Talent shortages are forcing 25 percent of employers to pay higher salaries for permanent, professional(1) positions compared to the previous year, according to a Manpower Professional Survey released today. The professional talent shortage is threatening growth opportunities for many firms, with 29 percent of employers worldwide reporting they would have hired more professional staff over the past six months had the appropriate talent been available.
Fitch Ratings has upgraded the Republic of Lithuania's Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default ratings ("IDRs") to 'A' from 'A-(A minus)' and 'A+' from 'A' respectively. The Outlook is Stable. The Country Ceiling has been upgraded to 'AA' from 'AA-(AA minus)' while the Short-term Foreign Currency rating is upgraded to 'F1' from 'F2'. Fitch is also assigning an 'A' rating to Lithuania's forthcoming EUR600 million 2012 Eurobond.
CBOT Holdings, Inc., holding company for the Chicago Board of Trade, announced today that revenue for the third quarter 2006 increased 45 percent to $163.0 million compared with $112.2 million in the third quarter of 2005.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and CBOT Holdings, Inc. today announced they have signed a definitive agreement to merge the two organizations to create the most extensive and diverse global derivatives exchange.
The Chicago Board of Trade today announced that its Agricultural complex set a volume record yesterday for the second time this month. The new record, 976,685 contracts, surpassed the previous high mark of 929,546 contracts set on October 5, 2006.
The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., today reported third quarter 2006 net income of $30.2 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, an increase of 69.7% from $17.8 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2005, and 81.9% from $16.6 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2006.
Fitch Ratings says in a special report published today that major French banks are well placed to deliver good earnings in H206 and into 2007. Though downside pressure may arise from unexpected events, Fitch views this as very unlikely and the continued positive outlook for the French economy is expected to provide a favourable environment for the country's banking sector.
The Conference Board announced today that the U.S. leading index increased 0.1 percent, the coincident index remained unchanged and the lagging index increased 0.2 percent in September.
The London Stock Exchange today launched Exchange Insight and Company Profile, new online services that will provide private investors with the information and tools they need to help them to build successful investment portfolios.
During September 2006 the average daily number of trades on SETS increased 52 per cent on September 2005 to 313,188 trades. This is nearly double the 27 per cent growth between September 2004 and September 2005. The acceleration in trading continues to reflect the secular shift in equity trading which is being facilitated by the roll-out of TRM, the Exchange's next generation technology platform.
