BEST OF THE BROKERS May 11, 2011 RECKITT BENCKISER Goldman Sachs rates the consumer goods producer “buy” but has taken the firm off its “conviction buy” list, and has cut its 12-month target price by 160p to £41.70. The broker thinks the firm contains an increased execution risk following a change in management, though recent quarterly results were encouraging. Goldman is still [...]
Business weighs risks of Russian investment June 19, 2011 AS the St Petersburg International Economic Forum wrapped up over the weekend, the business leaders and investors who flew into Russia to see President Dmitry Medvedev outline his vision for attracting foreign investment into the resource rich former super power were hopeful that reform is finally on the way, but sceptical that the Russian leadership [...]
FTSE lifted by commodities and Man Group May 26, 2011 The FTSE rose today as commodity stocks received a lift while a series of positive corporate results helped to boost investor sentiment. As G8 leaders gathered in France with the future leadership of the IMF and the eurozone debt crisis at the heart of the talks, global markets regained some lost confidence. Investors once again [...]
Morale among UK consumers starts to mend April 13, 2011 CONSUMER confidence on the UK high street picked up in March, following an all time low the previous month, a widely regarded Nationwide survey revealed today. The index picked up five points to a score of 44, still considerably below the same point last year, when the index recorded 73 points. “While this is a [...]
CITY A.M. | SHADOW MPC STICKS AT 6-3 AGAINST RAISING RATES May 4, 2011 ALLISTER HEATH | CITY A.M. “Quarter-point rise. Consumer price inflation is still expected to touch five per cent in the coming months, while the UK has recovered reasonably from the winter freeze. A gradual normalisation is required.” SIMON WARD | HENDERSON “Half-point rise. February’s inflation report signalled that rate hikes would be necessary to return [...]
Britain needs its own Ronald Reagan July 5, 2011 HERO-WORSHIP is always a mistake. No statesman is perfect: all make mistakes. But Ronald Reagan – of whom a statue was unveiled in Grosvenor Square yesterday – was one of the few major figures of the 20th century to leave their country in a hugely better state than they inherited it. He helped America regain [...]
Britain needs its own Ronald Reagan July 4, 2011 HERO-WORSHIP is always a mistake. No statesman is perfect: all make mistakes. But Ronald Reagan – of whom a statue was unveiled in Grosvenor Square yesterday – was one of the few major figures of the 20th century to leave their country in a hugely better state than they inherited it. He helped America regain [...]
Sell-off in Europe likely today May 8, 2011 A sell-off is expected on European bourses this morning, following a weakening in US markets on Friday from the highs reached after the strong US jobs data. In out-of-hours trading, GFT is forecasting the UK index to open down 66 points from last week’s close, at around 5,910. The German DAX is quoted to open [...]
Sell-off in Europe likely today May 8, 2011 A sell-off is expected on European bourses this morning, following a weakening in US markets on Friday from the highs reached after the strong US jobs data. In out-of-hours trading, GFT is forecasting the UK index to open down 66 points from last week’s close, at around 5,910. The German DAX is quoted to open [...]
Consumer confidence worrying for everyone March 22, 2011 WHAT do politicians, retailers, the media and market researchers have in common? They are all talking and worrying, about “consumer confidence”. ECONOMY IS BIGGEST ISSUE Over three quarters of the UK population think the economy is the most important issue facing the country and the Bloomberg/YouGov Household Economic Activity Tracker shows 55 per cent expecting [...]