Pound sterling exchange rate tumbles against the dollar and the euro after DUP scuppers Brexit talks (GBPUSD; GBPEUR) December 5, 2017 The pound tumbled after Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) called an abrupt halt to Brexit talks yesterday. Sterling erased some of its losses against the dollar in early afternoon trading, rising to $1.3422, from earlier lows of of $1.3383, although it was still 0.4 per cent lower. Having fallen as much as 0.5 per [...]
Brexit secretary David Davis hits back over Irish border fall out – and insists regulatory alignment does not mean staying in Single Market December 5, 2017 David Davis has hit out at critics of leaked proposals to solve the Irish border question, stressing that the UK’s borders will remain intact and clarifying what is meant by regulatory alignment. Davis told MPs he was still confident a deal could be concluded before the end of this week – although 24 hours ago [...]
Bitcoin steals gold’s shine as new investing in bullion drops by a fifth December 5, 2017 Bitcoin is stealing the spotlight from gold as trading among first-time buyers slid to the lowest point since the metal’s price sank in 2015, new data suggests. Gold trading among existing private investors rebounded as bullion prices steadied in November, but falling interest among new investors caused BullionVault’s gold investor index to dip to 53.9 [...]
Ruth Davidson snipes at May’s Irish border proposal December 5, 2017 Pressure is piling on Theresa May not to agree a special case deal for Northern Ireland, after yesterday’s much-hoped for breakthrough was scuppered by the DUP. A deal had been signed up to by Dublin and London, and was being briefed out in Brussels, with parties on both sides visibly relieved that the Brexit impasse [...]
Train fares are set to rise: Here’s a selection of the best Twitter reactions December 5, 2017 What’s that wailing noise you can hear at train stations across the UK? It’s probably the sound of commuters discovering rail fares are about to rise by 3.4 per cent. The Rail Delivery Group announced this morning that, from 2 January 2018, all national rail fares will rise, including both regulated fares, like season tickets, [...]
Merger and acquisition values shot to £86bn last quarter in “sizeable” rise December 5, 2017 The value of successful domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) showed a “sizeable” increase in the third quarter of 2017, according to official figures. There were a total of 163 acquisitions and disposals involving UK companies worth £86.4bn in the quarter from July to September, compared with 241 transactions worth £33.2bn in the quarter [...]
Apple agrees to pay Ireland €13bn in back taxes after EU challenge December 5, 2017 Apple has agreed to pay Ireland up to €13bn (£11.5bn) in back taxes after the European Commission said it received unfair tax incentives. The European Commission ruled in 2016 that the tax arrangement was illegal under EU state aid rules, but Apple and Ireland have both appealed the order. In October, Europe’s competition chief Margrethe [...]
IG Group share price rises as it unveils increased revenue December 5, 2017 Spreadbetting firm IG Group said it expects to report an increase in revenue in the first half, but warned that predictions about the future are difficult to make due to planned regulatory changes. IG said it followed a strong first quarter with a good performance in the second, and net trading revenue in the first [...]
Train fares are going up by an average of 3.4 per cent in January 2018 December 5, 2017 UK train fares are set to rise by an average of 3.4 per cent next year, above the rate of inflation, the rail industry has revealed. From 2 January 2018, all national rail fares will rise, including both regulated fares, like season tickets, and unregulated fares, including off-peak tickets. The Rail Delivery Group said the [...]
DEBATE: Is the government too focused on EU negotiations to deal with social mobility issues? December 5, 2017 Is the government too focused on EU negotiations to deal with social mobility issues? Alison McGovern, Labour MP for Wirral South and former shadow city minister, says YES. In Alan Milburn’s sensational resignation from the Social Mobility Commission at the weekend, he argued that the government is too focused on Brexit to take social mobility [...]