Wall St rises as tax talks make trading volatile November 29, 2012 US stocks finished higher yesterday as investors bought on sporadic dips in a market roiled by conflicting comments from Washington about negotiations on an agreement to avoid the “fiscal cliff.” Tech shares, including Research In Motion and Advanced Micro Devices, helped the Nasdaq outperform the broader market. Telecommunications and health-care stocks were the day’s best-performing [...]
Recession shouldn’t stop tech innovation November 28, 2012 THE financial crisis has forced companies to operate in new and challenging environments. Many are now leaner organisations, the result of significant cutbacks in both staff and operations. But a simple trimming down is not a solution for the medium or longer term. A lot of companies are still clinging to in-house research and development [...]
A business model for a low growth world November 28, 2012 FACED with the most severe downturn since the 1930s, corporate confidence has declined. Recent research from Ernst and Young revealed that company executives are more pessimistic about the current state of the global economy now than they were a year ago. But more interestingly, given the Bank of England’s recent growth forecast, over 78 per [...]
Firms can weather the storm and thrive despite the current climate November 28, 2012 Q What questions should businesses consider when planning investment during a difficult economic period? A The Institute for Fiscal studies said this week that the current economic environment – “austerity” – is likely to be with us until 2018. Organisations will thrive if they embrace this outlook and design into their processes, people and infrastructure [...]
FTSE rallies in final trading hour as US budget talks show signs of deal November 28, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index edged higher yesterday after a volatile session, as signs of potential compromise in US budget talks reversed early falls over fears that negotiations had stalled. The FTSE 100 initially extended losses in afternoon trading, with a weak US open and disappointing housing data compounding caution that had been instilled when a [...]
Wall St surges on fiscal cliff solution hopes November 28, 2012 US stocks rallied yesterday after comments from House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, on a possible compromise to avoid the “fiscal cliff” turned the market around. The S&P 500 rebounded from a 1 per cent decline, gaining more than 20 points from its low after Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said he was [...]
Lift to BAE Systems from Lockheed rumour helps FTSE edge upwards November 27, 2012 BRITISH top shares rose yesterday, helped by a 2.5 per cent jump in British aerospace group BAE Systems after four traders cited market speculation of interest in the company from US firm Lockheed Martin. “Vague rumours that Lockheed is showing interest,” one trader wrote in an email. BAE shares closed at 319.70p. Banks also helped [...]
Fiscal cliff fears send Wall St shares diving November 27, 2012 US stocks slid yesterday in a choppy session, losing ground in the last hour before the close after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed disappointment that there has been “little progress” in dealing with the fiscal cliff. The market was flat for most of the session but fell sharply after Reid’s comments, a signal that [...]
The overheated Aussie needs to be cooled quick November 27, 2012 THE Australian dollar (Aussie) has been riding a tsunami wave over the last few years. Since lows at the end of 2008, the currency has rocketed by nearly 75 per cent against the US dollar. But as Asian economies realign, its rise looks set to end, bringing downward pressure on the currency. COMMODITIES SUPER CYCLE [...]
