Stocks volatile over EU, banks and Obamacare June 28, 2012 US stocks fell yesterday but pared back sharp losses late in the session on talk of progress by European leaders in easing the region’s debt crisis, while the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding a landmark healthcare law hit large health insurers. Markets are especially skittish about any shift in expectations for the Eurozone as European Union [...]
Boosted by bank and commodity stocks, FTSE breaks its losing run June 27, 2012 BRITAIN’S leading shares bounced back yesterday, snapping a four-session losing streak, with commodity and banking stocks squeezed higher as worries over the global growth outlook were eased by some upbeat US data. Volumes were again low, however, as most investors preferred to remain on the sidelines ahead of a crucial European summit. The FTSE 100 [...]
Surprisingly positive data lifts US shares June 27, 2012 U S stocks rose yesterday as stronger-than-expected economic data helped lift energy stocks, overshadowing concerns a European Union summit will not yield tangible progress in easing the debt crisis. The energy sector showed the strongest gains among the 10 major S&P 500 groups, rising 1.9 per cent as oil prices settled higher at $80.21 a [...]
Employee freedom: Olympics and beyond June 27, 2012 AS WE head towards the Olympic Games, many companies have been making contingency plans for the anticipated congestion that this will cause in London. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), almost three in ten employers say they will try and accommodate requests from employees to work from home, 17 per cent [...]
A workspace is not a workplace: A mobility strategy is crucial June 27, 2012 DIRECTOR UK ENTERPRISE, CISCO Q What are the key drivers behind a mobility strategy? A The workspace is no longer a workplace. Successful businesses are reducing their dependence on expensive office property and enabling a mobile workforce to be productive wherever they are most effective. A business is only as good as its people. Retaining [...]
OLYMPICS BY NUMBERS June 27, 2012 10.8m ticketholders (8.8m Olympic, 2m Paralympic). 200,000 people in the workforce. Including 6,000 staff, 70,000 volunteers and 100,000 contractors. 1500 UK firms have won over £6.3bn of Olympic Development Authority contracts. LOCOG has awarded a further £1bn. 118 overseas teams have signed pre-games training camp agreements in communities across the UK. 1m pieces of sport [...]
Regulatory hurdles for the UK financial sector to consider June 27, 2012 THE Olympics Delivery Authority (ODA) predicts 20m trips by spectators during London 2012, including some 3m on the busiest day. The resulting inevitable transport chaos is prompting businesses and employees to look closely at how best to keep operating efficiently, in particular working from home. Many financial services sector staff work in Docklands and the [...]
FTSE slides on banking shares and scepticism over EU leaders’ summit June 26, 2012 BRITAIN’S top shares dipped into negative territory in a lacklustre session yesterday, hampered by banking stocks, with market movements likely to remain muted ahead of a summit of European leaders later in the week. While a two-day summit in Brussels on 28-29 June was very much the market focus, traders pointed to an element of [...]
US stocks rise after upbeat property data June 26, 2012 MAJOR US stock indexes bounced back yesterday, but trading was light with the outlook clouded by doubts before yet another summit to tackle the European debt crisis. US stocks partly recovered from losses of more than one per cent on Monday, led by housing shares after stronger-than-expected data on home prices. The consumer discretionary sector [...]
Extreme tech: Atos sees Olympics exposure as a real-time showcase June 26, 2012 COUNTDOWN TO THE LONDON2012 OLYMPIC GAMES 30 DAYS TO GO Q What’s your brand’s primary reason for being involved with the Games? A We’ve been involved since Barcelona in 1992. We became a worldwide IT partner in 2001, and we’re committed through to Rio in 2016. There’s two reasons why it works. I think the [...]