The Inside the City Column:
*Verdict Research describes the City's obsession with retailers' like-for-like sales figures as 'barmy'.
*Lehman Bros reckons Land Securities (LAND.L) will be the big winner in Real Estate Investment Trusts in the UK.
The Agenda Column:
*BT's (BT.L) 5% dividend yield makes it a favourite for private investors who see limited downside.
*Mike Ashley's choice at Sports World.
*Tax being paid by investment banking makes up for the shrinking North Sea oil revenues.
*Tony Blair's decision to put a halt to the Serious Fraud Office probe into Saudi arms contracts was the right one.
Interview:
*Terry Dial, brought in to revive the retail division of Lloyds TSB (LLOY.L).
Further news:
*Russia mauls Shell (RDSA.L).
*New boss Samir Brikho engineers a change at Amec (AMEC.L).
*Tesco's (TSCO.L) global shopping spree.
*Trinity Mirror's (TNI.L) shake-up fails to impress.
The Breaking Views Column:
*Spirent (SPT.L) may like Ed Bramson's beligerence.
*Ashmore (ASHM.L) and Bluebay (BBAY.L): a sure sign they hedge fund sector has come of age.
The Equity View Column:
*Take profits at Standard Chartered (STAN.L).
*Buy Bloomsbury Publishing (BMY.L) at 237p.
*Caliber Global Investment (CLBR.L) an attractive buy at 7.75p.
*Buy Spice Holdings (SPI.L) at 426p.
The Business Editor Column:
*Unilever (ULVR.L) chairman needs to surprise.
*Royal Mail's first-class mess.
*Guessing what the man for the Pru (PRU.L) will not next has become one of the City's favourite pastimes.
*So is India the new China as far as fundraising in London is concerned?
Interview:
*Jorgan Vig Knudstorp of Lego.
Profile:
*David Pretty, outgoing Chief Executive of Barratt Developments (BDEV.L).
Further news:
*Is Russia safe for British business?
*Eurotunnel's (ETL.L) rescue, the most complex ever, is a sign of things to come.
*SABMiller (SAB.L) turns to Asia for future growth.
The Comment Column:
*Wanton and distasteful, but the City bonuses can't be stopped.
*BAE Systems (BA.L): a new disaster for the Serious Fraud Office.
*Bigger spenders give Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) hope.
The Mammon Interview:
*Nicolas Moreau, Chief Executive of Axon (AXO.L).
Profile:
*Tim Bell of Chime Communications (CHW.L).
Further news:
*Bob Fuller will quit his position as chief executive of 3 in the first-half of next year.
*Footsie poised to break all-time record next year, according to Robert Parkes, UK equities strategist at HSBC (HSBA.L).
*Willie Walsh has his work cut out at British Airways (BAY.L).
*TGI Friday and Yo Sushi cook up deals.
*LSE (LSE.L) principles must be protected.
*Vedanta Resources (VED.L) has decided to go ahead with plans to raise £768,000 by issuing shares in America during the first quarter of next year.
*The Reuben brothers have secretly amassed a 14% stake in Arena Leisure (ARE.L), triggering speculation that they could be mulling a bid approach.
*New boss engineers change at Amec (AMEC.L).
*Siblu (Haven Europe) has sold a stake in the business to Hermes, to fund an acquisition spree.
*Unilever (ULVR.L) selects Swede (Michael Treschow) as Chairman.
*The AIM market is set for boom in Indian floats.
*Chinese IPO’s “risk junior market’s good name,” says Simon Littlewood of London Asia Capital (LDC.L).
*Torrington in Devon forces Tesco (TSCO.L) to abandon plans to build a superstore in the town.
*Apax Partners, the private equity firm, has been forced to hand over Damovo, its Scottish-based telecoms business, to creditors in order to save the company from bankruptcy.
*Alexon to sell ‘tired’ Dolcis for under £3-million.
*AirNatech, which has developed a technology to cut electricity usage in heating, ventilation and air conditioning units by at least 50%, is establishing itself in Cambridge.
*Williams de Broe is expected to receive a fine close to £750,000 from the FSA this week over financial irregularities.
*Walcom Group, a pharmaceutical company thatb helps to protect chickens and pigs against bird flu is coming to AIM this week, valued at about £22-million (Corporate broker is King & Shaxon).
*The London stock market could smash through the 7000 barrier in 2007, breaching the ceiling reached at the peak of the dotcom bubble in 1999, according to experts.
SOME ITEMS THAT COULD INFLUENCE SHARE PRICES
*Parachute training in the Army is set to be halted for 4-years, as part of a £1-billion cost-cutting programme by the Ministry of Defence.
*Prime Minister Tony Blair has arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit. He is holding talks with Iraq's prime minister and president as part of a tour of the Middle East. He has also been to Turkey and to Egypt for talks with President Hosni Mubarak. Mr Blair said earlier that the region faced a "critical moment of decision".
*At least 22 women and children, including the bride, have died after a fire broke out in a tent at a wedding party in eastern Pakistan, police said. At least 30 people were injured in the accident in Jhok Utra, 75-miles west of Multan, when a wall collapsed after the blaze triggered a stampede. An electrical short-circuit is thought to have caused the blaze.
*An influential House of Lords committee is set to slam Gordon Brown this week for making the Bank of England’s job harder.
*Hundreds of thousands of people have been wrongly told by HM Revenue & Customs, that they must pay hundreds of pounds, or risk losing their right to a full state pension. The department has mistakenly sent letters asking for a payment of £370.80 to an estimated 700,000 people. The letters, known as "deficiency notes", are normally sent out to about 4-million people each year, who do not make their full National Insurance contributions.
*Weeks before a court showdown that will determine whether businesses can relocate east into Europe, to take advantage of cheap labour without the threat of strike action, the Labour government has risked the wrath of unions by supporting the right of businesses to re-domicile. In a submission to the European Court of Justice, which will hear a test case on 10th January, the Government has said that collective action, which includes strikes, is not a fundamental EU right and that rights guaranteeing free movement within the single market are more important.
*Retailers bank on last-minute rush as shoppers ‘delay’ Christmas spending.
Compiled in association with HB PLC and WH Ireland Ltd
