London slumps to a five-week low led by bank and oil stocks January 27, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index hit a five-week closing low yesterday, dragged down by energy stocks and banks ahead of the conclusion of a US Federal Reserve policy meeting. The FTSE 100 closed down 59.38 points, or 1.1 per cent, at 5,217.47, its lowest close since 18 December. The index gained 0.3 per cent on Tuesday, [...]
Doubts grow over QE end January 26, 2010 THE lower than expected economic growth figure may delay the ending of Quantitative Easing (QE), according to Citi economist Michael Saunders. “Before these data, we judged that there was little chance that QE would be extended at next week’s MPC meeting. “These data introduce considerable uncertainty, but on balance we still believe that the MPC [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS January 26, 2010 PricewaterhouseCoopers Dr Paul Robertson has joined the accountancy giant to lead the crisis management part of its risk and business continuity management services division. A past winner of the CIR Business Continuity Management Consultant of the Year award, Robertson is a regular speaker at industry events. He has spent the past 13 years working as [...]
Defensive shares lift FTSE but banks and miners weak January 26, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading share index added 0.3 per cent yesterday, as support for defensive issues, and a modest early rally on Wall Street, offset weakness in heavyweight miners and banks. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 16.54 points at 5,276.85, snapping a four-session losing streak, having earlier reached an intraday low for the [...]
OUT OF OFFICE January 24, 2010 Van gogh comes to the r.a. Incredibly, this is the first major Van Gogh exhibition in London for over 40 years, and it will shed extra light on the impulses and inspirations of the troubled Dutch painter with the inclusion of 35 of his letters, as well as 65 paintings and 30 drawings. Whether your [...]
We’ll always have Paris January 24, 2010 NOBODY does romance better than the French. Paris might no longer be the centre of world when it comes to business or culture, but in terms of places to spend Valentine’s Day nothing comes close. The French capital has a huge spectrum of hotels for every budget and taste, but the knowledgeable people at the [...]
Shares fall as Obama wages war on Wall Street January 22, 2010 PRESIDENT Barack Obama launched his biggest attack yet on the banking sector, revealing plans for the toughest overhaul of Wall Street since the Great Depression. “If these folks want a fight, it’s a fight I’m ready to have,” Obama said, as he told retail banks they would no longer be able to take risky bets [...]
Banks consider legal challenge to government’s bonus supertax January 21, 2010 A GROUP of banks including Royal Bank of Scotland has hired City law firm Clifford Chance to explore a legal challenge to the government’s 50 per cent bonus windfall tax. The Global Financial Markets Association, which counts RBS, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse among its members, is examining the legal route as well as a [...]
Commercial property sector sees growing signs of improvement January 20, 2010 THE hard-hit commercial property sector is finally showing signs of life, according to a new survey from the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors (RICS) published today. In London, the amount of office space available to tenants in London declined for the first time in two years and rents are no longer expected to fall in [...]
Drugmakers give FTSE a lift as investors bet on healthcare January 19, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index ended up 0.3 per cent yesterday, led by pharmaceuticals on hopes that US President Barack Obama’s healthcare reforms could be hampered, while banks fell after results from US bank Citigroup. The FTSE 100 index rose 18.75 points to 5,513.14, extending Monday’s gains when the market rose 0.7 per cent. Pharmaceuticals echoed [...]