Which were the best and worst investments of 2014? December 22, 2014 This year low interest rates have seen investors who bet on traditional investments receive returns tantamount to chickenfeed. Perhaps we should have given up before we'd all even started? Perhaps not. Investors who plumped for chocolate, property, the US dollar and Aim-listed company Fitbug would have watched as their money practically grew on trees. Conversely, [...]
Labour support in Scotland falls to half that of the SNP December 22, 2014 North of Hadrian’s wall, Labour could be in for a shellacking. A new poll by Survation has revealed that support for Scottish Labour has fallen to around half of that enjoyed by the SNP. The poll, for Monday’s Daily Record, revealed that 24 per cent of Scots plan to vote for Labour in the 2015 [...]
London property prices: Do you live in the only London borough where demand for property is rising? December 22, 2014 Londoners are staying well and truly put, it seems. New data showing how much demand there is for property in each borough shows people just aren't interested in buying new homes. In fact, only one borough has showed an increase in demand since February. The research, by online estate agent eMoov, shows just how put [...]
The Ghost of Christmas Past visits London (in nine remarkable images) December 22, 2014 Being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past doesn't always have to be life-changing. Trafalgar Square 1948/2014 (Source: Getty) This series of pictures, by Getty photographer Peter Macdiarmid, show how much (and how little) London has changed in the past decades. The pictures are composites of originals, dating back as far [...]
Billy cycling December 22, 2014 The Elephant and Castle roundabout is infamous among cyclists. In 2013, the last year for which we have complete data, there were 15 incidents involving cyclists on or next to the junction. In May last year, Abdelkhalak Lahyani, a married man of 47, was knocked from his bike as he cycled to work at the [...]
Hong Kong stock exchange chief exec Charles Li writes to Santa to lament loss of Alibaba IPO December 22, 2014 Writing a letter to Santa: At primary school it’s expected, for early teens it’s understandable, for sixth formers it’s a little strange. But for the chief executive of one of the world’s biggest stock exchanges it’s downright bizarre and just a bit bonkers. Charles Li, chief executive of the Hong Kong stock exchange [...]
Tesco faces investigation by Financial Reporting Council over profit blackhole December 22, 2014 Tesco is facing an investigation by another City regulator over its auditing practices which have come under scrutiny following the revelation of a £263m profit blackhole. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) will look at the “preparation, approval and audit” of Tesco’s financial statements for the last three financial years stretching back to 2012. The investigation will [...]
Xiaomi could be worth more than Uber, Twitter, LinkedIn and Netflix after $1bn investment round December 22, 2014 A Beijing-based company which has become the world’s third-largest smartphone maker in the space of four years is now said to be worth more than the likes of Uber, Twitter, LinkedIn and Netflix after its latest funding round. Xiaomi has raised $1bn (£640m) from a host of investors, valuing the firm at more than $45bn, [...]
Rouble rallies as oil price continues its rise December 22, 2014 The price of oil continued to rise this morning, lifting the rouble with it. The price of Brent Crude, which has dipped below $60 in recent days, jumped 2.2 per cent to $62.68 per barrel after Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali Al-Naimi said at a conference that the recent fall in prices was "temporary". Al-Naimi [...]
Taiwan could ban Uber for “illegal” operations December 22, 2014 What do Spain, Thailand, Colombia, France and the Netherlands have in common? All have taken action against Uber services – including banning the taxi app outright – and Taiwan could be the latest to follow suit. Uber faces a possible ban in Taiwan after the country’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) revealed [...]