Three of Britain's biggest retailers, Next, John Lewis and Shop Direct, posted healthy Christmas sales on Tuesday but warned impending cuts in government spending and rises in taxation could crimp growth in 2010, sending share prices lower. Fashion and homewares retailer Next reported positive like-for-like sales growth for the first time in four years, boosted
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Gold rose in Europe on Tuesday as the dollar extended the previous session's losses against the euro, with hopes for a global economic recovery encouraging investors to favour riskier assets over the greenback. Gold's strength helped platinum and palladium to rise to their highest in over a year, boosted by hopes an economic recovery will
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Optimism about the world economy buoyed global equities on Tuesday, particularly in emerging markets, but the dollar continued its weak start to 2010. European shares put a cap on global equity gains, backtracking after the previous session's big bounce. MSCI's all-country world index was up around 0.1 percent after earlier hitting a high last seen
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Oil edged up towards $82 a barrel on Tuesday, rising for the ninth straight session, as cold snaps in key consumers the United States and Europe boosted demand for heating fuel. U.S. data, including November factory orders later on Tuesday and key jobless claims and employment numbers later in the week — will offer clues
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Britain's top share index edged lower in early trade on Tuesday, as investors paused for breath after a sharp rise the previous session, with falls from retailers and pharmaceuticals offsetting strength among banks. At 0907 GMT, the FTSE 100 was down 17.36 points, or 0.3 percent, at 5,482.98, having closed up 1.6 percent at 5,500.34
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The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, President of the Republic Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat decided today to change the dates of the forthcoming intensive talks to begin on January 11. Speaking after the meeting between the two leaders held Monday afternoon in the framework of direct negotiations for
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President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias announced that he is going to visit Greece in the intervening week between the intensive talks that are planned for 11-13 January and for 25-27 January. As President Christofias said on Monday after his meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat in the context of
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The number of building permits authorised by the municipal authorities and the district administration offices in October 2009 fell by 14.1% over the year earlier to 716, having risen by 53.8% in October. The total value of these permits fell by 13.4% to EUR 225.3 mln, having risen by 54.3% in September, and the total
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The U.S. manufacturing sector grew for a fifth straight month in December, its best showing since early 2006, adding to hopes of a more robust U.S. recovery in 2010, data showed on Monday. But a separate report showed a decline in homebuilding activity in November pushed construction spending beyond a six-year low. The Institute for
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U.S. stocks moved up at the open on Monday, the first trading day of 2010, on a rise in crude oil and other commodity prices and ahead of data expected to show expansion in the manufacturing sector. Investors awaited construction spending data for November and the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index for December, which
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