Tuesday newspaper round-up: Scotland, Boris Island, Supermarkets
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Scotland is within touching distance of independence, according to a poll for The Times which reveals that Alex Salmond's campaign to leave the United Kingdom needs only three more points to claim victory. With 16 days to go until millions of Scots vote in the referendum, a YouGov poll put support for independence at 47%, against 53% who say they want to remain part of the UK.- The Times
Boris Johnson's plans for a new four-runway airport in the Thames Estuary have been categorically dumped by the Government-backed Davies Commission. Mr Johnson's aviation adviser called into question the efficacy of the commission, led by Sir Howard Davies, as it became clear that "Boris Island" would on Tuesday be excluded for good from an inquiry into runway expansion in the south east of England. - The Daily Telegraph
The latest salvo in the battle between the supermarkets was fired yesterday when Co-operative Food unveiled another round of reductions in its £100m price cuts campaign. It has lowered prices on a range of products from ketchup to washing-up liquid in the latest phase of its drive to cut the cost of a third of products on its shelves. The Co-op said it had seen a 6% rise in sales of categories where it had already reduced prices since the campaign was launched in April. - The Daily Express
Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, has come under increased pressure to take radical action to rescue the Eurozone's economy this week after factory activity came almost to a halt across the single currency bloc last month. The purchasing managers' index for manufacturing dropped to a 13-month low of 50.7 in August, just above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction. Political tensions over Ukraine and mounting economic fears were blamed as Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands all slipped up. - The Times
Quindell, the insurance claims processor, is to buy RAC out of its joint venture, according to reports. The London-listed firm will announce on Tuesday that it is taking control of Connected Car Solutions, a business set up in April to install "black box" tracking devices in cars, Sky News reported. The pair have jointly invested £30m in the tie-up, and planned to target 2.1m RAC breakdown customers with the devices, which record driving performance and reward careful drivers with lower premiums. - The Daily Telegraph
The government has rebutted accusations that a vast free trade deal being negotiated between the EU and the US will act as a cover to privatise the NHS while also watering down food standards and banking regulations. The trade minister Lord Livingston argued that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could add as much as £10bn to the UK economy a year. His claims come as the campaign by anti-poverty groups and trade unions against the "secretive" nature of the negotiations is getting increasing attention. - The Guardian
Virgin Money and breakdown service RAC are expected to announce plans to float on the stock market within weeks, valuing each of the two business at about £2bn.The banking and finance group, in which Sir Richard Branson holds a 46.5% stake and US billionaire Wilbur Ross owns 45%, is said to have brought forward its plans for a listing. - The Daily Express
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