The UK Economy

Pound Sterling – the Pound had a week of ups and downs even as released economic data showed that the UK economy is on track to make a recovery. Early in the week a combination of positive construction, PMI and GDP data supported Sterling, sending it upwards against its peers. To ask a currency expert a […]

New US growth slips to four-year low. At 51.4 in June, down from 52.9 in May, the Global All-Industry Output Index – produced by JPMorgan and Markit in association with ISM and IFPSM – posted its lowest reading in a year. The index has nonetheless remained in expansion territory throughout the past 47 months. The […]

Business confidence hits 14-month high UK service sector growth accelerated to its highest level since March 2011 during June as incoming new business rose at a rate unmatched for six years. according to research by Markit and the CIPS. The sharp increase in new business led to a marked rise in backlogs of work, and […]

Michael Cawley to leave in 2014. Ryanair, described as being Europe’s only Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC), has announced that Michael Cawley, its Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer, has decided to step down from his full-time Executive role in 10 months’ time at the end of March 2014, as he wishes to pursue other […]

After several weeks of declines the UK index has registered some welcome progress, finding support just above the round number 6000 and posting a 4.5% rally to test the trendline of falling highs since end-May. Uncertainty may still be rife regarding the future of the US Federal Reserve’s QE3 programme. However, Bernanke had his committee […]

Pound Sterling – it was a mixed week for the Pound as it began the week down against the US Dollar as it declined to its lowest-level in more than two weeks ahead of the sale of UK government bonds. Against the Euro, Sterling weakened for the first time in three days. On Tuesday it advanced […]

The FTSE 100 has been regaining some of the ground today that it had lost last week after investors over-reacted to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s announcement that it would be taking no immediate actions to adjust interest rates.  But the International Airlines Group (LSE:IAG) was not doing its part, as its share price declined 3.30 […]

The general election campaign may have started, but the ground has yet to move. Whilst the front lines of the Great War were laid out in salubrious French Chateaus over the finest wines, George Osborne was pictured finalising the 2015-16 spending review and marking out the battle grounds of the next general election over burger […]

Up, up and away for new venture? Air BP, the aviation fuel services division of BP, has signed an agreement with Grupa Lotos to form a new joint venture to manage the supply, logistics and marketing of aviation fuel in Poland. The new joint venture, Lotos – Air BP Polska, will be formed by Air […]

It’s a game of good news / bad news for Carpetright (LSE:CPR) shareholders this morning.  But investors have responded positively today, pushing the share price up 13.0 pence (2.15% ) to 618.50 upon release of the company’s full-year results ending 27 April. Reading the report, one senses that Neil Page, Finance Director, and Darren Shapland, […]