Alarm bells sound for UK business as rising costs and inflation threaten to squeeze margins February 27, 2017 Business groups have renewed calls for government to support companies in the upcoming Budget as firms face a toxic mix of rising inflation, spiralling operating costs and squeezed margins. Inflation is starting to climb and is forecast to reach nearly three per cent by the end of the year. Higher input costs are expected to feed [...]
Trump’s economic adviser targets tax reforms ahead of major speech February 26, 2017 US President Donald Trump’s first Budget will focus on tax reforms instead of cutting back popular entitlement programmes, according to his main economic adviser. In an interview with US broadcaster Fox News, Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said: “We’re going to start with tax reform. We’re focused on regulatory relief, and we’re focused on a whole [...]
German deputy finance minister insists Greece will not receive debt haircut February 26, 2017 Germany’s deputy finance minister has reaffirmed the country’s hard line stance on refusing a debt haircut for Greece, raising the spectre of a further bailout for the embattled country. Jens Spahn said creditors would not countenance any reduction in the amount Greece owes or the timetable of repayments, in an interview with German radio. He [...]
Government on the hunt for lawyers who want to tackle Brexit for £48,400 February 26, 2017 The Government Legal Department is looking to hire up to 17 qualified lawyers to help it navigate Brexit, for a starting salary of £48,400. The freshly hired lawyers will be expected to work alongside the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Duties could included providing legal guidance as the [...]
Cybersquatting soars to record levels February 26, 2017 Cybersquatting is at highest levels in five years according to commercial law firm, EMW. So-called cybersquatters register domain names of existing companies in an effort to re-direct online traffic to their own site or to get the company to purchase the domain name for large amounts of money. This leads to legal disputes over website [...]
Alliance Trust investors clash over proposed buyback February 26, 2017 Investment fund Alliance Trust is convening a general meeting for shareholders this Tuesday to approve its plan for a £620m buyback deal with Elliott Management, the activist investor. It proposes that the buyback will take place in five tranches to enable the American hedge fund to cash in its investment. UK private investors’ association ShareSoc [...]
Daisy Group is reported to be considering stock market float February 26, 2017 Daisy Group, the telecoms company which went private two years ago, is reported to be considering a stock market comeback either this year or in early 2018. According to The Sunday Times, the company is plotting a £1.4bn market return, after private equity firms Toscafund and Penta Capital taking Daisy Group out of public hands [...]
Easyjet set to be ejected in FTSE’s quarterly reshuffle this week February 26, 2017 Easyjet is on course to dive out of the FTSE 100 this week, as part of the index’s quarterly reshuffle. The airline has seen its value decline by 40 per cent over one year and issued a profit warning last month, sending its shares down nine per cent on the day. The firm blamed a [...]
Economists expect expansion to continue in the UK manufacturing and services sectors February 26, 2017 Closely watched surveys of economic activity are expected to show the UK economy continued to expand in February, despite rising input prices. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI), reported on Wednesday, is predicted to show a continued expansion in the sector. The crucial measure of activity for UK manufacturers eased slightly from its fastest pace [...]
UK banks’ bonus pools have shrunk five per cent over the last year, but bosses’ handouts are on the rise February 26, 2017 Bonus pools at the UK's big five banks have shrunk five per cent in the last year, but handouts to bosses have almost doubled in the same space of time. The total bonus pool for HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, RBS, Standard Chartered and Barclays fell to around £5.6bn for 2016, compared with around £5.9bn in [...]