Major’s windfall tax idea is as silly as Miliband’s energy price cap October 22, 2013 EVERY so often, when I get depressed about the state of contemporary British politics, I begin to recall with something close to fondness Sir John Major’s time as prime minister from 1990 to 1997. These days, others have also started to make the same mistake, perhaps unsurprisingly. Much of Major’s 1997 election manifesto was lucid [...]
A slick way to get onto Wall Street October 22, 2013 MYTHS may have it that the streets of London are paved with gold, but the pavements in Midtown Manhattan were coated with something almost as lucrative yesterday after a truck spilled around 200 gallons of oil during the morning rush hour. Traders more used to spending their days tracking the price of Brent crude were [...]
Heathrow hits out at regulator as profits soar October 21, 2013 HEATHROW warned yesterday that its investors are not prepared to put in “a penny more” to improve the airport unless the regulator allows them to generate a better rate of return. The airport, which yesterday posted a 22 per cent rise in profits, is furious at the Civil Aviation Authority’s move to cap any rises [...]
Five apps to keep the mind on track October 21, 2013 Focus Time £2.99 Focus Time is simple. Choose a task to complete, start a timer and work until it goes off. Take a short break, then start the process again. With short 25 minute bursts of attention, that To Do list will be ticked off in no time. Clear £2.99 Speaking of To Do lists, [...]
Grafton keen on further growth after switching Irish roots for UK listing October 20, 2013 Gavin Slark, boss of the builders’ merchant, tells Kasmira Jefford what’s next for his company WHEN Gavin Slark was handed the toolbox and made chief executive of the Irish-based builders merchant two years ago, Grafton was in dire need of repairs. The global financial crisis had all but flattened the UK and Ireland’s construction market [...]
London Report: BSkyB drives up FTSE for a sixth consecutive day October 17, 2013 BRITAIN’S top share index ended higher yesterday, helped by a surge in media group BSkyB, although investors were underwhelmed by a temporary fix to the United States’ debt issues. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up by 0.1 per cent, or 4.57 points, at 6,576.16 points to mark its sixth straight session of gains. BSkyB [...]
Ofwat to reject Thames Water’s price rise plans October 16, 2013 INDUSTRY regulator Ofwat yesterday said it plans to block Thames Water’s request to raise customer bills by eight per cent next year, on the grounds that it is unjustified. The watchdog has published a draft decision to reject the proposal – which would add an extra £29 on to the annual average household bill – [...]
Alitalia investors approve share issue to keep firm from crashing October 15, 2013 INVESTORS in Alitalia unanimously approved a €300m (£253.5m) share issue to keep the near-bankrupt Italian airline flying yesterday. Alitalia’s biggest investor Air France-KLM, which had said it would seek tough conditions as part of any involvement in the capital raising exercise, gave its approval along with the airline’s other shareholders during an all-night meeting. The [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 15 October 2013 October 14, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Twitter aims to sell ads on other sites Twitter is planning to mine data about its users to help sell advertising on other mobile apps or websites, as it tries to find new sources of revenue in the run up to a stock market listing that could value the company at $15bn. Moscow [...]
New York Report: Hopes of debt deal drive rally on Wall Street October 10, 2013 MAJOR US stock indexes posted their strongest rally in more than nine months yesterday after signs of progress in negotiations to raise the US debt limit, at least temporarily. The market rally left the S&P 500 less than two per cent away from its record closing high set three weeks ago, with traders now focused [...]