Miliband to warn on inflation February 27, 2011 LABOUR leader Ed Miliband will today warn of a “cost of living crisis” for middle-earners, who he claims will be hit the hardest by looming inflation. Miliband will argue in a speech this morning that a mix of rising prices, spending cuts and benefit changes will make life difficult for middle-income families. In an effort [...]
Coalition right to help job-creators January 26, 2011 VINCE Cable is back – and seems determined to shake off his reputation as the anti-business secretary. He wants to encourage firms to take on more workers by making it easier for them to sack underperforming staff. The number of cases reaching employment tribunals will be cut by automatically lodging all cases with Acas, the [...]
Lacklustre earnings send Wall St lower January 20, 2011 US stocks fell yesteray as lacklustre tech and materials earnings failed to live up to heightened expectations, threatening to short-circuit a seven-week run. Declines were milder than on Wednesday, when a sharp drop pulled the market off two-year highs. Morgan Stanley posted stronger-than-expected revenue to help the banking sector rise modestly, and rose 4.6 per [...]
Price hike Britain January 18, 2011 Fears were growing last night that Britain faces an explosion in the cost of living, with spiralling inflation threatening to erode savings and squeeze households already facing higher taxes. The consumer price index (CPI) shot up in December at the fastest rate since the Office of National Statistics (ONS) began reporting it in 1996, the [...]
What the other papers say this morning January 16, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES RBS DIRECTOR TO STEP DOWN FROM BOARD One of the last Royal Bank of Scotland directors to remain on the bank’s board from the days of Sir Fred goodwin is poised to step down from his role. Colin Buchan, 56, a former UBS investment banker who until recently was chairman of RBS’s remuneration [...]
How a tax hike increased the deficit January 12, 2011 SLOWLY but surely, the real cost of the return to the politics of envy is becoming clear. Figures out last night confirmed yet again that crippling tax hikes are driving people and economic activity away from Britain. Rather than raising extra tax receipts to plug Britain’s budget deficit, there is growing evidence that the raids [...]
Japan to buy a fifth of euro bonds at sale January 11, 2011 JAPAN says it will buy a fifth of the gilts on offer at a planned auction of region-wide Eurozone bonds (or “e-bonds”) later this month. The comments, made by finance minister Yoshihiko Noda, sparked a rally in the euro versus the yen, with traders speculating that Japan would have to load up on the single [...]
Twin imposters triumph and disaster lurking December 5, 2010 So here we are just a few weeks before Christmas and those twin imposters triumph and disaster lurk behind every corner. England lose a brilliant World Cup bid that they could never win, only for the cricket team to comprehensively outplay Australia and take control in the Ashes. On Coronation Street four actors will lose [...]
Broadcasting offers traders the chance for a big challenge October 25, 2010 UK BROADCAST media has seen its earnings growth increase by 50 per cent this year. This outperforms other areas of the sector that have experienced steady, if unspectacular, growth. With the sector rated as undervalued by Numis and the industry experiencing rapid changes, taking a punt on the prospects for one of the big players [...]
Reduced real income will hit retail October 24, 2010 RETAIL sales fell in September for the second month in a row. Real incomes are suffering and consumer confidence is weak. Some are questioning whether Apple’s disappointing iPad sales figures last week are a sign of things to come. So should spread betters take the hint and shun the sector? Demand certainly looks like it [...]