Norway to keep $8.2bn Russian assets despite sanctions – for now August 20, 2014 Norway’s massive sovereign wealth fund yesterday announced that it was likely to hang on to its $8.2bn (£4.93bn) worth of Russian assets despite Western sanctions on Moscow. However, the $885bn fund – one of te world’s biggest investors said it did not plan further purchases because of political risk. The fund has $8.2 billion invested [...]
OneSavings Bank profits rise after lender tightens purse strings August 27, 2014 OneSavings Bank, the first British lender to float on the stock market since the turn of the century, yesterday said lower costs had helped to drive a four-fold rise in half-year profits. The lender, which offers mortgages and saving accounts through its Kent Reliance brand, said underlying pre-tax profits rose to £29.7m for [...]
Barratt boss warns of labour shortage September 10, 2014 The boss of Britain’s largest housebuilder Barratt Developments warned yesterday that a shortage of skilled workers could prevent the country from delivering the homes needed to tackle housing crisis as the company reported a doubling of full-year profits. Mark Clare said the lack of skilled workers – from bricklayers to architects and plasterers – is [...]
Men with wide faces secure bigger bonuses but are worse at collaborating, study finds July 24, 2014 It pays to have a wide face, but only when you're going it alone, according to research by scientists at the University of California, Riverside. Called “Negotiating face-to-face: Men's facial structure predicts negotiating performance”, the study used a series of negotiation simulations to compare the success of wide-faced and narrow-faced men at securing deals when [...]
Britain set to boom as global economy slows November 19, 2013 THE UK will defy the weak global economic trend next year as the recovery takes hold in Britain, analysts at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicted yesterday. The world’s economy will only grow by 2.7 per cent this year and 3.6 per cent next year, the think-tank said – slashing 0.4 percentage [...]
State urged to support first time buyers December 2, 2012 GIVING support to first time buyers (FTBs) would ease the pressure on the hardest hit sector in the housing market and give a strong boost to the industry, economists from the Ernst and Young Item Club argue today. The respected analysts are calling on George Osborne to reinstate the stamp duty holiday for FTBs on [...]
Thinking bigger: My Voucher Codes founder Mark Pearson talks Fern Britton and young tech entrepreneurs November 16, 2014 While we’re talking, it suddenly dawns on Mark Pearson that it’s his company’s eighth birthday. “It’s definitely around now,” he laughs, raising his empty plastic water cup in the air. In June of this year, Pearson sold My Voucher Codes, as part of his parent company Markco Media, to global mobile money technology provider [...]
La Senza goes into administration, putting jobs at risk July 1, 2014 UK lingerie retailer La Senza has gone into administration for the second time in two years, putting 752 jobs at risk. The event comes after Middle Eastern retail investor Alshaya was unable to revive the business, having acquired it in 2012 as it was going through a pre-pack administration deal. Over 1,300 employees lost their [...]
Housing market cools for winter but price growth beating wages November 17, 2013 HOUSE prices this month are still up four per cent on November last year, despite a small seasonal dip from October. According to Rightmove’s latest house price index, London prices are up by 6.9 per cent in the same period. In the year to September, average weekly earnings only rose by 0.8 per cent. Between [...]
House building rises at fastest rate since 2008 November 21, 2013 The last three months have seen the fastest rate of house building since 2008, according to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). 32,230 homes were started between July and September of this year. Over the past 12 months, housing starts rose 16 per cent compared to the previous year, from 101,280 to 117,110. [...]