Inflation held up by steeper food prices June 14, 2011 INFLATION is widely expected to balloon past five per cent in the coming months, after rising food costs held the consumer price index to a two-and-a-half year high of 4.5 per cent in May. May’s steady rate on the CPI “represents just a temporary pause in an upward trend which could take inflation to 5.5 [...]
Sterling’s slump is costing us all dear June 12, 2011 WELCOME to price hike Britain. Wherever one looks, consumer goods and food are becoming dearer. Energy prices are rocketing. One fundamental reason for these increases is the collapse in the value of sterling since the recession, a development which has been insufficiently well understood by the UK’s political establishment. Sterling’s slump is a dramatic reversal [...]
Huhne: hurt energy firms June 12, 2011 CHRIS Huhne yesterday called on energy consumers to “hurt” their suppliers by finding a cheaper alternative rather than accept price hikes “lying down”. “Consumers don’t have to take price increases lying down,” the energy secretary said. “If an energy company hits you with a price increase, you can hit them back where it hurts – [...]
Scot Power hikes its gas bills by 19pc June 7, 2011 UTILITY firm Scottish Power will hike its domestic power and gas tariffs from 1 August in response to rising wholesale energy prices, it announced yesterday, becoming the first of the power companies set to raise household bills this summer. Gas bills for Scottish Power customers will increase by an average of 19 per cent, while [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 6, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES SPAIN TO SEEK REDRESS OVER E. COLI CLAIM Spain will demand “100 per cent” compensation for the damage suffered by its farmers over unfounded accusations that they were the source of the E. coli outbreak in Germany that has killed 22 people and made thousands sick. Rosa Aguilar, Spain’s environment and rural affairs [...]
OPEC may raise oil supply targets to calm prices June 2, 2011 OPEC is considering raising oil supply targets for the first time since 2007 in a move that could weaken $100 (£60.87) oil prices and lessen the drag of high energy costs on global economic growth. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which pumps more than a third of the world’s oil, may raise supply [...]
FTSE lifted by commodities and Man Group May 26, 2011 The FTSE rose today as commodity stocks received a lift while a series of positive corporate results helped to boost investor sentiment. As G8 leaders gathered in France with the future leadership of the IMF and the eurozone debt crisis at the heart of the talks, global markets regained some lost confidence. Investors once again [...]
FTSE hit by China growth fears and eurozone crisis May 23, 2011 Commodity stocks took a hammering in early trading today as miners and energy related groups suffered from uncertainty in the global economy. The eurozone debt crisis continued to cast a shadow after Italy’s credit rating was downgraded by Standard & Poor’s from stable to negative. Chinese manufacturing data from HSBC showing a ten-month low also [...]
M&B shares fall after profit drop May 20, 2011 Pub and restaurant giant Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) shares fell more than 4.9 per cent as they reported a drop in half-year profits. Pre-tax profit for the 28 weeks to 9 April was at £43m, compared with £72m in 2010. Revenue was down by almost nine per cent to £946m, compared with last year. The [...]
Eurozone inflation rises May 16, 2011 More expensive energy drove eurozone headline inflation higher in April and core inflation jumped as well, data showed, confirming an earlier estimate and the ECB’s concern about rising inflationary risks. The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said consumer prices in the 17 countries using the euro rose 0.6 per cent month-on-month, confirming its earlier year-on-year [...]