Новости за 20.08.2015

Sir Howard will be replaced at the zombie insurance specialist by WH Smith chairman Henry Staunton next month.

Kazakhstan’s central bank took the step to allow its currency, the tenge, which until now has only been allowed to trade within certain limits, to free float sending it down 20 per cent against the US dollar.

The retail chain, which sells books and stationery, lifted profit forecasts for the full year. Shares however were down 21p to 1549p.

The former-Conservative leader yesterday requested a meeting with the United Nations over Soma Oil & Gas’s dealings in the war-ravaged east African nation.

Half year losses fell to £204m compared to just £77m in the same period a year earlier, even after escaping a £120m fine that could have been imposed by the regulator for serious past failings.

The London-listed vodka producer, which sees 60 per cent of its sales come from Poland, also lost market share in the country.

Costain jumped 23.5p to a four and a half year high of 370p following strong half year results that included a 15 per cent hike in the interim dividend to 3.75p.

The privately-owned company has benefited from favourable results such as Arsenal’s shock defeat by West Ham and Chelsea’s dismal opening run.

The so-called ethical bank – now largely owned by hedge funds – tripled its losses in the first half of this year to £204m, largely due to the long shadow cast by the behaviour of former executives.

Government figures showed the construction of 131,060 new homes was completed in the 12 months to June – the most since 2009 and 15 per cent higher than the previous 12 months.

A 14 per cent decline in housing starts to 33,280 in the April-June period was the sharpest since the January-March period of 2012.

The rise in sales was lower than the 0.4 per cent rise predicted by economists, with an unexpected fall in fuel sales on forecourts holding back progress.

The Confederation of British Industry's latest industrial trends survey showed the monthly total order book balance rising to -1 from -10 in July.

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By mid morning, the FTSE 100 Index was down another 30.7 points, or 0.5 per cent at 6,372.7 after slumping 1.9 per cent yesterday to its lowest level since January.

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The US central bank said officials 'judged that the conditions for [higher rates] had not yet been achieved but they noted that conditions were approaching that point'.

The Federation of Master Builders said 66 per cent of small construction firms have refused new business because of a lack of skilled workers.

New analysis by asset manager Barings, suggests a motley crew of currently struggling markets should deliver the best returns over the next decade.

Some of the absolute cheapest mortgage rates have been pulled, as banks look to squeeze a little more from borrowers, but rates remain historically low.

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The Chancellor's move comes as official data reveals a sharp increase of 50 per cent in the number of people heading from cities to the countryside in search for a better life.

That’s still a long way behind a single season of football’s Premier League – calculated at £6.2billion in 2013/14 – but rugby is fast catching up.

There was speculation the company was to be dropped after BT said it would produce its Champions League coverage in-house. The deal is believed to be worth up to £100million.

After half an hour of trading today, the FTSE 100 Index was 23.0 points, or 0.3 per cent lower at 6,380.4. The UK blue chip index closed down 122.84 points or 1.9 per cent yesterday.