Avis raises its bid in Dollar Thrifty battle September 2, 2010 CAR RENTAL company Avis Budget Group raised its bid for Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group three per cent to $1.35bn (£877m), as it looks to wrest the company from rival Hertz Global Holdings. Avis raised the cash portion of its bid by $1.50 to $40.75 a share on yesterday. The stock portion of the deal remains [...]
FTSE treads water ahead of key US non-farm payroll data September 2, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed a touch higher yesterday after a lacklustre day of trading following a powerful advance the day before, with investors keeping their powder dry ahead of US jobs data. Autonomy was among the top blue-chip risers, up 5.2 per cent with traders citing press reports that the software company could find [...]
Wall St up as fears of double-dip recede September 2, 2010 US stocks rose on low volume yesterday as data showed improvement in housing and the job market a day ahead of the critical monthly payrolls figures. Investors built on Wednesday’s sharp advance as indicators provided the latest reason for optimism the economy could avoid another downturn. But the nascent rally could be derailed if today’s [...]
Pack a tax plan if you want a retirement on the beach September 2, 2010 IF YOU are tempted to spend your golden years in the sun and escape overcrowded, polluted London, you are not alone. Emigration from the UK reached a record high in 2008 and that was before the introduction of a 50 per cent higher tax rate and the impending austerity measures. But planning is essential if [...]
asia’s moon to brighten wine orders September 2, 2010 MD & Founder of Fine Wine Merchant Bordeaux Index AS THE wine market reluctantly drags itself back to work after the long summer break we approach what has become one of the defining periods of the trading year, the run-up to Asia’s mid-autumn festival of the moon, which falls on 22 September this year. This [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS September 2, 2010 LANDLORDS LACKING IN CONFIDENCE Confidence among landlords has dipped for the first time in almost two years. The latest National Landlord Association Optimism Index shows a drop from 51 to 47 points between the first and second quarter. The drop is believed to have been caused by falling house prices and cuts to housing benefits, [...]
No. 1 ladies’ investment club September 2, 2010 FORMING SCM Ladies Investment Club has realised a passion for Gina Miller. The marketing impresario is not afraid of a challenge and her next one is to try to inform wealthy and successful women how to invest for themselves. Miller is impeccably dressed and looks far younger than her 46 years. The mother of three, [...]
Q&A September 2, 2010 Q.I am a small business owner and am wondering what exactly is the 2010 Equality Act? A.The new Equality Act is coming into force on 1st October. It compiles the last 30 years of gender, disability, sexuality, religious and ethnic discrimination legislation into a single act – with some added extras. The Department for Equalities [...]
Blue gold: the clear and liquid investment September 1, 2010 WARS have been fought over land, oil and diamonds but nothing is more fundamental to human existence than water. Now a combination of exponential population growth and climate change is rendering the blue gold an ever scarcer commodity. We are consuming water like never before – the US Environmental Protection Agency says that global water [...]
An income strategy has its benefits in uncertain times September 1, 2010 THERE seems to be no end to the uncertainty surrounding the outlook for the global economy. Bonds tend to be the first port-of-call in uncertain times. However with prices at multi-year highs investors are right to be nervous about entering into a long position from here. So what should investors do? UBS analysts claim that [...]