Gains beat pain for Costain with record orders August 20, 2015 ENGINEERING consultancy Costain yesterday reported growth in both revenue and profits for the first half of the year, citing growth in infrastructure as the main reason behind the increase. Half-year revenue was £601.5m, up from the previous total of £504m, while profit had risen by 42 per cent to £10m. The company, which is currently [...]
High yield stands out as last pocket of return as bond markets make losses this year August 19, 2015 Nearly all bond sectors are in the red this year. With losses across the sector, high yield is standing out as the last area of decent return, according to experts. BOND MARKET LOSSES Four out of six Investment Association bond sectors have made losses in sterling terms this year, including global and emerging market [...]
Light at the end of the North Sea oil pipeline: Oil firms have all taken a hit by the decline in global crude prices. But has it hit rock bottom? August 19, 2015 The affect of fraught conditions in oil markets on North Sea companies was revealed yesterday as John Wood Group and Cairn Energy announced their half-year results. Wood Group revealed it has axed around 5,000 jobs in response to the decline in crude oil prices, with 1,000 of them coming from North Sea operations. The company’s [...]
Don’t fear low inflation: It’s great news for consumers while it lasts August 18, 2015 The latest retail figures in the UK showed good growth. Things are also looking up in the US and in much of the euro area. The world economy has settled into a period of steady growth with very little inflation in the major economies. Indeed, just yesterday, official figures revealed that consumer price index inflation [...]
UK inflation: Pound hits seven-week high as inflation unexpectedly hits 0.1 per cent in July August 18, 2015 The pound hit a seven-week high against the greenback this morning as investors cheered a better-than-expected inflation figure. Official data showed the consumer price index rose 0.1 per cent in the year to July, from zero a month earlier, beating economists' expectations for no change. Nevertheless inflation still remains well below the Bank of England's target [...]
Noflation: UK inflation expected to remain at zero August 16, 2015 Inflation is expected to remain at zero, or noflation as it has been dubbed, due to falling oil prices and a strong pound. Forecasters believe the official data from the Office of National Statistics due out on Tuesday, will show that prices remained the same in July. "Given renewed oil price weakness, with Brent crude [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s renationalisation agenda would be disastrous for consumers August 10, 2015 Labour leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn has called for a “public debate” about renationalisation, in particular of the railways but even of energy firms. As with others occupying the left wing of UK politics, his logic seems to be: “these industries were privatised, prices have gone up in these industries, ergo privatisation has caused high prices [...]
Super Thursday: Here what analysts think of today’s interest rate vote August 6, 2015 It's Super Thursday – the day the Bank of England unleashes a raft of data, from the latest decision on interest rates (spoiler: they left it at 0.5 per cent) to its quarterly inflation report, in an effort to increase transparency. The most anticipated section of the release was the the minutes of the latest [...]
Strong results push FTSE 100 to one-week high as energy shares rally – London Report July 31, 2015 THE FTSE 100 rose for a third straight day yesterday, with energy shares leading the way as oil prices gained and Royal Dutch Shell rallied after it announced jobs and spending cuts. InterContinental Hotels climbed 4.8 per cent after the Financial Times reported that it had held talks with rival Starwood Hotels on a deal. [...]
US mulls oil price war with Middle East: Senate debates lifting ban on exports July 31, 2015 Senators in the US have raised the prospect of an oil price war with the Middle East. The Senate held a crucial meeting on whether the decades-old ban on exporting crude oil should be lifted, with chair of the Senate committee on energy and natural resources, Lisa Murkowski, arguing the US should “compete against our [...]