Glazer family’s ownership of Manchester United set to continue for “at least five years” August 20, 2014 The Glazer family’s ownership of Manchester United is set to continue for at least another five years, it has been reported. The news will disappoint disgruntled United fans staging an anti-Glazer protest ahead of a home fixture against QPR next Saturday afternoon. Large sections of the United fanbase have long been opposed to the ownership of [...]
Argos owner hires head of trends Alexei Cowan to lead brands from mini fridges to middle class August 20, 2014 Argos and Homebase have never been considered bastions of good style. With its belly button jewels and novelty mini fridges, we would almost go as far to say Argos is where trends go to die. But owner of both brands Home Retail Group (HRG) has a plan afoot. Concessions of middle-class taste-machine Habitat started the [...]
Mortgage lending rises 15pc to its highest level since 2008 August 20, 2014 Gross mortgage lending rose to £19.1bn in July, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said today – the highest monthly figure since August 2008, when it stood at £19.3bn. The figure rose 17 per cent from £16.7bn in July 2013, and seven per cent from June's £17.9bn. The number of property transactions also increased, by [...]
Uber’s battle against taxi industry and regulators steps up a gear with Obama adviser on board August 20, 2014 In Uber’s relentless battle against regulators and the taxi industry around the world, a political strategist was considered a crucial element for negotiating roadblocks in the disruptive taxi service’s plans for world domination. Now the search is over, and Uber has no doubt spent a pretty penny of its billions of dollars of investment (which [...]
MPC vote split: What does that mean for future interest rate rises? August 20, 2014 Today it was revealed that the monetary policy committee's (MPC) vote on whether to raise interest rates last month was split for the first time in three years, with two dissenters in the ranks arguing a "rapid fall in unemployment alongside survey evidence of tightening in the labour market created a prospect that wage growth [...]
Eurozone construction declines for second month running August 20, 2014 Construction output in the Eurozone has fallen yet again. From May to June, output went down by 0.7 per cent according to Eurostat, the statistical office for the European Union. This follows May's similarly disappointing result, when construction fell 1.4 per cent compared to April. Before that, the Eurozone had seen largely positive [...]
Steve Ballmer’s best moments: Watch LA Clippers owner and former Microsoft chief’s crazy videos August 20, 2014 Steve Ballmer and his infamous cheerleading have found a more suitable home than the corporate world of Microsoft he waved farewell to yesterday. Ballmer’s breathless exuberance and enthusiasm of the kind only Americans are capable is probably the most memorable thing about his time at the tech company, ahead of even his business successes or [...]
Scottish independence: Half of English voters “want spending cuts in Scotland” if it votes no August 20, 2014 English voters will get tough on Scottish public spending if September's referendum results in a no vote, according to a new poll from YouGov and university researchers. If voters reject Alex Salmond's campaign for an independent Scotland, 56 per cent of English voters would support a crackdown on the amount of public money doled out [...]
Pound jumps against dollar as Bank of England minutes reveal interest rate vote dissent August 20, 2014 Two members of the Bank of England's rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC) voted in favour of raising interest rates by 25 basis points to 0.75 per cent during the August meeting, minutes published today showed. This is the first time since 2011 the committee has been split on interest rates. The vote took economists by [...]
Carillion and Balfour Beatty – what you need to know August 20, 2014 This morning – a day ahead of the “put up or shut up” deadline – construction firm Balfour Beatty rejected a third bid from Carillion, despite the offer being increased by 15.5 per cent to £2.08bn. The revised deal also offered Balfour shareholders 58.27 per cent of the combined company, up from 56.5 per cent [...]