The stock market report

I have to admit I relished reading the stock market report in the The Times today as it was written by the deputy city editor, Simon English. Here is a link:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/columnists/article4599006.ece

It's not often such a senior journalist on the business desk is willing to write a stock market report column (many tops business bods would deem too lowly a job for them). Indeed, British newspaper business desks are pretty cash strapped what with everything going digital, so these days the market report is considered by business news editors as just a big space that needs to be filled with stories that aren't deemed good enough to make into the main bit of the business section. 

As a result, some newspapers have scrapped the hard copy version of the stock market report altogether whilst other rags tend to give it to a graduate trainee or junior reporter to write. 

But actually the traditional British stock market report is where some of the City's best tales have been broken - and that's still the case today. Take the Financial Times, for example. The Pink' Un still employs a veteran stock market correspondent to write the column (which admittedly is getting smaller and smaller) and as a result the newspaper has broken some of the biggest takeover stories of the year, such as Zurich's attempt to buy FTSE 100-listed RSA.      

No surprises, then, that Simon's stock market report contained some juicy nuggets, such as speculation US-based Hyatt might try to merge with FTSE 100-listed InterContinental Hotels if it fails to get hold of Starwood.

Now, I'm just waiting for Simon's tale to be announced or confirmed...