Swelling house prices continue into February March 6, 2014 UK HOUSE prices surged in February according to a major index of prices, jumping 2.4 per cent in the month alone, and up 7.9 per cent from February last year. The monthly change is the fastest that Halifax has recorded since the first half of 2009, and February saw the 11th month-on-month increase in the [...]
Analyst Views: Did Kingfisher’s strong results mask any underlying concerns? March 25, 2014 RICHARD HUNTER | HARGREAVES LANSDOWN Kingfisher is running a tight ship and even before yesterday’s reaction, the share price had risen 41 per cent over the last year. Market sentiment has tended to be guarded given the French exposure, but consensus has recently nudged up to a buy, and is likely to remain anchored after [...]
City Matters: How British companies can help Latin America unlock its huge potential May 18, 2014 THE EYES of the world are turning to Brazil as “the beautiful game” returns to its spiritual home next month. This is an exciting time for all the teams involved ahead of the World Cup, but also one filled with major challenges and opportunities – a situation not dissimilar to that facing Latin America as [...]
Letters to the Editor – 15/05 – Politicising M&A, Best of Twitter May 14, 2014 Politicising M&A [Re: Britain’s apparently open economy can’t afford this Pfizer political inquisition, yesterday] Government interference in the market always leads to disaster. The shareholders and their board of directors created Pfizer and Astrazeneca, and only they should decide their future. House of Commons committees are merely a device for airing political prejudice or personal [...]
British retailers lure overseas online browsers April 28, 2014 THE NUMBER of overseas shoppers browsing the web for British clothing and footwear retailers has surged in the past year, with department stores grabbing a greater share of the attention, new figures released today show. Retailers have been pushing ahead with international expansion plans to offset slowing growth and weak consumer spending at home, using [...]
Wages to overtake prices this year as squeeze on Brits eases April 14, 2014 PAY WILL finally rise faster than inflation this year, at last ending the long squeeze on British incomes, an influential group of economists has predicted today. Wages will rise by 1.7 per cent over the year while prices will increase by 1.6 per cent, the EY Item Club forecasts. As a result the UK’s economic [...]
Dagger in the Kremlin’s heart: Europe’s sanctions have revived a comatose West July 30, 2014 “We live between the act of awakening and the act of surrender.” John O’Donohue, Irish poet MY GOD, they’ve finally done something. In the end, it wasn’t the horrific shooting down of MH17 – highly likely by Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine – that goaded a seemingly inert Europe into decisive action. Even after this [...]
UK comes one step closer to banning unpaid internships May 13, 2014 The House of Commons has passed a Ten Minute Rule Motion banning unpaid internships by a massive 181 votes to 19. The motion was brought forward by conservative MP Alec Shelbrooke, who argued that unpaid internships disproportionately favoured the children of the wealthy and well-connected. Shelbrooke said fellow members of the House of Commons had [...]
UK comes one step closer to banning unpaid internships May 13, 2014 The House of Commons has passed a Ten Minute Rule Motion banning unpaid internships by a massive 181 votes to 19. The motion was brought forward by conservative MP Alec Shelbrooke, who argued that unpaid internships disproportionately favoured the children of the wealthy and well-connected. Shelbrooke said fellow members of the House of Commons had [...]
Recreating the glamour of a desirable postcode April 24, 2014 New homes in Kensington and Chelsea hope to woo buyers looking for English courtyards and grand staircases THE ROYAL borough of Kensington and Chelsea is known the world over for its class and finesse. Even its pensioners are renowned for their grand, military attire. A new development of apartments and penthouses at 375 Kensington High [...]