When well over 100 plcs report results in a single week they present a good picture of the state of British business. And the canvas painted is one of cash-rich companies eager to hand out dividends.
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Who gains when share dealings are suspended? Not the shareholders if they cannot sell. And not the shareholders if the company calls off bid talks rather than suffer a suspension. Finally, the listing authorities have realised the folly of demanding a halt to trading.
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Until now, Ocado has been an online supplier of groceries in vans with a high reputation. Now it is a stockmarket vehicle with a bad reputation. Will the poor opinion of Ocado in the City affect its performance in the country?
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Like F1 “fans” waiting for a car crash, international investors are watching to see who loses its AAA credit rating first – the United Kingdom or United States. Both countries have huge budget deficits and high debt: so which will be stripped of its top rating, or will both be downgraded?
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Mrs Thatcher famously said you can’t buck the markets and sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has reluctantly agreed. If fans want to pay a fortune for Cup Final or Katy Perry tickets, you can’t stop them. And why stop them?
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Which country should British business worry about most, China or Greece? Both economies, while very different, are in danger of imploding.
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There has been a stream of stock markets for small companies over the past three decades, but with the latest, the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), in decline, is it time for another go at this problem?
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It was only last spring we were being told house prices were down 18 per cent on the year: now the rate of inflation is about to become plus 10 per cent. A hidden housing boom is underway.
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There is not only a dearth of takeovers at present, there is a trend to abandon bids that have already been announced. Are bidders’ eyes proving bigger than their stomachs or have predators lost their nerve?
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When brands are king there is an interesting move in the opposite direction at Wyevale garden centres. The name is being removed from most of the 122-strong chain so that they look like independents.

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