Bank shares fall after China’s central bank suspends at least three banks from some foreign exchange business, reports December 30, 2015 Bank stocks took a hit in early afternoon trading after the Chinese central bank suspended at least three foreign banks from conducting some foreign exchange business, according to reports. Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland were down 1.81 per cent at 304.5p per share, while HSBC shares fell 1.52 per cent to 536.35p per share and Standard [...]
Economic impact of Storms Eva, Desmond and Frank could hit £3bn December 30, 2015 The UK economy could be dented by as much as £3bn by damage from Storms Eva, Desmond and Frank. PwC said economic losses from the storms Desmond and Eva will be between £1.6bn and £2.3bn, while insured losses will hit £900m-£1.2bn. "Based on the currently available information, our understanding is that Desmond and Eva combined had at least 11,500 [...]
One simple tool to help you write more authoritative emails and stop apologising December 30, 2015 Email etiquette is a thorny issue. One person's swift reply may be impolite to another while jokes can be taken in the wrong way. Getting across the right message can be a tricky task and there's one thing you might be doing that's not giving off the right impression – apologising. It's not just the saying [...]
Pharmaceuticals giant KalosBios files for bankruptcy after firing “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli as chief executive December 30, 2015 KalosBios, the company which ousted self-styled "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli as its chief executive earlier this month after he was arrested on charges of securities fraud, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Reuters reported that the US pharma giant had listed assets and liabilities of between $1m and $10m in its filing with a court [...]
Facebook faces lawsuits over its growth forecasts ahead of IPO in 2012 December 30, 2015 A US judge has given the go-ahead to two lawsuits accusing Facebook of hiding concerns over growth forecasts ahead of its initial public offering (IPO) in 2012. Facebook floated around three-and-a-half years ago at $38 per share. But initial investors would've lost out after its share price fell as low as $17.55 a few months later, and stayed below the [...]
The biggest reason your employees want to quit their jobs in 2016 December 30, 2015 Money talks. Not least when it comes to your career, with money the biggest motivator behind a career change in the new year, according to a new survey. A pay rise is the top reason people are looking to switch jobs in 2016, more than bettering their career or feeling under appreciated in their current [...]
From stamp duty to capital gains: The buy-to-let market has been hit by 14 tax changes in four years December 30, 2015 Thought buying a home was complicated? Spare a thought for landlords, who, it turns out, have been hit by 14 changes to the way they're taxed in the past four years, according to KPMG. Yep: from that 15 per cent hike to stamp duty for properties held within a corporate envelope, way back in the mists [...]
EU migrant crisis: More than one million refugees and migrants have reached Europe by sea since the start of 2015 December 30, 2015 More than one million refugees and migrants have reached the shores of Europe by sea since the start of the year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said. Some 1,000,573 people have made the sea journey to Europe, and close to half of those travelling came from Syria, mostly fleeing war and persecution. The figure represents [...]
New buy-to-let rules are the biggest reason for rent rises in 2016 December 30, 2015 New rules introduced by the government for buy-to-let investors are the biggest reason that rents will rise next year, new research reveals. Nearly half of landlords surveyed by flatshare website spareroom.com said they will raise rent in 2016, with more than a third of them saying it was down to the increased costs incurred from new legislation, the [...]
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway heading for worst year relative to rest of the US stock market since 2009 December 30, 2015 The Oracle of Omaha is set for his worst investment year since 2009. Shares in revered investment guru Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway are down 11 per cent, in the same year Buffett celebrates his golden anniversary running the company. Berkshire Hathaway has suffered as a number of investments were hit by falling oil and gas prices. While the company doesn't [...]