Businesses back BA tie-ups May 19, 2009 SUPPORT came for flag carrier British Airways (BA) yesterday, after Sir Richard Branson hit out against the group’s intended tie-up with American Airlines (AA) and Iberia. Branson, who owns Virgin Atlantic airlines, had said a merger between BA and AA would create a “monster monopoly” of airline groups, which would lock out competition, and muscle [...]
Businesses back BA tie-ups May 19, 2009 SUPPORT came for flag carrier British Airways (BA) yesterday, after Sir Richard Branson hit out against the group’s intended tie-up with American Airlines (AA) and Iberia. Branson, who owns Virgin Atlantic airlines, had said a merger between BA and AA would create a “monster monopoly” of airline groups, which would lock out competition, and muscle [...]
Wall Street hit by poor factory data June 15, 2009 US STOCKS tumbled yesterday, marking their worst slide in a month after regional manufacturing data dented optimism about the economy’s health and resource shares fell alongside commodity prices. After a series of signs the economy may be stabilising, investors are looking for more definitive signals of its improving health. Analysts also said a pullback was [...]
UK SERVICES SECTOR OUT OF RECESSION June 3, 2009 A SURPRISE return to growth for the services sector recorded in May boosted hopes yesterday, suggesting that Britain could be the first major economy to recover from the financial crisis. The CIPS/Markit UK services sector purchasing managers’ index (PMI) released yesterday recorded a reading of 51.7, above the critical 50 mark that separates expansion from [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 18, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESCASH-STRAPPED TOURISTS AVOID SPANISH SUNBritish tourists impoverished by the weak pound, German holiday makers worried about recession and a domestic market laid low by the sharpest economic contraction for 40 years: it would be hard to imagine a worse combination for Spain’s tourism industry as bookings in many places are down by at least [...]
More jobs go as DMGT falls into the red May 21, 2009 DAILY Mail and General Trust (DMGT) said yesterday that had fallen into the red, posting a pre-tax loss of £239m for the six months to 29 March – forcing it to cut more jobs. The owner of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday said that it had been hit by a £188m non-cash [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 8, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES OBAMA’S SPENDING DRIVE TO FOCUS ON JOBSBarack Obama yesterday stepped up the pace of Washington’s stimulus spending with plans to create or save 600,000 jobs over the next 100 days – four times the rate achieved in the $787bn package’s first 100 days. The announcement, which follows last week’s news that 345,000 jobs [...]
Markets mustn’t ignore geopolitical risk May 25, 2009 FOR most investors, consumers and employees around the world, the only public policy debate that really matters is how to deal with the recession – understandably so, given the devastation it has already wreaked. In Britain, we are also seeking to rescue democracy from corrupt politicians. Yet while there is plenty to worry about at [...]
Lawson: The Tories need to find the bottle to cut public spending July 2, 2009 FORMER chancellor Lord Lawson is feeling hot under the collar. It’s not just because he’s finished delivering a lecture in a stuffy, airless room at the London Stock Exchange. He’s also fed up with travelling on the underground in the sweltering heat. “The problem with the tube is not so much the heat,” he tells [...]
Sterling falls further September 4, 2008 Sterling continued its sharp decline yesterday as currency markets reacted to the worsening outlook for the UK economy and a slew of negative economic data. Surveys showed consumer confidence mired at a four-month low in August as food prices rose ten per cent year-on-year. Other data showed activity in the services sector still weakening. The [...]