PRIZE BONDS LOOKING AT TOP PRIZE - This morning the Prize Bond company has published its annual results. They show that the value of cash held in prize bonds increased 5% last year to just under €589m with sales during the year totalling €133.3m.
The company says it give out 145,793 prizes worth a combined €13.9m - an average prize of €95.
Prize Bond Company chairman Michael O'Keeffe said the company was looking at a review of its price structure. He said that if the main prize of €150,000 were increased, this could affect smaller prizes. But he added that the company was not sure if it wanted to change the top prize.
Mr O'Keeffe said the company was not in competition with the National Lottery, and its research showed that most people saw prize bonds as a long-term investment, with a good chance of winning a prize.
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NEWS AND MARKETS - Cable company NTL attracted considerable negative publicity last November when it sought to introduce a €2 billing surcharge for handling accounts not paid by direct debit.
The company subsequently decided to relax the provision for pensioners and those with special needs. Those surcharges were supposed to come into effect this month for existing customers. They haven't, because the company has decided to abandon the idea, much to the delight of consumer groups.
But new customers since the original announcement in November who do not pay by direct debit are being charged. That is set to be reviewed after the Consumer Protection Bill is enacted.
Later today the European Commission will reveal an almost doubling in the number of dangerous goods withdrawn from sale across the EU between 2004 and 2006 to around 1,000. The big jump is due to better reporting by member countries to an EU wide alert system. Toys remain the biggest category of dangerous goods.
Last night the Dow Jones closed at an all-time high of 12,803. That beats the highs the market hit just before the global share sell-off a month and a half ago. Yesterday's gains were led by the banks after America's JP Morgan Chase and Co beat analyst expectations with a 55% increase in quarterly profits.
In Japan the Nikkei closed down 1.5% as the dollar's weakness against the yen hit Japanese export shares. The euro is worth $1.3570 and just under 67.9p sterling.
