Manufacturing slump weighs on US recovery September 4, 2012 US MANUFACTURING’S performance worsened in August, according to two prominent surveys of the sector released yesterday. ISM’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) was down 0.2 at 49.6 – 50 indicates no change – suggesting that decline was speeding up slightly. The drop in the index was driven by a large fall in production, which contracted for [...]
What the other papers say this morning August 27, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Ryanair seeks rivals’ help in bid Ryanair is seeking regulatory approval for its proposed takeover of Aer Lingus by asking at least six airlines to operate alternative services on some of the Irish flag carrier’s routes. Ryanair has approached competitors, asking them to consider providing competition on routes to and from Dublin. Aviva [...]
The car in front is a… What? A Kia? August 21, 2012 The car market used to be so much easier to understand. You used to be able to make a brand table that looked like a ladder, with value brands at the bottom and premium brands at the top. As a manufacturer you either made a lot of cars and sold them for less profit per [...]
Car talk August 21, 2012 Want one of these? Don’t hold your breath This unusual-looking beast is a one-off supercar built by McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the bespoke division within McLaren Automotive. Called the McLaren X-1 it is based on the company’s carbon MonoCell structure and has a unique, bespoke “timeless” and “classically elegant” body. It took two and a [...]
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR July 29, 2012 TODAY we kick off the countdown to the City A.M. Awards with the first of the shortlists – for Personality of the Year. Our awards, now in their third year, have established themselves as a key part of the business calendar, celebrating all of the City’s main sectors and the people that make sure London [...]
US corporate results round-up July 25, 2012 Boeing revenues up PLANE-MAKING giant Boeing weathered cuts in US defence spending and higher pension costs as it said yesterday that revenue rose 21 per cent and quarterly profits were up three per cent. Commercial unit sales that rose 34 per cent to $11.8bn and defence sales that rose seven per cent buoyed profits as [...]
WALL ST THE WEEK AHEAD July 22, 2012 THE trend of better-than-expected earnings will be put to the test this week when investors hope Apple can exceed already high expectations and Facebook reports its first quarterly earnings. Apple accounts for a significant proportion of the overall earnings of Standard & Poor’s 500 components. S&P 500 earnings are expected to show a rise of [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 19, 2012 Inflexion Private Equity The private equity house has announced the promotion of Richard Swann from the position of investment director to its partnership. He joined Inflexion in 2008, and has since led several of its investments. Swann’s promotion follows the firm’s recent appointments in Brazil, India and China. Coutts Johnny Heng has been appointed managing [...]
Anna Ford to step down from Sainsbury’s board July 11, 2012 Former BBC newsreader Anna Ford is to step down as a non-executive director at Sainsbury’s after six years in the role, the supermarket said at its annual general meeting yesterday. Ford joined Sainsbury’s in 2006 and headed the retailer’s corporate social responsibility committee. She will step down in December.
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 4, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES VW to buy rest of Porsche for €4.46bn Volkswagen has agreed to buy the remaining half of Porsche’s carmaking operations that it does not already own for €4.46bn. The two car groups yesterday finalised plans to speed up the creation of the combined car group. The integration will take effect from 1 August. [...]