Help SMEs get practical about solving the productivity puzzle June 18, 2018 As we gear up for Brexit, the UK’s flagging productivity performance is continually in the fore of media headlines and economic analysis. Following a further fall in productivity in the first quarter of 2018, policy experts and economists were quick to update their models and offer opinion over blame. However, this economic self-deprecation doesn’t actually [...]
Bank of England to hold rates as weak economy spurs calls to boost business investment June 18, 2018 The Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates steady at its latest monetary policy meeting this week with debate raging among economists as to whether the UK economy is ready for another rate hike. The Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) meets this week before Thursday’s midday announcement, with doubts growing over whether interest [...]
Help SMEs get practical about solving the productivity puzzle June 18, 2018 As we gear up for Brexit, the UK’s flagging productivity performance is continually in the fore of media headlines and economic analysis. Following a further fall in productivity in the first quarter of 2018, policy experts and economists were quick to update their models and offer opinion over blame. However, this economic self-deprecation doesn’t actually [...]
Ranked: The banks that have closed the most branches since 2015 – and which regions have been hardest hit June 15, 2018 New analysis has revealed which of banks have shut the most branches since 2015, with NatWest, HSBC and Lloyds Bank reporting the highest number of closures. Some 2,868 UK retail branches will have shut up shop by the end of this year, with 879 bank closures during last year, according to Which? Money research. That [...]
Business activity in London’s manufacturing and services sector gets a boost June 11, 2018 London’s manufacturing and service sector today continued its growth for the 22nd month in a row, as new work flowing into the capital boosted business activity in May. The London Natwest Business Activity Index, which measures the seasonal combined output of the manufacturing and services sectors, rose from 53.9 in April to 54.7 in May [...]
The Hundred: Why sponsors will like English cricket’s controversial competition proposal June 10, 2018 “Embarrassing and shambolic – a total mess.” No, not the England team’s performance against Pakistan in the First Test at Lord’s last month, but former skipper Michael Vaughan’s verdict on the England and Wales Cricket Board’s proposal for a new eight-team city-based tournament, dubbed “The Hundred”. It is fair to say that the announcement of [...]
RBS jumps on DoJ settlement reports : RBS finally returned to profit after a decade of losses May 14, 2018 Last year RBS finally returned to profit after a decade of losses, and while it was only a minor profit there was still a sense that the bank may have turned a corner in turning the tide of regular losses. Not surprisingly the market reaction to the £752m profit was a little underwhelming given that [...]
RBS is closing 162 branches resulting in 800 job losses as more customers opt for mobile banking May 1, 2018 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is closing 162 branches and cutting nearly 800 jobs after a review of its network in England and Wales, noting that an increasing number of customers were using branches less often and using mobile banking. It said the branch closures will result in 792 roles being made redundant and [...]
Shocking new pictures of Bishopsgate bomb aftermath released on 25th anniversary of attack that rocked the City of London April 24, 2018 Never before seen images of the destruction caused by an IRA attack in the City have been released to mark the 25th anniversary of the incident. A powerful bomb was planted in a stolen truck outside 99 Bishopsgate, exploding on Saturday 24 April 1993, killing one person and wounding another 44. Today the City of [...]
From vicars to City titans: Goldman Sachs, Shell and Barclays among names behind £550m Lloyds legal battle | City A.M. April 4, 2018 Today City A.M. reveals the varied and surprising names behind a massive £550m legal battle with Lloyds over its takeover of HBOS at the height of the financial crisis – and the cast includes major institutions, aristocrats, vicars and politicians. The groups, which includes institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Nomura Asset Management and pension funds [...]