WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 1, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES AUSTRALIA’S GROWTH RATE STALLS IN THIRD QUARTER Australia’s economic growth rate slowed markedly in the third quarter to its weakest level in two years as higher interest rates cut into housing investment and the rise in the Australian dollar hit exports. The 0.2 per cent rise in gross domestic product compared with the [...]
Time for Johnson to make the Red Rose bloom again February 2, 2011 ENGLAND begin this year’s RBS 6 Nations as the bookmakers’ favourites and, with an encouraging autumn series behind them and three home games in the championship, the initial predictions were that Martin Johnson’s ripening side, currently ranked fourth in the world, would be able to live up to those lofty expectations. In mid-November a record [...]
Stone will advise new SME bank on hunt for investors September 30, 2010 A NEW business bank specialising in lending to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is launching an international fundraising which aims to raise £100m in start-up funds. Most of the bank’s management team are currently under contract elsewhere in the City but have already opened discussions with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to acquire a [...]
Public sector pensions cut October 7, 2010 MILLIONS of public sector workers will have to contribute more to their pensions, if proposals put forward by Lord Hutton are adopted by the government. The former Labour work and pensions secretary, who is leading a commission into public sector pensions, also said that employees in the public sector would likely have to work longer [...]
Cracks start to appear in the coalition over business plans September 20, 2010 THE two sides of the coalition look set to clash over a string of key business issues, according to a British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) survey of MPs. One potential battleground is the forthcoming appointment of outgoing HSBC chairman Stephen Green as full-time trade minister. Around 62 per cent of Tories are in favour of [...]
France hopes for strong growth in 2011 and ducks swingeing cutbacks September 29, 2010 FRANCE will curb civil service spending and scrap tax breaks but otherwise rely on faster economic growth to replenish public coffers in 2011, according to a budget bill that some economists said lacked ambition. Wary of voter dismay over pension reforms ahead of elections in early 2012, President Nicolas Sarkozy is seeking to honour deficit-reduction [...]
France hopes for strong growth in 2011 and ducks swingeing cutbacks September 29, 2010 FRANCE will curb civil service spending and scrap tax breaks but otherwise rely on faster economic growth to replenish public coffers in 2011, according to a budget bill that some economists said lacked ambition. Wary of voter dismay over pension reforms ahead of elections in early 2012, President Nicolas Sarkozy is seeking to honour deficit-reduction [...]
Take home pay still dwarfed by inflation September 8, 2010 Growth in take home pay rose 1.3 per cent in the three months to August compared to just 0.8 per cent in the quarter ending in July, the VocaLink Take Home Pay index will show today. However, with CPI standing at 3.1 per cent in July, pay growth is still dwarfed by inflation. Over the [...]
Petra results sparkle after stone sale September 20, 2010 PETRA Diamonds announced record pre-tax annual profits of $70.2m (£45.1m) yesterday, in a remarkable turnaround from the losses of $89m it announced in2009. Gross revenue at the mining company also increased to $177.7m for the year, up 88 per cent on the $94.4m recorded in the 12 months to 30 June 2009. The mining company, [...]
H&M is hit by rise in costs of materials September 29, 2010 SWEDISH fashion group Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) said profit margins weakened in its third quarter, as costs rose. While H&M boosted profit by 20 per cent thanks to popular sales campaigns and its wide geographical spread, analysts worried about how the world’s third biggest clothing retailer – behind Gap and Inditex – will cope with [...]