Letters to the Editor – 01/04 – European debate, Globalisation fears, Best of Twitter March 31, 2014 European debate [Re: Why both sides of the debate must up their game on Europe, Friday] Of course politicians are throwing around dodgy statistics. Why? Because both sides of the EU debate lack any comprehensive vision for what Britain’s global position will look like in the future. The Outers want either an expanded Commonwealth, a [...]
London Report: FTSE records its first quarterly drop since June March 31, 2014 BABCOCK was the star performer among Britain’s top shares yesterday as a nuclear contract win helped it outperform a lacklustre showing on the broader blue-chip index, which suffered its first quarterly drop since June. The FTSE 100 ended down 17.21 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 6,598.37 points, after a see-saw session which saw it [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 31, 2014 US futures have risen ahead of Janet Yellen’s speech later today. Over here in Europe, stocks have suffered some losses after weaker-than-expected Eurozone inflation data. The headline figure dropped to a 2009-low of 0.5 per cent, piling pressure on the ECB to invoke policy tools to help the region. When it comes to the Ukraine-Russia [...]
US and Russia work on easing Ukraine crisis March 31, 2014 AMERICA’S surprise meeting with Russian officials in Paris last night yielded some common ground over the annexing of Crimea, though tensions remain high. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who stopped off in France following a Middle Eastern trip, said he had stressed during four hours of talks with the Russians that the country’s actions [...]
Prime London prices up by more than two thirds in past five years March 31, 2014 PRIME central London prices have risen by more than two-thirds since their post-Lehman Brothers low, according to new research that looks at how recent political events, as well as economics, have affected prices. According to Knight Frank’s central London index out today, prices have risen 68 per cent since the bottom of the market in [...]
Globalisation isn’t keeping us safe – it’s blunting our punishment of Putin March 30, 2014 CALAMITIES often serve a useful purpose in foreign policy, overturning intellectual sacred cows that – until they so dramatically reveal themselves as unfit for purpose – pass for received wisdom. The long-held leftish shibboleth of interdependence presently seems ripe for the chopping block. This cherished nostrum declares that, since countries’ economic affairs are intertwined, mainstream [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 28, 2014 US markets are expected to open higher today, following some reassuring news on US consumers. Personal income increased marginally more than expected last month (0.3 per cent), and personal spending was in line at 0.3 per cent. Later, we’ve got the Reuters/Michigan consumer sentiment index reading for March. It’s expected at 80.5, from 81.6 in [...]
Diageo announces shakeup of executive committee March 28, 2014 Diageo, the world's biggest spirits maker, has announced a shakeup of the company's executive committee. President of Diageo Asia Pacific Gillbert Ghostine will focus on the development of Diageo's key growth markets in India and China. Ghostine will also take up the newly created role of chief corporate officer and will be responsible for business [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 27, 2014 US GDP fourth quarter results showed the economy grew a bit more quickly than expected in the fourth quarter (by 2.6 per cent), bolstered by stronger consumer spending. Futures were up ahead of the numbers, which will no doubt boost investor sentiment. Separate data releases show that initial jobless claims fell to 311,000 in the week [...]
IMF agrees $14-18bn rescue loan for Ukraine March 27, 2014 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced it’s agreed a $14-18bn (£11.6-14.9bn) stand-by deal with Ukraine, which’ll unlock further aid of up to $27bn from the international community over the next two years. "The mission has reached a staff-level agreement with the authorities of Ukraine on an economic reform programme that can be supported by [...]