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 [...]
BA set for fresh spat on pensions December 21, 2009 BRITISH Airways is on a fresh collision course with union leaders over plans to address the gaping deficit in its retirement scheme, experts warn. The troubled airline has until June to agree a solution with its trustees to the £3.7bn shortfall in its two defined benefit funds, which together cover around 100,000 retired and working [...]
Shoppers defy cold to set Christmas record December 21, 2009 SHOPPERS are coming out in force in the run up to Christmas, setting records in the capital and throughout the country. The New West End Company, representing more than 600 traders in central London, declared sales have been even higher than expected. Jace Tyrrell, head of communications, said: “We have had a good weekend. We [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 21, 2009 THE SUNDAY The Sunday Telegraph TEST FOR DEFENCE SPENDING PLEDGE The government’s pledge to direct £900m of defence spending into better equipment for Afghanistan will be tested next month when it announces the replacement for the controversial Snatch Land Rover. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is understood to be choosing between four vehicles, and industry experts say the [...]
ATM Christmas is on the cards December 21, 2009 Wednesday 23 December will be the busiest day on record for cash purchases, according to research, suggesting consumers are shunning credit cards for banknotes. Figures compiled by Tesco Bank indicate cash machine withdrawals so far in December have outstripped 2008’s numbers. The trend is expected to peak on Wednesday, when ATMs are predicted to handle [...]