London lowest in the UK for sick days June 16, 2014 London and the south east have the lowest sickness rates in the UK, with 3.5 days per person lost annually according to the latest edition of the Sickness Absence Survey. Overall levels of absence across the UK are at a record low of 2.1 per cent, equivalent to 4.9 days, with London and the [...]
Bitcoin Jesus offers citizenship to libertarian paradise June 16, 2014 Roger Ver, otherwise known as Bitcoin Jesus, has expanded the horizon of what can be bought with the world's favourite cryptocurrency. The self-described libertarian and founder of Passports for Bitcoin is selling the right to live in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in cryptocurrency. Just a three-hour flight away from Miami, the islands [...]
Pinterest hacked: Users hit by weight-loss messages June 16, 2014 Pinterest has been hit by an apparent spam attack which saw users deluged with messages promoting weight-loss from an Asian fruit. The spam spread as users' accounts were compromised after clicking on the message link. Pinterest put a number of user accounts in “safe mode” to stop the spam spreading, but not before [...]
IMF says Fed could keep rates at zero for much longer June 16, 2014 Fed chair Janet Yellen has suggested that the first US rate hike could come six months after the end of tapering quantitative easing (QE) – this would land in roughly April 2015. But the staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) say today that with a muted inflation outlook and full employment still some [...]
The world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund is set to reshape the FTSE 100 June 16, 2014 Times are changing for one of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund. The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the $175bn behemoth which invests money on behalf of the Qatari state, is expected to dampen its more ambitious dealmaking. It will instead adopt an increasingly "conservative" approach, according to a research note published today by political strategists [...]
We reveal the winner of our EBay lunch bid with Jim Mellon June 16, 2014 The bidding is over. We can now reveal the winner of lunch with hedge-fund star Jim Mellon is none other than Lars Seier Christensen, co-chief and co-founder of Saxo Bank. Christenen managed to secure the lunch yesterday with a winning bid of £4,000. "Well, I like to think of myself as an early [...]
Alcohol policies are hitting ordinary drinkers and failing the vulnerable, says new report June 16, 2014 The government's alcohol strategy is failing to reduce problem drinking among the most vulnerable and is based on an outdated mathematical model, according to a new report released by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). Furthermore, proposals to ban alcohol advertising, restrict licensing and raise price will do little to tackle the problem and will [...]
Meet the dronie – the new selfie June 16, 2014 Get ready for drones to enter the mainstream with the dronie – a selfie taken with a camera attached to the aerial device. The phenomenon has been demonstrated by internet legend Sir Patrick Stewart at the ad industries' annual jolly to Cannes for the Festival of Creativity. Perhaps, it won't be long until the dronie is [...]
Could this be the end of London’s housing boom? June 16, 2014 The property market boom could be seeing the first tentative signs of a slowdown, according to property website Rightmove. Prices across England and Wales rose by only 0.1 per cent in May according to the Rightmove house price index, compared to 3.6 per cent in April and 1.6 per cent in March. Average prices fell in [...]
Credit Suisse hit with £2.4m fine by FCA over misleading promotions June 16, 2014 Credit Suisse International (CSI) has been struck with a £2,398,100 fine by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to ensure that financial promotions for CSI's Cliquet product were "clear, fair and not misleading". Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) has also been fined £1,429,000 over the same matter. The Cliquet product was described as a capital [...]