Business columnists, business comment & analysis

Darts champ’s on target

YOU’VE got to give trainee plumber Mark Webster 10 out of 10 for storming to glory in the BDO World Darts Championship on the weekend. Read

Unpaid overtime has a plus side

ONE of the stories I was asked to comment on last week was the latest calculation by the TUC of the unpaid overtime put in by workers in Wales. Read

Shed some post-Christmas debt

WITH Christmas over and despite the reports that December’s retail sales were down on last year, many of us probably did overspend our budget even with the best intentions not to. Read

Making it easy – the new 2008 theme for transport in Wales

TRANSPORT in Wales began several new facets in 2007 the delivery of which will come in 2008 and beyond. Read

Happy New Year – or a gloomy 2008 ahead?

HAPPY New Year? Well if we are to believe a report out in the US from Merrill Lynch that suggests America is in recession, we might be in for a very difficult 2008. Read

Predictions are risky but vital for progress

PREDICTIONS in science and technology are always fraught with the potential for extreme embarrassment. Read

WAG must pull right levers to stimulate prosperity

AS 2007 comes to an end, it is time to reflect on what has been an interesting twelve months for the Welsh economy. Read

Gambit advises on food firm deal

CORPORATE finance firm Gambit of Cardiff has advised on the buy-in management buy-out of Donatantonio from its founding family for an undisclosed sum. Read

Some Neet ideas for skilling up our country

I WILL always be grateful to Sir Adrian Webb for the support he gave me when I was appointed to my first professorial chair at the University of Glamorgan in 1996. Read

Ensure savings and borrowings stay at a healthy level

THIS Christmas, people are planning to spend more on their festive shopping than they did last year. Read

It seems we are taking the easy option and shirking tough decisions

AS 2007 draws to a close and many of us look forward to an extended break, we will have plenty of time to consider two truly dismal news stories that have been given extensive coverage in the past two weeks. Read

Alf Gooding’s still in running for Northern Rock

RHYDIAN was robbed. Gethin was robbed. But Alf, is still in with a chance. A slim chance. Read

Radical change needed to tackle flagging prosperity

IN THE past few weeks, a series of economic indicators have been released which have shown that the Welsh economy is not in as good a state as some optimists would like us to believe. Read

Roberts comes home to university

ONE of Europe’s leading experts on regional competitiveness, Dr Robert Huggins, is to join the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (Uwic). Read

The Insider: Peter Finch

GWYNETH Lewis is standing in front of a huge sheet of paper which has been Blu-Tacked onto the wall. The top half bears a set of multi-coloured blobs, the bottom is covered with scribble. Read

‘All factors point to a slowing in the economy’

LAST week’s decision by the Bank of England to cut interest rates by one quarter point came as a surprise to many commentators. Read

As well as being physically overweight too many Brits are now financially obese

YOU would think physical weight problems are enough to contend with but a national study of financial fitness from Abbey has revealed that only one in 100 Brits is in peak financial condition, while the average person is a massive 43% overweight in financial terms. Read

Wales will pay dearly for failure to invest in education

LIKE many, I was shocked to read about the report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development which showed that the educational performance of 15-year-olds in Wales is well below average in maths and reading in OECD countries. Read

How to avoid Christmas debt hangover

AS CHRISTMAS approaches demands on people’s finances are increasingly pushed to their limits, so national charity Citizens Advice is urging everyone to avoid a debt hangover and become a smart shopper. Read