Oil Price could hit $200 a barrel

Just when we thought oil prices were dropping they rose by a record $15 yesterday. Now experts are saying that the $200 barrel could be with us sooner rather than later.

Things are looking rather bleak with the Credit Crunch, the collapse of the Banking System, hikes in Energy prices, damage to the Environment, massive increases in Food prices and the ever upwards spiral of petrol prices.

Where will it all end?

Our pupils just now might think this is boring and doesn't affect them but in a few years time they will be looking for jobs, trying to buy their first home and even maybe be bringing up young families. Then they will realise the impact of the last few weeks events and perhaps ponder the thought that the world is currently heading towards the worst economic recession since the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

As the saying goes: "Sad, but true".

Lloyds TSB merge with HBOS

After the collapse of one of America's biggest banks, Lehman Brothers and the continued sharp fall of HBOS's shares (from over 900 to a low of 88p) it looked like curtains for Britain's biggest mortgage lender.

However the prudent Lloyds TSB have made an offer to takeover HBOS. The deal is not done yet and other banks may eye up the chance to become the UK's biggest bank.

However there may be repercussions for stakeholders in the business such as customers and employees.

Customers will see less competition in the high street and credit may once again become hard to achieve, especially as Lloyds TSB are famous for being more stringent in their loans than some others.

Employees will surely face redundancies as there will be several branches in similar locations and staff doing the same job.

The major benefit is that at least the deal ensures the survival of one of the UK's main banks. After Northern Rock and now the shaky decline of the HBOS share price people on the high street and in the City must be wondering who is next?

New Technologies? Answer to Life, Universe and Everything or Armageddon?

Today's Big Bang experiment conducted by CERN and using the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) has been either lauded as the best thing since sliced bread or the end of mankind, the Earth and indeed Creation.

Taking a brighter view of things, what new technologies could be made with the information the science boffins will gain?

I am no expert but perhaps the creation of new metals/fabrics and building blocks of one kind or another could revolutionise the way we live in the future.

Regardless of what happens, it is exciting and has certainly caught the imagination of my pupils!

BBC Business News Round-up

House Sales at lowest for 30 years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7604592.stm

Oil Prices Fall Again

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7605584.stm


These are probably the biggest two stories affecting people's lives in the UK just now.

What will be the final outcome of the House Sales slump?

What will be the long term affect of the fall in oil? Will the price reduction be passed on to the consumers?

In the News....

Manchester City FC have been taken over by the Abu Dhabi Group... will this change the face of the Premiership?

Crude Oil Prices are dropping... will the consumers at the end of a petrol pump get to see this difference?

Apple are in trouble with the ASA for misleading viewers of an iPhone advert... can we trust anything that we see on TV?