CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS March 24, 2011 LOVEFiLM Nick James has been appointed as new digital technical development director at the online film rental company. James will work alongside Lesley Mackenzie, group digital officer, on the technical co-ordination of new device platforms, building technology partnerships and further developing back office technical infrastructure. He joins LOVEFiLM from twocashew, a media consultancy responsible for [...]
At a glance: All the crucial points from Osborne’s Budget for Growth March 23, 2011 THE ECONOMY/PUBLIC FINANCES The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has revised its growth forecast for the economy, blaming higher-than-expected inflation as a result of recent global commodity price shocks and the weather-affected final quarter of 2010. GDP growth has been revised down to 1.7 per cent in 2011. Growth is expected to peak at 2.9 [...]
Upbeat engineers and banks drive FTSE 100 to 1.2pc gain March 21, 2011 MINERS, banks and engineers drove gains in Britain’s top share index by the close yesterday as hope grew that the nuclear crisis in Japan is easing, while heavyweight Vodafone was boosted by M&A activity. The FTSE 100 closed up 67.96 points, or 1.2 per cent, at 5,786.09, its third straight session of gains. The index [...]
Overseas is where the growth lies March 17, 2011 LEGAL & General’s 24 per cent dividend hike and £1bn in annual profits are a sign of just how far the insurer has come over the past two years. In early 2009, concerns over the insurer’s capital requirements caused shares to drop 30 per cent in a single day. The dividend was halved to bump [...]
Commodities drive FTSE 100 higher as prices tempt buyers March 17, 2011 COMMODITY stocks powered a bounce in Britain’s top shares by close yesterday, as heavy selling this week made equities look attractive from a technical perspective, with volatility set to persist. The FTSE 100 index closed 97.88 points or 1.8 per cent, higher at 5,696.11. It had fallen in each of the previous six sessions and [...]
Investors drop equities on continued Japan worries March 16, 2011 HEIGHTENED fears about the nuclear crisis in Japan saw investors shun equities yesterday, with falls by heavyweight commodity issues dragging Britain’s top share index lower. Banks were the biggest fallers, however, also under pressure as a downgrade of Portugal’s credit rating by Moody’s further unnerved investors. At the close, the FTSE 100 was down 97.05 [...]
Disaster fears batter markets March 16, 2011 Fears of another nuclear explosion in Japan have been compounded by a revival in eurozone debt worries and an upscaling in violence against pro-democracy protesters in the Middle East to leave markets lower again. The FTSE 100 closed down 1.7 per cent at 5,598.23 after a plunge in mid-afternoon caused by EU energy minister Gunther [...]
Fear and loathing stalk the global financial markets March 15, 2011 EVERYTHING always seems to go wrong at the same time. Global investors are always extraordinarily naïve about geopolitics and natural disasters; they have suddenly awoken from their stupor and realised that the world is a much more dangerous place that they thought. The earthquake in Japan, a devastating catastrophe for that country, was the tipping [...]
Firms pull out staff and close Tokyo offices March 15, 2011 FIRMS began pulling employees out of Tokyo amid fears of spreading nuclear contamination yesterday. Banks, legal firms and manufacturers closed Tokyo offices, offered to evacuate staff to unaffected parts of Japan and sent expatriates to Hong Kong and Singapore after explosions and fires at a Fukushima Daiichi reactor yesterday sent a cloud of radioactive material [...]
Yet again, we are reminded of our extreme frailty March 13, 2011 HUMILITY is the only appropriate response in the face of the horrendous human tragedy, grief and destruction unleashed on Japan. We are fortunate to be living in Britain, a temperate country largely immune from the destruction regularly unleashed by natural forces on the rest of the world. With the death toll mounting towards ever-more horrific [...]