Why chess masters have the advantage in business December 23, 2015 This month saw a host of entrepreneurs and business people line up to bid for the chance to play chess alongside some of the world’s greatest chess professionals in the Pro-Biz Cup, held at London’s Olympia. The two arenas – those of chess and business – may not seem at first to have any [...]
A Christmas competition with a difference – and the chance to win a bottle of champagne December 22, 2015 For the prolonged holiday break, a quiz is appropriate. But one with a difference: not just questions, but comments to go with them. A prize of a bottle of champagne to the best answers – just email them to me. The last couple of years have seen the rise of populist left-wing movements. Syriza [...]
Why 2016 will be the year that peer-to-peer lending finally enters the financial mainstream December 21, 2015 UK peer-to-peer platforms will have lent over £2bn by the end of 2015. Our activities account for 92 per cent of the alternative finance industry, and peer-to-peer lending forms a significant part of the wider financial landscape in its own right. In just 10 years, we have developed into a grown-up and regulated industry. [...]
Blue-chip index falls for eighth straight session – London Report December 15, 2015 OIL AND commodity price concerns have continued to drag on the FTSE 100, with the index touching 10-week lows at its close last night. It finished down 1.3 per cent at 5,874, its eighth straight session of losses, and down around 10 per cent so far this year. The price of key metals, including copper [...]
News you can celebrate: Happy Birthday is now officially in the public domain and free for all to sing December 9, 2015 One of the most performed and well-known songs in the world is finally free as a two-year legal battle over who owns the copyright to Happy Birthday to You comes to an end. Music publisher Warner/Chappell, part of Warner Music Group, has settled a class-action lawsuit for an undisclosed sum, with multiple artists who wanted to have fees they [...]
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s policy adviser Andrew Fisher has suspension from the Labour party lifted by the ruling national executive committee November 27, 2015 After having been suspended from the Labour party following a stream of controversial tweets, leader Jeremy Corbyn's policy adviser Andrew Fisher has had his suspension lifted by the ruling national executive committee (NEC). Fisher had suggested that a Class War candidate should be back as leader of the party instead of Corbyn, while calling Tony Blair a [...]
Class action suit being brought against Barclays, UBS, Royal Bank of Scotland and others for conspiring to limit competition November 26, 2015 Big-name banks including Goldman Sachs, Barclays, UBS and the Royal Bank of Scotland have been accused of conspiring to limit competition by a pension fund in the US. The class action lawsuit filed yesterday says that the banks, which also include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Credit Suisse Group, BNP Paribas and [...]
Class action suit brought against Barclays, BNP Paribas and eight more November 26, 2015 Big-name banks including Goldman Sachs, Barclays, UBS and the Royal Bank of Scotland have been accused of conspiring to limit competition by a pension fund in the US. The class action lawsuit filed yesterday says that the banks, which also include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Credit Suisse Group, BNP Paribas and [...]
Tesco’s share price rises after supermarket agrees $12m US settlement over profits blackhole November 26, 2015 Tesco's share price climbed this morning, on the back of news that it has agreed to pay $12m (£8m) to settle a US class action lawsuit brought against it over the £263m profits blackhole discovered last year. The supermarket denied wrongdoing, but agreed to pay the all-cash settlement, according to documents filed at the US District Court [...]
FTSE 100 index opens up on miners November 26, 2015 The FTSE 100 opened slightly up this morning as miners made gains as trading began. The UK's top blue-chip index was up 0.33 per cent at 6,358 points as the market opened. Glencore led the pack higher, up 3.29 per cent to 93.6p on opening, while other miners including Antofagasta and Anglo American were also rising. Read [...]