Third day of red as miners and banks lose their appeal May 13, 2009 THE FTSE 100 dropped 2.1 per cent yesterday, succumbing to disappointing US retail sales figures, profit-taking in the banking sector and mining stocks weighed down by weak commodity prices. The index retreated for the third day in a row, closing at 4,331.37, or 94.17 points down. “Despite the change of tone, markets have more room [...]
Third day of red as miners and banks lose their appeal May 13, 2009 THE FTSE 100 dropped 2.1 per cent yesterday, succumbing to disappointing US retail sales figures, profit-taking in the banking sector and mining stocks weighed down by weak commodity prices. The index retreated for the third day in a row, closing at 4,331.37, or 94.17 points down. “Despite the change of tone, markets have more room [...]
Search for BP chair nears end June 14, 2009 OIL giant BP’s tortuous two-year slog to find a new chairman is finally drawing to a close, and mining and energy heavyweight Paul Anderson is tipped to be the man to end it. While BP refused to comment on who might fill the post – one of the most prestigious in corporate Britain – Anderson [...]
Search for BP chair nears end June 14, 2009 OIL giant BP’s tortuous two-year slog to find a new chairman is finally drawing to a close, and mining and energy heavyweight Paul Anderson is tipped to be the man to end it. While BP refused to comment on who might fill the post – one of the most prestigious in corporate Britain – Anderson [...]
Metals lose their shine and oil slips on the strong dollar June 15, 2009 LOWER commodities stocks and the firm dollar took the FTSE 100 lower yesterday, losing 2.6 per cent, or 115.94 points, to close at 4,326.01. Volumes were about 76 per cent of its 90-day average daily volume, but the index has risen 25 percent since hitting a six-year low on 9 March. “The fundamentals of the [...]
Rio hit again as investors snub Chinalco May 21, 2009 MINING giant Rio Tinto came under fire again yesterday over its controversial proposed tie-up with Chinalco. In the latest in a series of criticisms from shareholders and the Australian government, investors in Sydney called for changes to the proposed $19.5bn (£13.6bn) tie-up with the Chinese state-owned aluminium company. Shareholders object to the stake which Chinalco [...]
The hard-core soft-top July 7, 2009 IF this road test ends abruptly, it is because I’ve been skewered by a BAE Hawk T1A aircraft flown by one of the Red Arrows display team, which as I am writing are rehearsing for the first day of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Or the even more earsplitting Eurofighter Typhoon, which is now overhead [...]
Preaching to the converted May 26, 2009 INVERNESS. Picture-postcard scenes. Cloudless blue skies and 26 degrees. It’s May. Added to that, there are miles upon miles of clear winding roads, the occasional switchback series of bends and rarely a building in sight. All in all, it’s not a bad draw for a weekday. BMW has also given me the key to a [...]
THE TIPSTER June 7, 2009 THE political chaos that is Westminster is dominating the headlines at the moment: Gordon Brown is clinging to the premiership by a thread while cabinet ministers jump ship and call for his resignation. Whether he’ll go sooner or later, it’s worth taking a punt on how many seats the main parties are likely to win [...]
Falling for a Romeo July 21, 2009 HAVE YOU ever seen anything so beautiful you could cry? For me, it’s this object before me, Alfa’s drop-dead gorgeous 8C Spider. So here I am, at Balocco circuit, Alfa Romeo’s private test facility between Milan and Turin. It’s 35 degrees. Test tracks, no matter where they are in the world, are not known for [...]