It’s unanimous: Bank of England keeps interest rates on hold at 0.25 per cent December 15, 2016 The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) has unanimously voted to hold interest rates at 0.25 per cent. However, the MPC warned a slowdown in growth was still likely following the Brexit vote, although it added inflation will not rise as much as it had forecast. In minutes of its December meeting, it added [...]
Paddy Power has the odds on which group will call a strike next December 15, 2016 After Southern rail strikes left commuters stranded, Post Office workers threatened branch closures before Christmas, cabin crew at British Airways voted for industrial action and even Argos drivers announced a disruptive strike before talking it out with their bosses, Paddy Power has now offered the odds on which group will strike next. "Glorious post-Brexit Britain is doing its best [...]
One in five first time buyers have been given a hand by Help to Buy December 15, 2016 One in five house purchases made by first time buyers are now being supported by the government's Help to Buy Isa. The scheme, which was started on 1 December last year, gives aspiring home owners a 25 per cent boost to their savings when buying a property worth £250,000 or less. The price limit rises to [...]
GVC shares jump after betting on a 49 per cent dividend increase December 15, 2016 Share prices in GVC were up more than five per cent in afternoon trading after the leading sports betting and gaming business announced a dividend increase of 49 per cent today. The e-games operator, which recently acquired rival Bwin.Party for £1bn, said adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation could reach up to €205.5m (£171.6m) for the year to [...]
Go-Ahead and buy some shares: Southern rail’s owner says revenues will miss targets December 15, 2016 The market was still keen to Go-Ahead and invest in the owner of Southern rail, as shares nosed up 0.5 per cent despite the firm warning forecasts would be missed by its rail division. The FTSE 250 firm, which owns a majority stake in Govia, said its rail division full-year results would miss expectations. Read more: Going [...]
California regulator wants Uber to put the brakes on its self-driving cars as it doesn’t have a permit December 15, 2016 Uber's self-driving car service might be driven off-track, after the California highways regulator ordered it to pull the service hours after it was launched. Uber had started giving passengers the option of a self-driving car with a safety driver when booking a journey. Regulators said the ride-hailing app firm had to stop immediately and get [...]
British Gas owner Centrica’s share price lights up after raising full-year earnings forecast December 15, 2016 Centrica's share price lit up this morning after better-than-expected costing savings and a strong savings performance lifted its full-year earnings. The British Gas owner's stock rose more than five per cent in morning trading to 230p, after announcing its full-year adjusted earnings per share will come in at around 16.5p. The FTSE 100 utility's cash flow [...]
Burger King is going to swap unwanted Christmas gifts for Whoppers December 15, 2016 If you're already practising your pretend I-love-it face in preparation for receiving more terrible presents this Christmas, Burger King has some good news for you. The fast food chain is offering a burger swap for unwanted gifts this year. Ungrateful Unfortunate recipients of presents that are unnecessary, unsuitable or just a bit crap, can bring [...]
Chinese mega cities increase dominance in Schroders Global Cities 30 index December 15, 2016 | City Talk Fund manager Hugo Machin explains the trends behind the latest moves in the Schroders Global Cities index Chinese cities had a strong showing in the first Schroders Global Cities 30 index, launched in the summer. In the first update to the index, that dominance has only increased. Four of the top five spots are now [...]
MPs slam government for failing to grasp “the serious impacts of poor air quality” on British people December 15, 2016 MPs aren't impressed with the government's progress on air quality. A letter from Conservative MP Neil Parish, chairman of the Commons environment committee, sent yesterday to environment minister Therese Coffey, said the government had not been convinced it was doing enough to tackle the problem. "We are extremely concerned that, despite the courts twice rejecting its [...]