UK growth revised upwards at end of year after manufacturing boost, but weaker first quarter drags on 2016 overall February 22, 2017 The UK economy grew faster than previously thought in the last three months of 2016, with the manufacturing sector delivering a late boost to growth after a weaker first quarter. Growth for the year was revised down to 1.8 per cent from two per cent after a slower performance in the first three months of [...]
These are the best Tube strike tweets from miserable commuters (and some rather smug ones) February 22, 2017 Ah, another day, another Tube strike. Not nearly on the level of the mass January walkout which caused most of Zone 1 stations to shut down, but try telling that to the commuters who'd usually get the Central or Waterloo & City Lines into work… Of course, with the strike comes a raft of angry and [...]
Fortunes diverge between Europe and US as euro falls to six-week lows and global stocks hit record highs February 22, 2017 The euro fell to six-week lows against the US dollar on Wednesday morning as fears of political chaos stand in contrast to continued bullishness on global stock markets, which reached fresh record highs. The euro fell to a low of $1.0498 against the dollar today, its lowest since the beginning of January, sending the dollar index [...]
Charles Woodburn has been confirmed as BAE Systems’ new chief executive February 22, 2017 Charles Woodburn will replace Ian King as chief executive of BAE Systems, the company has confirmed in a statement. Currently BAE's chief operating officer, Woodburn will replace the retiring King effective 1 July. Woodburn joined the firm in May 2016 with 20 years of international experience in senior management positions in the oil and gas industry. His appointment to [...]
Barratt hikes dividend as profits edge higher February 22, 2017 It's been a decent six months for housebuilder Barratt, which today announced it was hiking its divi after profits edged up in the final half of last year – despite a fall in revenues. The figures Although revenues fell 3.2 per cent to £1.82bn in the six months to the end of December, pre-tax profits rose 8.8 per cent to £321m, partly thanks to [...]
British Gas is rolling out a new loyalty scheme to reduce bills and give customers perks like Sky TV February 22, 2017 British Gas today announced it will invest £100m in a loyalty programme that reduces bills and partners with companies like Sky to bring fresh deals to its customers. The Centrica-owned energy firm said British Gas Rewards will launch in April for all of its customers. They'll be able to select from a new range of personalised benefits, including discounted [...]
This is how City analysts reacted to Lloyds Bank’s results February 22, 2017 Lloyds Banking Group announced this morning that pre-tax profits had more than doubled last year, sending its shares up 3.6 per cent in early trading. The lender reported statutory profit before tax had gone up 158 per cent to £4.2bn in 2016, from £1.6bn in 2015. While this was slightly below analysts' expectations of a [...]
A new Night Tube map will help Londoners find their nearest late night McDonald’s February 22, 2017 The Night Tube has already proved more popular than expected and businesses have been reaping the rewards. And now a new app has been launched to help out Night Tube goers looking for a midnight snack. Or more specifically, a midnight Maccy D's. Read more: Chew on this: McDonald's quarterly earnings beat analyst expectations The Central [...]
A London estate agent has demanded Sadiq Khan offers firms a Crossrail levy holiday as the business rates row continues February 22, 2017 Sadiq Khan's comments on business rate rises in the capital clearly haven't gone down well with some… The mayor said yesterday he was "shocked" by business rate rises set to hit the capital – but a boss at estate agent and consultancy Colliers International has said the mayor can take action himself, and called on Khan to do more. [...]
Toshiba’s shares are finally making gains as its chip business reels in suitors February 22, 2017 Toshiba's shares closed more than 22 per cent higher after Japanese trading today on news rivals are interested in its chip business. A Nikkei Business Daily report suggested the troubled Japanese conglomerate has asked potential bidders to value its prized memory chip business at 2 trillion yen (£14.1bn) in a bid to maximise income from the sale. [...]