Tata Steel holds first board meeting since Brexit vote July 8, 2016 Tata Steel will hold its first board meeting since Britain voted to leave the European Union, with board members widely expected to discuss the future of its loss-making UK business. Business secretary Sajid Javid flew to India for talks with the company last night. It comes amid a report that Tata could "pause" the sale of its main [...]
Ladbrokes the real winner from Leicester City’s Premier League triumph August 4, 2016 Euro 2016 and a less-than-predictable Premier League season boosted earnings at bookies Ladbrokes and sent shares climbing 3.8 per cent this morning, as it edges closer towards its £2bn tie-up with Gala Coral. The figures Profits before tax climbed by 61 per cent to £39.8m in the six months to June at Ladbrokes, with operating profits up 34 [...]
London must shake off its complacency over housing and infrastructure if it’s to thrive post-Brexit October 31, 2016 Rarely has a ranking of the world’s greatest cities been released in the past few years without London at its top, or very near it. PwC recently named the capital the world’s best city for opportunity, praising its economic clout, its attractiveness to foreign direct investment, its highly skilled workforce, and its status as a [...]
At the open: Relief in the City as stock markets stage mini-recovery June 28, 2016 Stock markets recorded their first gain since the UK voted to leave the European Union – jumping in the first few minutes of trading this morning and, crucially, holding on throughout the day. After two days of deep falls and mass trading suspensions, the bluechip FTSE 100 was up 2.5 per cent by lunchtime at 6,131. [...]
Twitter’s share price takes flight on buyout rumours August 3, 2016 Shares in micro-blogging site Twitter have jumped today on rumours former Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer and Saudi investor Prince Al-Waleed Bin-Talal could make a buyout offer for the company. Shares are up by over eight per cent in New York, climbing to $17.72 after falling as low as $15.77 in July. Twitter shares hit an all time low of [...]
With consumer price index inflation negative but house price rises strong, is CPI failing to capture the cost of living? November 17, 2015 Shaun Richards, an independent economist, says Yes A fundamental problem with the UK official CPI inflation measure is its exclusion of owner-occupied housing costs. Without them, it arrives at an ice-cold annual rate of inflation of -0.1 per cent for October. However, our official statisticians also report house prices rising at an annual rate of [...]
Going for gold: Transactions for bullion soar ahead of Brexit vote June 21, 2016 The flight to safe havens ahead of the EU referendum has led to a surge in transactions for gold bullion as the 23 June approaches. According to the Royal Mint there has been a 32 per cent jump in the number of transactions compared to last month, as sharp volatility on the stock markets and [...]
The average UK house price is now growing at twice the rate of London property October 14, 2015 What a difference a few months can make. Having once been seen as pulling up average UK house price growth, it seems London is now having the opposite effect, dragging the national average down, according to new figures. The National Housing Market Monitor, by estate agent Haart, found UK house prices grew 10 per cent to [...]
Sellers are shifting their housing stock in record time despite Brexit worries June 20, 2016 The time it takes to sell a house has hit a record low, as Britain's housing market continues to prove its resilience despite the backdrop of the EU referendum. The uncertainty of the outcome of the vote doesn't seem to have deterred buyers; property website Rightmove said today sellers only have to wait an average of [...]
Do you have an analogue business in a digital age? November 10, 2016 UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are weathering the tempest that 2016 has blown their way, remaining ambitious, while providing a sturdy backbone for our economy during this period of uncertainty. It will surprise few that websites, social media and online marketplaces are a conduit to success, and a driving force behind increasing revenues in [...]