Banks buoyed by Abu Dhabi move for RBS stake March 27, 2012 Banks fuelled FTSE 100 gains this morning after the sector was lifted by reports that Abu Dhabi was considering making a bid for RBS assets. Talks between Abu Dhabi and the British government over a stake in state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland are at the level of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, a source close [...]
Financials and miners lift the FTSE to a new high for 2012 March 14, 2012 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 closed at its highest level this year yesterday as banks and miners rallied after encouraging economic data out of Europe and the US, although volumes were weak and traders said the market could be nearing its top. London’s blue chip index closed up 63.16 points, or 1.1 per cent at 5,955.91, but [...]
Top PR job at Goldman was never going to be a walk in the park March 14, 2012 RICHARD Siewert Jnr’s appointment as the new head of public relations at Goldman Sachs was only officially announced to staff on Tuesday. But by yesterday morning the former press secretary to President Bill Clinton was thrown into his first fully-fledged firestorm. In an unauthorised article for the New York Times, Greg Smith, a London-based employee [...]
Lloyd’s losses from Thailand reach £1.4bn February 14, 2012 LLOYD’S of London has estimated its net claims from last year’s Thai floods will hit $2.22bn (£1.4bn), the third biggest loss in the market’s history. The initial estimate is based on a projected worldwide cost to the insurance industry of $15bn–20bn and could change, but Lloyd’s is financially strong enough to cope according to chief [...]
FTSE 100 dragged lower as fears of fresh slump weigh on bank shares March 29, 2012 HEIGHTENED worries over global economic growth, after more disappointing data from America and the UK, dragged Britain’s leading shares lower yesterday, with energy and banking stocks taking the biggest hit. The FTSE 100 index closed down 66.96 points or 1.2 per cent at 5,742.03, extending its falls into a third straight session and reaching a [...]
FTSE posts slim gain after Budget March 21, 2012 London’s blue chip index posted a marginal gain on closing after a volatile session as strength in market heavyweight Vodafone countered weaker commodity stocks hit by below par US data which revived concerns over demand for metals. The UK blue chip index closed up 0.54 points, or 0.01 per cent, at 5,891.95, surrendering a 0.3 [...]
Miners peg back FTSE as UK inflation dips again March 20, 2012 Miners pegged the FTSE 100 back in early trading as fears that demand from China for metals was falling sapped investor confidence. BHP Billiton, the world’s biggest miner, fell 1.9 per cent after saying it was seeing signs of “flattening” iron ore demand from China. The sector is pinning its hopes on continuing fast growth [...]
House prices flat as Britons stuck renting February 26, 2012 HALF of Britons do not expect to buy a house until they are in their forties, a survey showed today, while the housing market stayed flat again through February. Average rents rose to £890 per month at the end of 2011, but 61 per cent of renters cannot afford to buy, according to a survey [...]
Miners lift FTSE but UK factory figures cast shadow April 5, 2012 The FTSE 100 edged up this morning as miners were boosted by more positive data from China but a shadow was cast over the UK by bleak factory output figures. Investors were also eyeing the Bank of England’s interest rate decision at midday with rates expected to be frozen again with no more quantitative easing [...]
Miners dent FTSE as UK retail suffers blow March 22, 2012 Miners pegged back the FTSE 100 in early trading as more data suggesting China’s economic growth is slowing took its toll. The first full trading session sine Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget speech saw investors shun riskier assets with banks also being knocked back. Factory activity in China was down for the fifth month in a [...]