China cracked, Bolland bowed out and Dry January got drier: Here’s what got us talking this week
The Jetsons' family car got a bit closer to reality, and a base-jumper around Canary Wharf gave us all vertigo while Donald Trump got punchy over the impending Commons debate on whether he should be banned.
Here's what got us talking this week
How low can yuan go? (Source: Getty)
1) China cracked
Stock markets were suspended twice before the suspension trigger system was itself suspended, but it didn't eradicate the market jitters.That got us wondering what the wider repercussions were and whether investors should just give up on China.
2) Bolland bowed out
The beleagured M&S boss has finally given a date for when he'll hang up his hat. Marc Bolland bowed out after another dismal performance in clothing, blamed partly on the weather. That shortened odds on other retail departures, and we wondered whether new man Steve Rowe was up to the job. The consensus is that he stands a decent chance but that e-commerce must be a priority.
3) Retailers fessed up about their Christmas
It wasn't just M&S who had a shocker. Next had a surprisingly bad time of it while John Lewis was solid rather than stellar. Sports Direct's profit warning saw shares slum and men's chain Blue Inc revealed hundreds of jobs would cut as it closes a quarter of its stores.
In fact, as quickly became clear, the retail sector suffered its worst Christmas since the financial crisis.
4) Dry January got drier
The chief medical officer told British men they should cut their alcohol intake to just 14 units a week (while women stayed on the same amount) – but isn't she missing something?
5) Corbyn chaos. Again
Jeremy Corbyn upset more than a few apple carts, despite his shadow cabinet reshuffle being somewhat less seismic than was originally anticipated. He then faced a slew of resignations from front benchers unhappy with the way he was making decisions about who stayed and who was ditched. That, alongside movement on the EU referendum, has already defined what politics will look like in 2016.
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