Consumer morale at new low March 17, 2011 CONSUMER confidence plummeted to an all-time low in February, according to a Nationwide survey released today. The survey’s headline measure of morale on the high street collapsed by 10 points, as households continue to feel the squeeze. The headline index dropped to a score of 38, from 48 in January. At the same time last [...]
US consumer confidence slumps June 29, 2010 Confidence in the US plunged in June according to the monthly Conference Board survey. It dropped almost 10 points to 52.9, taking the index down to levels not seen since last November. Analysts pointed out that a fall of a similar magnitude in February wasn’t reflected in other surveys.
Easy credit may teach hard economic lessons October 31, 2011 ONE thing about public opinion I fail to understand is this: people understand that easy credit was a cause of the financial crisis, so why are policies that make credit easier popular? George Osborne’s credit easing plans for small businesses are noble in that these firms are indeed the lifeblood of the economy. But it [...]
THE TIPSTER May 16, 2011 THE Nikkei was sold off a little on Monday following some disappointing consumer confidence data. The country is still struggling back to normality following the terrible earthquake, but for contrarian investors, Japanese stocks could look good value. Capital CFDs quotes a price of 9,540-9,550 for the Nikkei 225. Mothercare reports its earnings on Wednesday. Its [...]
Markets hit by Eurozone contagion fears November 7, 2011 Banks were the weakest link on the FTSE 100 this morning as the move towards a coalition government in Greece failed to impress wary investors. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who attempted to call a referendum on a crucial European Union bailout plan, will stand down when the new government takes over. Eurozone ministers meet [...]
PM hit by row over debts on credit cards October 5, 2011 DAVID CAMERON was forced to hastily redraft parts of his conference speech yesterday, after he was widely criticised for pre-released extracts that called on Britons to repay their credit card debts. “The only way out of this crisis is to deal with your debts. That means households – all of us – paying off the [...]
Sainsbury’s buoyed by fuel and clothing October 5, 2011 SAINSBURY’S yesterday reported a like-for-like sales lift, with clothing one of its top performers. The retailer’s sales were up 1.9 per cent excluding fuel in the quarter to 1 October. Its convenience stores business continued to grow at a rate of 20 per cent, with sales growth stronger than in its supermarkets. It said its [...]
HTC predicts strong end to year September 1, 2011 HTC, the world’s fifth-biggest maker of smartphones, sees a strong end to the year as consumer demand for its latest gadgets defies macro-economic worries, a company executive said. “I am confident on Q3. We see a strong Q4,” Florian Seiche, head of HTC business in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said in an interview on [...]
Spring in the air at Bellway as profits rise March 30, 2011 BRITISH homebuilder Bellway expects its profits this year to grow by a third after a strengthening spring market gave encouragement for an increase in sales. Posting a 26 per cent jump in first-half profits yesterday, the company said site visitors and reservations have returned to the pattern of a “traditional spring market” in spite of [...]
Santander: We can meet capital requirements without cutting divi October 27, 2011 Spanish bank Santander saidit would meet new Europe-wide capital requirements without carrying out a capital increase and without cutting dividends. The euro zone’s largest bank said it aimed to reach 10 percent core capital by June 2012, up from 9.42 per cent at the end of the third quarter. A mark to market of its [...]