Speedy recovery: Tools supplier improves dividend as profits and revenue grow November 14, 2018 Speedy Hire upped its dividend after growing revenue and more than doubling profit in its half-year results today, sending shares upwards slightly. The tool hire company said it was well on the way to delivering its turnaround plan years after a battle between the board and activist investor Toscafund, which wanted it to merge with HSS. The [...]
Lloyds pays out to whistleblower who alleged HBOS cover-up November 14, 2018 Lloyds Banking Group has apologised and paid an undisclosed amount in compensation to a whistleblower who produced an internal report that criticised the lender’s handling of a large-scale fraud. The bank previously settled with Sally Masterton, a former senior risk officer at HBOS, over claims she had been unfairly dismissed. Masterton “acted with integrity and [...]
Taxi firm Addison Lee loses appeal against drivers earning national minimum wage and holiday pay November 14, 2018 Taxi firm Addison Lee lost its appeal against an employment tribunal decision today, which found that drivers were not self-employed contractors running their own businesses but in fact employees of the taxi company. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld the Employment Tribunal’s September 2017 ruling that drivers were entitled to receive the national minimum wage [...]
Chinese tech giant Tencent beats expectations on quarterly profit, but gets hurt by slowed revenue growth November 14, 2018 Tencent has trounced consensus estimates on profits in its third quarter, as gains from its investments helped to offset weaker results in its core gaming business hit by legal woes. Its share price was down 0.8 per cent as markets closed in Hong Kong this morning. The figures Net profit in the three months to September [...]
Italian bond yields rise sharply and stocks fall after Rome defies the EU over its budget November 14, 2018 Italian bond yields hit three-week highs and the country's stocks slumped after Rome defied the European Commission over its controversial budget plan. The Italian government intensified its standoff with the EU last night by refusing to change its deficit target of 2.4 per cent of GDP and its growth forecast of 1.5 per cent. But [...]
TfL to lose £200m from Crossrail delay next year November 14, 2018 The delay to Crossrail will cost Transport for London (TfL) nearly £200m in lost passenger fares and advertising revenue next year, the London Assembly has found. Cash-strapped TfL, which is facing a £1bn operational deficit this year, was relying on the £15.4bn Elizabeth Line to shore up its balance sheet. After months of assurances, the project [...]
M&G buys Financial Times headquarters from Pearson for £115m November 14, 2018 Publishing giant Pearson today agreed to sell the Financial Times's headquarters to investment firm M&G for £115m. The building at One Southwark Bridge, on the bank of the Thames, has been home to the Financial Times since 1987. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2018. Now the newspaper will move back to its [...]
Intu requests deadline extension for talks to take the company private November 14, 2018 Shopping centre owner Intu has requested an extension from the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, saying it needs more time to come to an agreement on taking the firm private. The Manchester Trafford Centre-owner said the extension had been granted, and a consortium of buyers now have until 5pm on 22 November to make a formal offer, previously [...]
Forget going solo: Why it pays to find a co-founder November 14, 2018 Britain has always worn its entrepreneurial spirit proudly on its sleeve. It was Adam Smith (not, in fact Napoleon) who coined the term “a nation of shopkeepers” to describe the British in The Wealth of Nations back in 1776. Today, calling us a nation of entrepreneurs is far more accurate. New research from Octopus reveals that [...]
Inflation remains steady in October as CPI stays flat at 2.4 per cent November 14, 2018 Inflation remained steady in October, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) flat month on month at 2.4 per cent, according to Office for National Statistics data out today. Rising fuel costs and domestic gas prices offset lower prices for food and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as clothing and transport, leading to CPI staying unchanged from its September [...]