Higginson still in the running for RBS branches despite reports of bid rejection September 17, 2013 Reports that Andy Higginson's bid for RBS branches had been rejected have been denied by his consortium W&G Investments. A spokesperson said: We remain in constructive discussions with RBS about our bid. Our proposal remains the only true offer for Williams and Glyns, and offers full and certain value to RBS and its shareholders, whilst [...]
House prices rise with London leading the way September 17, 2013 The Office for National Statistics has reported that house prices rose 0.3 per cent month-on-month in July, following increases of 0.4 per cent for both June and May. London's house prices are strong – up 9.7 per cent year-on-year in July – which has inflated the annual rate of increase to 3.3 per cent in [...]
Women more dangerous than men: The top 10 celebrity searches that infected PCs this year September 17, 2013 Lily Collins is now the most dangerous celebrity to search for online in 2013. Knocking Emma Watson off the top spot, internet security company McAfee has found that a search for the actress yields a one in seven chance of ending up on a malicious site. McAfee research found that searching for the latest Lily [...]
German economic sentiment picks up before election weekend September 17, 2013 German economic sentiment has jumped up just in time for the German election, according to the latest ZEW survey numbers. Expected to pick up from 42 to 46, we've seen a jump to 49.6 in economic sentiment in September. Assessment of the current situation also markedly improved, analysts forecasting an uptick from 18.3 to 20.8. [...]
Softer UK inflation data in August September 17, 2013 The consumer price index for the month of August year-on-year has softened to 2.7 per cent from 2.8 per cent, in line with expectations. The monthly figure for August has fallen to 0.4 percent following expectations of an increase to 0.5 per cent. Inflation was unchanged in July. July 2012 to July 2013, CPI met [...]
No, GTA V isn’t going to make us less productive September 17, 2013 It's one of the entertainment releases of the year – and already the alarmists are pressing their panic buttons. This time it's not about the infamous violence of the series, but the amount of customers expected to take off work to play the game. A poll by gaming website IGN showed that 5,059 of 10,995 [...]
Debenhams sees transactions and sales up ahead of full year results September 17, 2013 The high street retailer Debenhams has seen positive results as growth in gross transaction value and like-for-like sales are up over the last 10 weeks. (Release) Online sales were up 46.2 per cent and the company continues to gain market share in clothing and non-clothing, including womenswear and beauty. The new store on Oxford street [...]
Lloyds shares weakening after government sale September 17, 2013 The price for a six per cent stake in Lloyds has been announced – 75p per share. A small discount on the bank's current market value, and set to raise £3.21bn as the government reduces its stake from 38.7 per cent to 32.7 per cent. The government sale was covered 2.8 times by demand from [...]
Before the open: FTSE down as markets wait for Fed stimulus meeting September 17, 2013 With a number of key events this week, the market looks to open with some caution today. The FTSE is expected down this morning, with calls of -15. Closing the Monday gaps from Friday closes, European markets look set for slightly lower opens this morning. The UK's latest inflation numbers are expected to show a [...]
Summers exit trumps fears of taper September 16, 2013 But uncertainty surrounding the nomination of the new Fed chair will mean volatility for stocks in the future LARRY Summers, former US Treasury secretary, is out of the race to replace Ben Bernanke as Fed chair. In reaction to the news, the MSCI All-Country World Index rose yesterday by 1.1 per cent to its highest [...]