Rescue hopes raised after Moulton sells ATH debt
Coal producer Hargreaves Services has vowed to help safeguard jobs at ATH Resources after buying up the troubled miner’s debt from Better Capital, the private equity firm run by venture capitalist Jon...
View ArticleWilliam Hill takes control
William Hill upped its bet on the growing online gambling business yesterday as it exercised its right to buy out partner Playtech from their internet joint venture for £424 million.The deal will be...
View ArticleBaxters swallows third Aussie firm despite Bentos profits drop
SOUP and sauce maker Baxters has completed its third takeover deal in Australia as the iconic Scottish brand continues its international growth.The Fochabers-based company bought Melbourne-based...
View ArticlePound plunges as grim factory data hits home
Recession fears were heightened yesterday after a key report revealed a shock fall in manufacturing activity, sending the pound plunging.The slide in the closely-watched purchasing managers’ index...
View ArticleNetworking on social media
Social media networking is now vital to any successful farm diversification involving the public, John Sinclair of Craigie, South Queensferry, told Kelso Agricultural Discussion Society this week.The...
View ArticleEinhorn drops Apple lawsuit
Hedge fund manager David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital has dropped its lawsuit against Apple after winning a battle to stop the iPhone maker holding a shareholder vote on a proposal to abolish its...
View ArticleBusiness news in brief: Rightmove | Vertu | WPP | Shell
Taylor Wimpey – An 11.7 per cent rise in revenues to £2bn helped profits at the housebuilder more than double to £185.3m in 2012. Average selling prices grew 5.8 per cent to £181,000.• John Lewis – The...
View ArticleComment: Weak economy is real drag on bank profits
THE real news about Britain’s banks is not bonuses or the fact that both RBS and Lloyds made technical losses last year while getting their balance sheets in order.Rather it is the fact that the...
View ArticleLloyds to decide on Co-op branch deal by summer
Lloyds Banking Group will decide whether to sell 632 branches to the Co-op Bank or to float the assets on the stock market by the end of June, the group revealed yesterday.The Co-op’s agreed takeover...
View ArticleUS strength trumps banking woes
The mighty US economy rode to the rescue of the British market for the third time in as many days yesterday, plucking the Footsie out of a slump caused by poor UK manufacturing figures.The blue-chip...
View ArticleParents miss out on benefits of saving for their children
Millions of parents are being unfairly penalised by government rules barring them from its flagship child savings initiative, it has been claimed.Fresh calls have been issued for the government to lift...
View ArticleComment: Lessons unlearned as big banks get back to their bad old ways
THE BIG high street names are domineering bullies, the regulator is too timid, the global supply chain is out of control and consumers are left with the mess that invariably results.The patterns in the...
View ArticleStaying passive will pay off when it comes to putting your hard-earned cash...
INVESTORS buoyed by the stock market rally are set to pile more cash into equity funds as the end of the tax-year approaches – and most will be placing their faith in underperforming managers.Asset...
View ArticleCash clinic: Considering retiring soon? Think carefully before that final step
Kevin Garfagnini, director at Mazars Financial Planning, answers your queries.QI was planning to retire soon but I’m having second thoughts, what with all the changes to pensions and needing to save...
View ArticleNew era, new month, new game plan as volatile speculative shares leave our...
The Investment Club’s first post-gilt era month was almost a complete disaster. The club’s remit is to have a gradually increasing unit price, something akin to how a theoretical with-profits fund is...
View ArticleWatchdog aiming to take nightmare out of continuous payments
The continuous payment authority (CPA) is a lender’s dream – and very often a borrower’s nightmare. The CPA is the mechanism used by a bank or building society to withdraw money from your bank account...
View ArticleShops must work harder to tempt wary customers
When the recession first hit back in 2008, most people believed that by 2013 things would be back to normal. Well, we are now almost two months into the year and the initial indications are that this...
View ArticleFormer ‘three old men and a TV’ pub nominated for award
SWEDISH influence – as well as cakes and its own mini-library – brings praise for Edinburgh venue, reports Claire Smith.When Anna Christopherson first walked into the Victoria pub on Leith Walk she...
View ArticleGnomes make comeback
THEY have suffered something of an image problem in recent years, but since being allowed to grace this year’s Chelsea Flower Show it appears the garden gnome is making a comeback. A three-foot garden...
View ArticleFarmers welcome Tesco’s pledge
FARMERS in Scotland have welcomed a pledge from Tesco’s chief executive to “bring the food we sell closer to home”.Philip Clarke wrote to customers last week promising to buy more British beef, lamb,...
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