High electricity prices to hurt growth July 11, 2010 HERE is another reason why the recovery will be muted. Gas and electricity costs will rise substantially in the years ahead and are set to hammer not only consumers but also manufacturers, further eroding their competitiveness and that of Britain as a place to do business. It is not market forces that will push up [...]
Thinking more inclusively can boost business June 28, 2010 Every entrepreneur I have ever met, and that’s quite a few, has expressed on some level exasperation with the public for not getting what they are bringing to life. The best ones focus on educating their audiences; the ones who never breakthrough drivel in their exasperation. To some extent, they are right. A car is [...]
FIT IN THE CITY June 28, 2010 GET PEDDLING: Gridlocked traffic, the rising cost of fuel and temperatures on the underground reaching 40 degrees this summer should make this one a no-brainer (better still, invest in some good running shoes and pound the pavements Forrest Gump-style). BACK AWAY FROM THE REMOTE: With the rising cost of energy, there’s never been a better [...]
After sterling’s rally, investors are playing a waiting game June 22, 2010 FOREX markets gave a cautious welcome to George Osborne’s emergency Budget measures yesterday, with sterling rallying to highs of $1.4851 and €1.2081. However, the pound still failed to make up Monday’s losses against the dollar, reflecting a widespread wait-and-see approach as analysts work through the details of the Budget and watch for its impact on [...]
The Cayenne goes green June 22, 2010 ONCE deemed a horrendous diversion by Porsche purists, the Cayenne has gone on to become the single biggest-selling model in the Porsche range with more than 280,000 of them sold worldwide since the car’s launch back in 2002. The new Cayenne is a lighter, cleaner, more economical and prettier version of its predecessor and somehow [...]
Chinese Yuan news boosts the FTSE 100 but BP and defence stocks decline June 21, 2010 BRITAIN’S top shares rose yesterday, boosted by China’s move to allow a flexible yuan which lifted investors’ risk appetite and bolstered the demand outlook for commodities, underpinning gains in miners and banks. The FTSE 100 ended 48.27 points higher, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,299.11, after it closed 0.1 per cent lower on Friday to [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 15, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES SONY COMMITMENT BOOSTS GAMES SECTOR Sony, one of the largest computer games developers in the UK, has committed to remaining in the country in a boost to a sector hit by an exodus to lower-cost countries. The Japanese maker of PlayStation, which has its European game design headquarters in Liverpool, is to receive [...]
UK inflation retreats from a record high June 15, 2010 FALLING food and petrol prices dampened inflationary pressures last month and caused the consumer prices index (CPI) to retreat from its 17-month April high to an annual rate of 3.4 per cent in May. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the largest downward contribution to the change in the CPI annual rate came [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 9, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BACKLASH OVER INDIAN FLOAT RULES India is facing a growing private sector backlash against a rule change that will lead to a flood of more than $50bn of new shares being listed over three years. There are concerns that the move could damage the country’s stock market and hamper economic growth. The Finance [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 8, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES GREECE SEEKS INVESTMENTS FROM LIBYA George Papandreou will travel to Libya today for talks with?Muammer Gaddafi on possible investments in Greece as Athens struggles with its debt crisis. The Greek prime minister will discuss potential investments by Libya’s sovereign wealth fund and its state-owned energy groups with the country’s leader, officials said. EMERGING [...]