At a glance: All of Alistair Darling’s 2010 Budget tax and spend policies March 24, 2010 THE ECONOMY/ PUBLIC FINANCES l Confirmed pre-Budget report (PBR) 2010 growth forecast of 1-1.5 per cent. But the chancellor revised downwards the 2011 forecast to 3-3.5 per cent to bring forecasts in line with those of the Bank of England. Growth forecast of 3.5 per cent in 2012 maintained. l Inflation spike expected to be [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 15, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES SONY COMMITMENT BOOSTS GAMES SECTOR Sony, one of the largest computer games developers in the UK, has committed to remaining in the country in a boost to a sector hit by an exodus to lower-cost countries. The Japanese maker of PlayStation, which has its European game design headquarters in Liverpool, is to receive [...]
Cleggmania may soon fade, so now is the time to place election bets April 25, 2010 THE televised debates have caused a seismic shift in British politics and we are likely to be spending a good part of election night on the edge of our seats. On Friday, after the second televised debate, the average of all five post-debate polls showed that Nick Clegg and David Cameron were neck and neck [...]
US existing homes sales pace is up 10 per cent to two-year high November 23, 2009 SALES numbers for previously owned homes in the US jumped more than 10 per cent in October to reach the highest rate since February 2007. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said sales surged 10.1 per cent month-on-month to an annual rate of 6.1m sales, up from 5.54m in September. Analysts said the boom was [...]
Hedge funds pile into financials April 11, 2010 Hedge funds are on the verge of becoming net buyers of financial shares for the first time in several years, according to research from Swiss bank UBS. Market strategist Karen Olney said long/short funds were buying into global equities at their fastest pace since 2007, particularly banking shares where they believed fears over tighter regulation [...]
Conservative manifesto takes on big state April 12, 2010 THE Tory manifesto will be unveiled this morning at Battersea Power Station. The 130-page hardback document is titled “An invitation to join the government of Britain”. The key theme will be the stripping back of big government in favour of social mobility and personal responsibility. It will include: • A drop in the headline rate [...]
Lexus sales hit the skids as Toyota calls halt April 15, 2010 TOYOTA has put a global halt to the sale of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 model after a US magazine Consumer Reports yesterday warned potential buyers of a potential safety risk that the vehicle could tip over. While the vehicle is not available for purchase in the UK, the world’s largest car maker by volume [...]
Miners and banks help FTSE overturn three days of losses May 24, 2010 BRITAIN’S top shares broke a three-day losing streak yesterday as miners spurred by upbeat comments from China, outpaced falls in oils led by BP as concerns lingered over the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. The FTSE 100 ended 6.68 points or 0.1 per cent higher at 5,026.44, in choppy trade. The index is down more [...]
HMV lifted by Russian buyer November 10, 2010 HMV Group saw its shares rise yesterday after Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut upped his stake to above three per cent. The company’s stock had slumped 49 per cent this year as the DVD and CD seller, which also owns Waterstones, hit tough times. HMV has been moving into live music events and venues as it [...]
Emerson slips into the red November 29, 2009 EMERSON Group, one of the largest private housebuilders in the UK, halved the number of homes it built in the year to April due to depressed demand from first-time buyers. The company said it decided not to follow other industry players in offering discounts of up to 30 per cent on new properties, instead completing [...]