Is Warren Buffett’s U-turn on airlines a nod to his value investing past? January 6, 2017 | City Talk Warren Buffett, the investment billionaire, has been pretty rude about the aviation sector. As the Sage of Omaha unambiguously put it in a 2002 interview: “If a capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk back in the early 1900s, he should have shot Orville Wright. He would have saved his progeny money.” Buffett went on to [...]
Five days in to 2017, London exceeded its air pollution limit January 6, 2017 Finding the city smoggier than usual today? It's no wonder. Five days into the year, London has already broken air pollution limits set for the whole of 2017. Brixton Road is to blame. The road exceeded the hourly limit of 200 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air for the 19th time last night. Under EU pollution [...]
In a landmark year for renewable energy, wind power overtook coal in the UK for the first time January 6, 2017 For the first time ever, the UK generated more electricity from wind than coal in a calendar year, which led carbon emissions from the sector to drop 20 per cent. Wind generated 11.5 per cent of the UK's electricity last year, whereas coal contributed just 9.2 per cent, down 59 per cent from the year before, an analysis [...]
UK businesses and consumers see rosy economic prospects peak at the end of 2016, as confidence in Europe rises January 6, 2017 UK business confidence in the economy’s prospects increased to a 2016 high in December as Eurozone companies also saw a strong improvement in trading conditions, according to the European Commission. The buoyant services sector drove UK economic sentiment to an increase of 1.3 per cent, reflecting recent news of a rise in the services purchasing [...]
Jamie’s Italian to slim down with restaurant closures January 6, 2017 Jamie's Italian is slimming down. The celebrity chef's restaurant group is shutting six of its outlets, which are likely to be sold in the first quarter of this year. The Brexit vote has been weighing on the business, and Jamie's has decided to close the restaurants which aren't getting enough people through the door. Campaign group [...]
Winter sun 2017 destinations: the best places to travel to right now January 6, 2017 The festive season is officially over, and the great British freeze has well and truly kicked in. What else is there to do other than jet away to your winter sun destination? Here’s our top five: Cancun, Mexico Overlooking the Caribbean sea, in this city – known for its golden beaches, endless sunbathing opportunities and vibrant nightlife – [...]
Productivity puzzle remains for economists despite UK growth in third quarter of 2016 January 6, 2017 The UK is still struggling to increase the amount it increases per worker as economists wrestle with a continued “productivity puzzle”, new official data shows. Labour productivity, measured by the amount the UK produced per hour, grew by only 0.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2016, representing a flat rate of growth, according [...]
Female brewers in US are protesting Trump with a new beer January 6, 2017 A new protest against Donald Trump has emerged in the US, but this one's a bit boozier than the rest. In Denver, Colorado, multiple female-led breweries have come together to make a special protest beer just in time for the divisive US President-elect's inauguration on 20 January. Read more: Theresa May to visit Donald Trump in the US [...]
Donald Trump reflation story continues to enthral investors as money market fund flows increase January 6, 2017 Investors have rushed to put money into money market funds, as they continue to back the story that inflation is going to grow under US President-elect Donald Trump. Fund flows into money market funds in the week ending 4 January grew to $31.7bn (£25.7bn), up from $16bn in the week including the Christmas holiday, according [...]
Gear4music’s quarterly sales are up 55 per cent from the previous year January 6, 2017 Britain's largest online retailer of musical instruments said full-year profit will be ahead of expectations as sales took a huge leap in the last quarter. Gear4music reported a total sales increase of 55 per cent on the same period in the previous year, rising to £24.4m, from £15.7m in the four months to the end of December. Shares [...]