Always look on the bright side

The ongoing dispute between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers’ Union appears to have been resolved, with the Union accepting a 6.9% pay rise over three years, and revised working practices.  This is good news for those individuals and businesses that rely on a reliable universal mail service – especially those in mail order.

Elsewhere, the FTSE 100 closed over 5600 this week, an 18-month high and a 62% increase on the six-year low of a year ago.  Great news for those of us with FTSE Tracker investments, which is most of us if pension funds are included.  It may also show wider confidence in the equity market, and perhaps an end to the doom and gloom.  Any recovery is fragile, and a lot of the growth is based on mining and oil stocks, and a strong US dollar, but if one is looking for good economic news, the FTSE is a place to start at the moment. 

Another, if perhaps unlikely, source of good news is Eurotunnel – who have announced significant profits in 2009, despite problems with the fire of 2008 and the snow of late 2009.  As someone who was in the tunnel at the time of the fire, I consider it good news they still have a tunnel to run!