Britannia Radio

ECONOMIC  ‘Shorts’   18.2.09

TIMES
=Saab may go bust in 10 days, warns GM
US car giant warns over the future of the Swedish business, but 
government refuses to sink money into the ailing group
=Bank will write to Darling to begin printing money
Bank of England rate-setting committee agrees unanimously to begin 
'quantitative easing' and votes 8-1 for rate cut
=Manufacturers 'need' state aid to help recovery
Think-tank claims the industry needs the same access to funds given 
to UK banks to help Britain out of recession

TELEGRAPH
=GKN axes 564 jobs in fresh blow to manufacturing
=GM plans almost 50,000 job cuts as it seeks $16.6bn
Jobs around the world [Vauxhall here -cs] under threat as the car 
maker seeks more billion-dollar loans from the US government
=Regulator says pensions must come first
Pensions Regulator warns companies cannot cut contributions to 
underfunded pension schemes if they plan to pay a dividend

FINANCIAL TIMES
=MPC backs money supply expansion
Concerns about the effects of interest rates near zero on the profit 
margins of banks weighed on members of the Bank of England’s rate 
setting committee earlier this month, minutes of the meeting show
=Complaints bring down sex treatment poster  [!!!]
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a billboard poster 
promoting “longer lasting sex” after it received over 500 complaints

STANDARD
=Foster's UK dive leaves Heineken with a hangover
Sales in the UK of Foster's lager plunged by 10% in the past year