gain since 1 December, with trading volumes just [...]
Gold loses its shine as positive US data signals move away from safety December 21, 2009 NOW could be the time to go short on gold. After a stellar performance during 2010 when the precious metal reached a record high of more than $1,200, the positive trend could be about to come to an end. Investors sold off gold futures yesterday as markets await a spate of economic data releases from [...]
THE TIPSTER December 21, 2009 MARKET liquidity is really thin this week and next due to the Christmas holidays, which means that you need to be aware of pockets of volatility. During this time of year you need to stick to the larger FTSE 100 equities that benefit from strong liquidity. Keep nice tight spreads or range trade the FTSE [...]