Markets: Pound suffering more than equities
THE pound dropped against all the major currencies today after Britain’s economic output dropped by much more than analysts had predicted.The UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) plunged by 0.7 per cent...
View ArticleFirstGroup bosses upbeat but analysts say ‘it ain’t fixed yet’
ANALYSTS yesterday warned that FirstGroup still faced problems even as the bus and rail giant assured investors over its recent trading.Shares in the Aberdeen-based group rose 3.7 per cent to 212.9p,...
View ArticleBusiness briefs: BBC games mean more ads for papers | Standard Life’s...
Newspaper publisher Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) yesterday said its revenues had been boosted by a burst of Olympics-related advertising.The group, which owns the Daily Mail and a string of...
View ArticleNow HSBC hit by Mexican fine
HSBC has been fined $27.5 million (£17.7m) in Mexico for lax controls in its anti-money laundering systems, a week after being slammed for allowing clients to shift funds from dangerous and secretive...
View ArticleSmall firms get cheaper RBS loans
Royal Bank of Scotland is cutting rates and improving borrowing terms for small businesses on the back of the Bank of England’s £80 billion scheme to jump-start bank lending.RBS, 82 per cent owned by...
View ArticleDemand for Moore support for struggling Scottish red meat sector
Scotland’s meat wholesalers yesterday urged the Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore, to join them in their fight to retain critical supplies of livestock for their industry.In an open...
View Article£4.5bn deal signed for new trains
A MUCH-DELAYED deal for new intercity express trains was finally announced by the UK government yesterday, with the £4.5 billion contract helping to create some 900 jobs.Under the deal, Agility Trains,...
View ArticleGSK chief apologises after £1.9bn US fine
Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline yesterday admitted to “unacceptable” mistakes in the United States following its recent £1.9 billion fine to settle the largest healthcare fraud in American...
View ArticleNow Standard Life is under fire from angry Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou
EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou stepped up his pressure on the budget airline yesterday as he called for investor Standard Life to be excluded from any shareholder votes on the purchase of new...
View ArticleInvestments under threat as wind farm subsidy row rumbles on
ONSHORE wind farms yesterday escaped the worst of mooted cuts to subsidies for renewable energy, but industry leaders have warned that further reviews will continue to undermine investment in the...
View ArticleAnother Barclays victim
A DIRECTOR embroiled in the row over Bob Diamond’s pay at Barclays quit abruptly yesterday in a further demonstration of boardroom upheaval at the bank.Another Barclays victim as director resigns for...
View ArticleFlower of Scotland: Fife firm’s displays at Olympics
FLOWER displays and buttonholes designed by Fife florist Varrie Wardrope are being used at Scotland House on Pall Mall in London, where the Scottish Government is promoting the nation during the...
View ArticleEU wants criminal action on Libor rate-fixing
BRUSSELS launched a criminal crackdown yesterday on the rigging of global interest rates in the wake of the scandal surrounding the fixing of the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor). Manipulating...
View ArticleOlympic bounce for retailers led by supermarket expansion
RETAILERS offered a rare ray of light amid the economic gloom this morning as it emerged that just 4 per cent of shops expect to shed staff in the months head, down from 25 per cent at this stage last...
View ArticleFord to lose more than $1bn as European sales plummet
Car giant Ford yesterday predicted it will lose more than $1 billion (£646 million) in Europe this year as rival Peugeot, which is planning to cut 8,000 jobs, fell deeply into the red during its first...
View ArticleAnalysis: Second dip raises doubts on austerity
THE latest UK GDP figures are very disappointing. The trend is moving from roughly stagnant to signs of a real double dip. This is the biggest fall since the first quarter of 2009, when we were at the...
View ArticleIrish oil well could contain 1.6bn barrels, boosting Scottish investor
IRISH oil explorer Providence Resources believes its Barryroe well off the coast of Cork could contain up to 1.6 billion barrels of oil – four times what it had originally estimated.Following tests...
View ArticleNow farmers target discount retailers
Two of the smaller discount retailers will today find a crowd of dairy farmers on their doorsteps as the campaign for a fairer farm gate price for milk continues.Farmers will meet outside Farmfoods and...
View ArticleBusiness briefs: Soft landing for Chinese economy | Amey on the road with £6m...
China has achieved a “soft landing” in its economic slowdown, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said yesterday, although it warned that sweeping reforms are needed to ensure healthy growth in the...
View ArticleEverything Everywhere cashes in on smartphones
The owner of mobile phone networks Orange and T-Mobile yesterday posted a rise in half-year revenues after signing up more customers on lucrative smartphone contracts.Everything Everywhere – Britain’s...
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