Cheaper long-term mortgages are back August 30, 2011 MORTGAGE rates are plummeting. Interest rates on gilts and swaps – those things that indicate the price of fixed-rate mortgages – have been heading downwards for some time and look to set to stay there. Now lenders seem to have caught on and have started dishing out the goods. Last week, Chelsea Building Society launched [...]
London grows at fastest rate for 16 months August 7, 2011 BUSINESS activity in London grew at its fastest rate for 16 months in July, according to a Lloyds TSB survey released today. Output grew in all regions except Northern Ireland, but London led the way with “by far the strongest expansion”. “July’s survey data points to an uneven regional recovery, with London advancing clear of [...]
Focus on: small businesses under the microscope August 7, 2011 WHEN T-Mobile called and asked if we wanted to sit in on one of their small business focus groups, we couldn’t say no. This year has been huge for entrepreneurs. The Prime Minister David Cameron passed them the gauntlet, asking them to revive our economy. So important he felt this responsibility, he dedicated his keynote [...]
Focus on: small businesses under the microscope August 7, 2011 WHEN T-Mobile called and asked if we wanted to sit in on one of their small business focus groups, we couldn’t say no. This year has been huge for entrepreneurs. The Prime Minister David Cameron passed them the gauntlet, asking them to revive our economy. So important he felt this responsibility, he dedicated his keynote [...]
Home shopping retailer N Brown shows resilience in tough market as sales soar July 5, 2011 N BROWN, the British home shopping clothing group that targets older and larger consumers, posted a rise in first-half sales, underlining the resilient nature of the business in tough times. The Manchester-based company said yesterday total revenue increased 5.1 per cent in the 18 weeks to 2 July and was up 1.6 per cent on [...]
Home shopping retailer N Brown shows resilience in tough market as sales soar July 5, 2011 N BROWN, the British home shopping clothing group that targets older and larger consumers, posted a rise in first-half sales, underlining the resilient nature of the business in tough times. The Manchester-based company said yesterday total revenue increased 5.1 per cent in the 18 weeks to 2 July and was up 1.6 per cent on [...]
FTSE sinks below 5,000 August 9, 2011 The FTSE 100 plunged below 5,000 for the first time since 7 July 2010 as the crisis of confidence in world markets deepened. The latest plunge came after indices across Europe had opened on the front foot before returning to a downward spiral. Rallying calls form President Obama failed to limit the damage caused by [...]
Centrica fall is blamed on the weather July 28, 2011 CENTRICA, the UK’s largest energy supplier, said pre-tax profits dropped by 19 per cent in the first half of the year after higher wholesale prices and warmer weather took its toll on its residential energy business. The utility firm saw its adjusted operating profits fall to £1.26bn in the six months to 30 June, which [...]
Service sector growth at four month high August 3, 2011 Activity in the country’s dominant services sector grew at its fastest pace in four months in July on strong growth in new business, raising hopes that the economy may pick up despite recent dire news from manufacturers and retailers. However, the services firms also cut jobs, and banks and consumer-facing sectors suffered a drop in [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING September 19, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES SIEMENS SHELTERS CASH AT ECB Siemens withdrew more than half a billion euros in cash deposits from a large French bank two weeks ago and transferred it to the ECB, in a sign of how companies are seeking havens amid Europe’s sovereign debt crisis. The German industrial group withdrew the money partly because [...]