Global markets tumble as US bond yields unnerve investors April 25, 2018 Global equity markets have tumbled amid worries that growing US treasury yields will increase interest rates and drive up borrowing costs. The American treasury yields hit their highest level in nearly four years, brushing just over three per cent yesterday, due in part to rising inflation and worries over a more assertive Federal Reserve. Read [...]
UK housebuilder Persimmon posts £2.76bn revenue in first quarter April 25, 2018 Forward sales revenue for Persimmon was up 8 per cent in the first quarter of this year to £2.76bn, the UK housebuilder announced today ahead of its annual general meeting tonight. The company also revealed that it had sold 9,048 new homes this year, up from 8,928 over the same period last year. Average selling [...]
Trade minister Greg Hands: UK using Brexit to “spread the word” about liberalising global trade in services April 25, 2018 The UK is using Brexit as an opportunity to push for the global liberalisation of trade in services, trade minister Greg Hands has said. Speaking at a private event hosted by law firm DWF this morning, Hands sought to reassure financial and legal firms on Brexit and the government’s work to secure greater trade opportunities [...]
Brexit secretary David Davis admits UK could push back Brexit day – but says extending customs union would be “failure” April 25, 2018 David Davis has admitted the UK could push back the moment it leaves the EU – but said he would regard any need to extend the customs union membership as “a failure”. Speaking this morning the Brexit secretary gave Remain MPs a lifeline by suggesting the Article 50 process could be extended – but only [...]
Initial coin offerings are a good lens through which we can view the issues challenging regulators and market participants April 25, 2018 | City Talk The question of whether the blockchain will end up as nothing or everything continues to be asked with no definitive answer. With the price of bitcoin bouncing around, and the mass media moving on from breathlessly covering the issue, it may look like the revolution has stalled. Initial coin offerings (ICOs) are a good lens [...]
AI could cause a nuclear war by 2040, according to security think tank Rand April 25, 2018 A nuclear war that threatens to wipe out humanity could be brought about by artificial intelligence (AI) as early as 2040, according to security experts. The Rand corporation, a not for profit security think tank based in the US, warned that computers by “mistake or malice” could lead to mankind’s untimely end. It argues in [...]
Tech and Brexit: The challenges and opportunities facing the FTSE 100 April 25, 2018 The challenges that are facing the blue chip businesses forming the FTSE 100 index have been laid bare by a new survey from global legal services firm DWF. The 2018 “City of London: Blueprint for Growth” report contains polling results from 150 c-suite executives from FTSE 100 companies, across a range of business sectors and [...]
People on the autistic spectrum are creative, focused, and determined, but recruiters fail to recognise this April 25, 2018 My name is Maxwell and I have high-functioning autism. I am part of the huge number of autistic adults in the UK who struggle to find full-time employment. Autism is sometimes seen as a hidden disability. As someone on the autistic spectrum, I often have much to say, but I am not always given the [...]
Digital advertising spend hits record levels as smartphone usage rockets April 25, 2018 Consumers spending more time on their smartphones has led to a boom in companies spending big on digital advertising. The amount spent on digital advertising last year hit a high of £11.5bn in 2017, a 14 per cent rise on 2016 figures. The findings released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC found [...]
Letting agents are facing an epidemic of their own making April 25, 2018 If you’ve ever had to deal with a letting agent, you may be so traumatised from the experience that you’ve resolved never to move house ever again. You tiptoe around the property, praying that the ceiling doesn’t cave in – just so you won’t have to dial that dreaded number. If you’re under 40, you’ll [...]