London’s property boom lifts value of Great Portland’s estate May 20, 2015 Great Portland Estates (GPE) yesterday reported an 18 per cent surge in the value of its portfolio over the year, thanks to London’s booming property market. The developer’s net asset value per share rose by 24.6 per cent to 709p over the year to 31 March while profit before tax was up 17.4 per cent [...]
UK Mail Group share price dips as firm delivers more packages but less profit May 20, 2015 Shares in UK Mail Group slipped yesterday after the package delivery firm’s pre-tax profits fell despite a rise in overall volumes. While delivery numbers for both mail and parcels rose 4.7 and 7.4 per cent respectively, the firm’s operating profits for both sectors declined as margins were squeezed. UK Mail particularly benefited from [...]
Spotify launches new platform, which includes videos and podcasts May 20, 2015 Spotify has taken a huge leap forward and added videos to its streaming service. At an event in New York, the company showed how its new platform will serve up content pertinent at every time of day – from music and podcasts to videos and news. Spotify’s chief executive, Daniel Ek, called the company’s new [...]
New budget 2015: George Osborne uses CBI speech to lay out government plans to tackle the productivity puzzle May 20, 2015 George Osborne offered a glimpse of what to expect at the 8 July budget when he gave a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) this evening, with productivity a major focus. Also top of the agenda is the merging of the Shareholder Executive – the body that runs the government’s financial interests in [...]
George Osborne CBI speech: Government to merge Shareholder Executive and UK Financial Investments to help return public assets to the private sector May 20, 2015 George Osborne announced this evening that the government is to merge the two bodies that manage the majority of the taxpayer’s stakes in businesses into one company. In a speech to the Confederation of British Industry, the Chancellor said the Shareholder Executive (ShEx) and UK Financial Investments (UKFI) would be made into one holding company, [...]
Mumsnet pulls Thomas Cook adverts over Corfu deaths compensation scandal May 20, 2015 Mumsnet has pulled Thomas Cook adverts from its website after its users protested. The travel company was embroiled in a scandal after it claimed a payout from a hotel in Corfu where two children died in 2006. Mumsnet said Thomas Cook was also keen for the adverts to be taken down, as they were inspiring [...]
Eurovision Song Contest 2015: Three charts showing what would happen if winning gave you lots of power May 20, 2015 At 8pm on Saturday night, music fans from across the continent will turn on their TVs and tune into the annual Eurovision Song Contest. As usual, the event promises to fill our screens with crazy costumes, emotional love ballads and over-enthusiastic presenters covered in glitter. But it's not just a contest for raw musical [...]
US officials hand down multi-billion forex-rigging fine to UBS, JPMorgan, RBS, Citicorp and Barclays May 20, 2015 US officials have confirmed the multi-billion-dollar bill being paid by five of the world's biggest banks for their involvement in the forex-rigging scandal. JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland, Citicorp and Barclays will plead guilty to US criminal charges, paying a total of $5.6bn to settle the allegations that date back to 2007. UBS is [...]
Forex-rigging scandal: Barclays given largest fine in FCA history May 20, 2015 Barclays has been fined £284.4m by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to control business practices in its London foreign exchange operations. The bank's "inadequate and ineffective" control over its forex floor led to the biggest fine ever handed out by the FCA. Last year the bank opted out of a mass settlement in [...]
Bank of England minutes: Policymakers vote 9-0 to keep rates on hold May 20, 2015 Minutes from the Bank of England's May meeting have shown little change, with the monetary policy committee again voting 9-0 to keep interest rates at 0.5 per cent. Two members felt the decision was "finely balanced", implying they're thinking about reversing their vote. All members agreed interest rates "were more likely than not" to rise over the [...]