Swedish budget fashion group Hennes & Mauritz reported a 7 percent drop in sales at established stores in September, in line with forecasts as weak consumer sentiment dents shoppers' demand for new autumn wear... more
There was a spot of finger-wagging from George Osborne for hypocritical business leaders pressing for planning reforms in the City who shudder at any hint of development besmirching the views from their weekend piles in the country... more
Macquarie Group is eyeing a bid for the aircraft-leasing business being sold by the Royal Bank of Scotland, a unit said to be worth more than $6 billion... more
Pubs firm Punch Taverns reports a sharp rise in sales at its Spirit managed division and says it is on track to complete a demerger by the end of the summer... more
Protesters have taken over the Greek finance ministry in Athens as the country was reported to have agreed a new bail-out package with its European partners
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Oil prices will soar above $130 a barrel by late 2011, a new Reuters poll found, and one in five traders said they expected oil to hit $150 this year, levels some economists say could trigger recession... more
French bank Societe Generale, a big employer in the City, says it will stick to its 2012 profit target of €6 billion having resisted jittery markets and almost quadrupled fourth-quarter profits... more
Economic confidence has plummeted to the lowest level in two years as Britons lose hope in the recovery, an exclusive Evening Standard poll reveals ... more
Welcome, Irene Rosenfeld. The secrecy surrounding her visit — the first the Kraft boss has made to the UK since her company bought Cadbury in February — would not have been excessive had she been a head of state rather than a chocolate manufacturer... more
How can it be right that the Reuters newswire was able to put up on its trading screens highlights from the Pre-Budget Report - in some cases, a whole minute or so before Chancellor Alistair Darling himself had actually said them?... more
Many a sore head over the last couple of mornings in the world of metal trading. Why? Once again, it’s been the London Metal Exchange week of bunfights, parties and general burning of the company credit card ... more
It's fascinating how ministers propose to legislate on bank bonuses. When the Financial Services Authority published its proposed rules in March and invited views, plenty of banks and professional bodies duly responded but members of the Government maintained their silence
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The economy showed further signs of life as manufacturers put the worst of the recession behind them and the City bet interest rates will remain at record lows for another year ... more
Bankers were donning the sunglasses in the City at lunchtime this week. Not outside, in the glorious sunshine, but indoors at the Guildhall, where the bright orange decor for the annual Extel analysts and brokers awards was causing a few grumbles. ... more
Energy analysis: With just days to go before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government had all but given up working out how to clear the yellow smog choking the city...... more
Mervyn King once harboured ambitions to be the next Jim Laker: “I was taught to bowl — slow left arm – at Old Town primary school by the headmaster ..."... more
Exclusive: After high-profile allegations this season, Charlton's manager is pleased the issue is now being addressed but says the authorities still have plenty of work to do
Morning:
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