Erm… How your speech skills could be holding you back November 21, 2018 I remember a speech that an influential central banker made recently. The introductory comments contained a lot of filled pauses, like “ums” and “ahs”, as well as stretched and repeated words. When the speaker switched to using a script (that is, reading aloud from paper), the speech pattern totally changed. In speech terms, it was [...]
Whatever the CIA says, the west could turn a blind eye over Khashoggi’s murder November 21, 2018 The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has put a strain on political and economic relations between Saudi Arabia and the west. On Sunday, word came that the CIA blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder, with sources close to the agency saying that it had assessed the evidence in detail. The [...]
Talk Talk to move London HQ to Salford as it launches plan for full-fibre broadband rollout November 21, 2018 Talk Talk has said it will be moving its headquarters to Salford next year, taking "the vast majority of London roles" with it as it announced rising profits and plans to roll out full-fibre broadband across the UK. As the telecoms giant ramps up cost efficiency plans, Talk Talk said it believes the move to be "crucial" to aligning [...]
Accounting watchdog probes Grant Thornton audit of Patisserie Valerie accounts November 21, 2018 The Financial Reporting Council opened a probe into Grant Thornton’s audit of troubled bakery Patisserie Valerie’s accounts today, looking at financial statements between 2015 and 2017. The FRC also said it is investigating former chief financial officer Chris Marsh’s role in preparing and approving parent company Patisserie Holdings’ financial statements. Marsh was suspended by the [...]
Monzo teams up with Paypoint to allow users to deposit cash in shops November 21, 2018 Digital bank Monzo has today announced a strategic partnership with Paypoint, enabling its users to deposit cash into their Monzo account at any of Paypoint's 28,000-strong network of corner shops and local stores across the UK. Deposits can range from £5 to £300, with a fee of £1 per deposit and a cap of £1,000 every [...]
London house buyers report growth in gazumping despite wider UK decline November 21, 2018 Roughly two in every three London buyers has been ‘gazumped’ on a house purchase in the last year, according to a new poll which underlines the growing frustration within the capital’s housing market. Gazumping, which is the process of agreeing to a person’s offer on a property and then selling the house to another buyer [...]
This Thanksgiving, be grateful for the political freedom to campaign November 21, 2018 Tomorrow is the fourth Thursday in November, so Americans, in the US and across the world, will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Whenever I have been invited to Thanksgiving dinners, one of my favourite traditions is when everyone sitting around the table mentions something which they are grateful for in their lives. People often mention something personal [...]
DEBATE: As discounts get out-of-control, is there a case for retailers to ignore Black Friday altogether? November 21, 2018 As discounts get out-of-control, is there a case for retailers to ignore Black Friday altogether? Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday, says YES. Black Friday started off as a day when consumers could enjoy making great purchases, but now it has just become a day for deep discounting – and that is incredibly damaging to small [...]
Life under Network Rail offers a glimpse of the future if Corbyn were left in charge November 21, 2018 The shambles that is Network Rail continues to blight our lives. City A.M. readers may have experienced the cancellation of many services into Waterloo on Monday, due to engineering works overrunning. Even the best-laid plans can go astray. But this week was not just a one-off event. It seems to be a permanent feature of [...]
To restore public trust, it’s time for finance to find its purpose November 21, 2018 More than 10 years on from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the finance industry still has much work to do to rebuild society’s trust. Given the centrality of financial services to the UK’s economy – whether through the tax revenues it pays, the two million jobs it supports, or the basic functions of our economy [...]