What the other papers say this morning – 9 January 2014 January 8, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES UK mobile services in Channel tunnel British Eurotunnel passengers will finally be able to use mobile phones under the sea following an agreement between the Channel tunnel operator and UK telecoms groups to provide the same sort of voice and data services that have been available to the French since 2012. China offers [...]
Banks point to small drop in mortgage lending in October November 25, 2013 THE NUMBER of mortgages approved by the UK’s banks dipped in October for the first month since February, despite a huge increase in the last 12 months. Data released by the British Bankers’ Association yesterday shows that approvals have exploded since October 2012, with lending up by a third in the past year alone. The [...]
Recovery may be start of boom bust cycle says Berenberg November 1, 2013 The UK recovery is showing disturbing signs of mirroring the pre-crash economy, fuelled by consumer spending and easy credit, according to a Berenberg research note. The bank draws attention to the worryingly low savings rates in the UK which are being further depleted, giving some temporary boost to the economy. A similar situation prevailed in [...]
We love bubbles – but UK has yet to recover from the last two January 20, 2014 ONE last push – that is all that is needed for the UK stock market to finally bury the ghost of the dot.com bubble and bust. Remarkably, the FTSE 100 has still not got back to the level it reached on the last trading day of the previous millennium, a time of euphoria and irrational [...]
Carpetright’s half-year profits worn thin by Netherlands arm December 10, 2013 WORSENING conditions in the Netherlands and volatile trading in the UK caused flooring specialist Carpetright to post a slump in first-half profits. The group already issued a profit warning in October alongside the shock news that chief executive Darren Shapland was stepping down with immediate effect just 18 months into the role. His departure saw [...]
London Report: Under pressure Tesco to reveal crunch results December 1, 2013 TESCO’S quarterly results on Wednesday form the centrepiece of a full calendar of corporate results dominated by high street names. The supermarket, which recently saw its market share fall under 30 per cent for the first time over the last 18 months, is set to deliver disappointing numbers, according to analysts, who predict a like-for-like [...]
City Moves for 7 January 2014 | Who’s switching jobs January 6, 2014 LPFA The London Pensions Fund Authority has announced the appointment of Susan Martin as chief executive. She joined the LPFA in 2007. Martin has previously held various positions at the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Cancer Research UK. Mercer The consultancy firm has hired Toby Buscombe as global head of infrastructure investments. He joined Mercer [...]
Globalisation isn’t keeping us safe – it’s blunting our punishment of Putin March 30, 2014 CALAMITIES often serve a useful purpose in foreign policy, overturning intellectual sacred cows that – until they so dramatically reveal themselves as unfit for purpose – pass for received wisdom. The long-held leftish shibboleth of interdependence presently seems ripe for the chopping block. This cherished nostrum declares that, since countries’ economic affairs are intertwined, mainstream [...]
Back to the 1970s: Globalisation will force UK’s hand over export shortfall January 13, 2014 FOR MOST of the past century, UK economic growth has depended primarily on consumer spending and housing. Indeed, the current recovery is heavily driven by these two factors – even though the shape of this revival is gradually changing. But globalisation brings new challenges. We have to pay for much more expensive energy and raw [...]
Carney: Houses drive recovery October 29, 2013 BRITAIN’S economic recovery is based on the housing boom, Mark Carney said yesterday. “Right now in the UK as a whole the recovery is being led by the housing sector,” the Bank of England governor told the Western Mail. But he added that the market is not in a bubble, and that the Bank will [...]