Posh Spice's dress boosts M&S

Posh Spice's shopping trip to a Marks & Spencer Group Plc store may help the United Kingdom's largest clothing retailer outperform British discount chains.

Business International

Ethiopian entrepreneurs wake up and smell the roses

The smell of flowers is displacing the aroma of coffee as a driving force in the Ethiopian economy.

Greenspan issues stagflation warning

The US economy is showing early signs of stagflation as growth threatens to stall while food and energy prices soar, former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said.

Wheat goes over $10 on supply concerns

Wheat rose above $10 a bushel for the first time, leading other grains and oilseeds higher in a food price spiral that threatens to derail global economic growth.

Biz People

Roach: US on the way to recession

IN BRIEF (Page 16)

Business International

Coca-Cola gets a healthy boost

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc gave its 2007 earnings estimate a healthy boost on Wednesday, partly by adding Glaceau vitaminwater to its system, sending the bottler's shares up nearly 6 percent.

Indonesian business tycoons worth $40b

Indonesian business tycoons nearly doubled their net worth to $40 billion in 2007, Forbes business magazine reported yesterday, helped by soaring profits from coal, palm oil and paper.

Tankan likely to indicate increased jitters in Japan

A central bank survey of corporate Japan is expected to show top executives grew more cautious in the fourth quarter due to worries about the health of the global economy and rising costs, analysts said.

Stricken UK lender falls off FTSE-100

Northern Rock Plc, DSG International Plc, and Daily Mail and General Trust Plc are among the seven companies that will be demoted from the FTSE 100 Index in the biggest reshuffle of the UK benchmark in six years.