Weatherspoon blames tax as expansion plans cut March 9, 2012 British pubs operator JD Wetherspoon said it would cut back expansion plans, blaming a harsh tax regime for exacerbating tough trading conditions, and was cautious about prospects for the second half following a decline in sales. The company, which has over 800 pubs across Britain, said it would scale back new openings to 40 pubs [...]
Inflation slows across world thanks to cooling energy prices in late 2011 March 6, 2012 INFLATION across the developed world dropped again in January as energy price rises slowed, figures suggested yesterday. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed inflation fell to 2.8 per cent in the year to January across its 34 member countries. That represents a small decline from the 2.9 per cent seen in [...]
The rise of gourmet cinema March 5, 2012 WE settled into our indecently capacious seats, placed our drinks on the sidetables and leaned back, sighing with satisfaction. This was certainly the First Class cabin of cinemas: leg room enough for a couple of giants; an array of buttons for seat adjustment and waiter-summoning and, of course, a substantial food menu masterminded by one [...]
Eurozone growth stays shaky February 29, 2012 EUROZONE growth prospects looked uneven after data out yesterday showed unemployment held steady in Germany in February, where credit conditions continued to ease – and weaker signs came from France, where household spending dropped unexpectedly sharply. Eurozone inflation was revised down to 2.6 per cent in the year to January, which economists believe reflects low [...]
Eurozone inflation lower than forecast February 29, 2012 Eurozone inflation was lower than estimated in January, data showed, supporting market expectations that price growth will continue slowing as the economy contracts and possibly paving the way for an ECB rate cut. The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said consumer prices in the 17 countries using the euro fell 0.8 per cent in January [...]
US inflation rises February 17, 2012 US petrol prices jumped 0.9 per cent in January, pushing overall consumer prices up at their fastest pace in four months and offering a reminder of the risks energy costs could pose to the economic recovery. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.2 per cent, according to figures from the Labor Department is unlikely to ring [...]
Zurich clinches top spot as the world’s most expensive city February 14, 2012 ZURICH has leapfrogged ahead of Tokyo in the league table of the world’s most expensive cities after the Swiss franc’s sharp rise and its allure as a safe-haven currency for investors sent the cost of living soaring. The Swiss city, which is now almost 50 per cent more expensive than London, has jumped from fifth [...]
ANALYSTS’ VIEWS: WHAT WILL TOMORROW’S INFLATION DATA SHOW? February 12, 2012 VICKY REDWOOD | CAPITAL ECON “Inflation now appears to be on a clear downward trend. As the VAT effect drops out, knocking 0.7 per cent or so off inflation, we predict a fall to 3.2 per cent in January – high enough to prompt an explanatory letter to the Chancellor. We expect inflation to be [...]
Chinese prices hit easing hopes February 9, 2012 China’s annual inflation spiked to a consensus-busting 4.5 per cent in January as spending jumped during the Lunar New Year holiday season, breaking a five-month softening trend and forcing a market rethink of policy easing expectations. The size of the seasonal distortion makes the January data particularly hard to read, but economists say it is [...]
Miners buoy FTSE as Greece remains on knife edge February 8, 2012 The FTSE 100 opened on the front foot this morning as investors continued to cling onto hopes that Greece could be steered away from financial meltdown. Greek party leaders were set to meet again today to hammer out a reform deal in return for the new €130bn rescue from the IMF and EU. Leaders of [...]