Moody’s UK warning hits FTSE 100 February 14, 2012 The FTSE dipped this morning after debt rating agency Moody’s warned it could downgrade top-rated sovereigns including Britain. Moody’s grim assessment sapped some of the confidence of investors who had been encouraged by Greece finally agreeing a package of austerity measures to steer it away from a default. The move put the UK’s rating in [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 31, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Insurers warn on too big to fail plans Regulators’ plans to designate big global insurers as too big to fail could have unintended consequences that risk “destabilising the financial system”, an industry body has claimed. The Geneva Association said they might prompt insurers to cut holdings of government bonds as well as bank [...]
Persimmon says new strategy paying off July 3, 2012 British housebuilder Persimmon said it had made an excellent start to its new strategic plan by completing more new homes, attracting more viewers and selling them for a higher fee, giving it confidence for the full year. Britain’s largest householder by market value followed other property developers by saying that market conditions had been relatively [...]
FTSE up as Greek endgame arrives February 9, 2012 The FTSE 100 crawled up this morning as investors braced themselves for an expected decision on a Greek debt deal and the prospect of the Bank of England pumping in another £50bn into its quantitative easing programme. Greek officials said pension cuts were the sticking point in talks which have lurched from one crisis point [...]
Land Securities says Eurozone crisis denting London office sales May 16, 2012 Land Securities, the biggest listed British property developer, said demand for office space in London was lower than expected due to the worsening turmoil in the Eurozone. The joint developer of the Walkie Talkie skyscraper in the City of London financial district said on Wednesday firms were delaying moves due to economic uncertainty. “We remain [...]
Strong Suit can give Hannon another win in Hungerford Stakes August 16, 2012 NEWBURY racecourse received plenty of rain on Wednesday, but the forecast is much better over the next couple of days and it should be nearer good-to-firm by the time tomorrow’s card gets underway. That is good news for STRONG SUIT, who has always been very well regarded by Richard Hannon, and is much better on [...]
Tennis is booming financially – but the cash is wasted June 25, 2012 TENNIS is one of Britain’s greatest inventions. It was codified in the nineteenth century and exported all over the world. Yet, while many of us love the strawberries and cream side of Wimbledon, the undoubted financial success of the tournament has failed to produce a British champion since 1936. And more importantly, it has failed [...]
The Games are a chance for Britain to showcase its freedom and openness July 26, 2012 IT’S fitting that the Olympic flame, which passed through the City yesterday, is lit in Olympia by focusing the sun’s rays in a mirror. The modern Games is a mirror of nations, in which the host nation and its guests reveal themselves to the world. Take the torch relay. For the Nazis, who ran the [...]
Signs of a solution in Greece send the FTSE edging higher February 9, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index closed modestly higher yesterday, supported by oil and banking stocks after BG Group reported strong results and Greece moved closer to securing a bailout package that will avert a chaotic default. The FTSE 100 closed 19.54 points or 0.3 per cent higher at 5,895.47 after hitting a six-month intraday high of [...]
LONDON 2012 IMAGE OF THE WEEK May 17, 2012 IN a ceremony in Athens yesterday, the Olympic flame was handed over to a delegation led by Princess Anne. Accompanied by David Beckham, it will travel to the UK on a specially painted golden British Airways plane. Nicknamed the Firefly, the plane will land in Cornwall, where the Torch will begin its 70 day journey [...]