BEST OF THE BROKERS January 12, 2012 UNILEVER Morgan Stanley rates the consumer goods group “equal-weight”, down from “overweight”, and has a target share price of €28 (£23.43). The broker notes that Unilever shares are at all-time highs and that investors should aim to take profits. Morgan Stanley also sees very limited scope for any earnings upgrades in 2012, leaving the shares [...]
UK ready to cough up for IMF billions January 11, 2012 BRITAIN will contribute billions to boost the firepower of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) alongside other shareholders, chancellor George Osborne told MPs yesterday. Significantly, he refused to rule out the idea that the UK could cough up more in proportion to its 4.5 per cent shareholding of the fund than other countries. In fact, with [...]
Our schools must be open to business so we can have a bright economic future January 10, 2012 NOW that pupils are back at school, it’s time to help them get down to business. One key question they need to be asked is: “Hands up who wants to go into business?” Their answer will not only shape the life chances of millions of young people, but will also have a dramatic impact on [...]
La Senza and Blacks saved from brink January 9, 2012 IT WAS all change on the high street yesterday after two of the UK’s stricken retailers, lingerie chain La Senza and outdoor sportswear company Blacks Leisure, were rescued from administration. Retailer JD Sports confirmed yesterday that it had bought all of Blacks’ 290 stores and the bulk of its business from its administrator KPMG in [...]
LAUREUS AWARDS: THE CATEGORIES January 9, 2012 WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR Last year’s winner: Rafael Nadal This year’s nominations: Usain Bolt (Jamaica) Athletics; Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis; Cadel Evans (Australia) Cycling; Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football; Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) Basketball; Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Formula One WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR Last year’s winner: Lindsey Vonn This year’s nominations: Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) Athletics; [...]
Welcome to 2012’s two-speed world January 5, 2012 ON the face of it, it would seem that nothing changed during the holiday season. Take some of the news in today’s paper. Hungary is in ever-deeper crisis, the euro reached another 15-month low yesterday and Eurozone bank shares plunged, led by those of Italy’s UniCredit. Important stuff, certainly, but more of the same. It [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 22, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES CALLS FOR QE TO STAVE OFF EURO DEFLATION A top European Central Bank policymaker has called for “quantitative easing” to be used to boost the eurozone economy if deflation risks emerge across the region. The comments by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, ECB executive board member, are the strongest indication yet that the central bank [...]
20 of the world’s largest donors December 21, 2011 1 BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION US The William H Gates Foundation was created in 1994 to work to improve global health. Created with an original stock gift of $94m (£60.5m), the foundation merged with the Gates Learning Foundation in 2000 to create the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The largest philanthropic organisation in the [...]
Banks fuel FTSE gains after Lloyds upgrade December 21, 2011 Banks led London’s blue chip index up in early trading – tracking gains in Wall Street and Asia. Exane BNP Paribas upgraded Lloyds to trigger a rise in the sector which has had a torrid year with the Eurozone debt crisis taking its toll. Lloyds was up 4.3 per cent as Exane BNP Paribas upgraded [...]
North Korea heir to share power with military December 21, 2011 North Korea’s new young leader will have to share power with an uncle and the military after the death of his father Kim Jong-il as the isolated country shifts to collective rule from strongman dictatorship, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said. The source added that the military, which is trying to [...]