Tata Europe boss calls on the government to slash energy bills January 16, 2014 Steel boss Karl Koehler has called on the government to slash energy bills. The CEO of Tata Steel Europe said that heavy industries need help to deal with rapidly rising costs. Speaking at a conference in London, Mr Koehler argued that revitalising these sectors could play a major part in rebalancing of the UK economy. [...]
US inflation jumps to six-month high January 16, 2014 US inflation jumped, as expected, to 1.5 per cent in December year-on-year – the highest it's been since June – from 1.2 per cent in November 2012 to November 2013. Item prices increased across the board, although they remained modest, with the jump attributed to a temporary rise in energy over the month. This is [...]
The US jobs market is steadily improving, again January 16, 2014 Some good news in the US. Initial jobless claims have dropped/risen from 330,000 last week to 326,000 in the week to 10 January. We got a slightly stronger number than that analysts had been expecting – consensus estimates suggested a fall to 328,000. The general improvements in the US labour market are starting to get [...]
Why is Luxembourg being so mean to this German teddy company? January 16, 2014 A European court showed no signs of going soft on German teddy bear maker Steiff when it ruled against its trademark application this morning. The 134-year old company had hoped to win a trademark for a button, or a label attached by means of a button, to the middle of the ear [...]
Former US defence secretary Gates weighs in on UK cuts January 16, 2014 The Ministry of Defence is not having the best week. Following on from a damning report from the Commons defence committee and exposure of an IT fiasco, now former US defence secretary Robert Gates has stuck his oar in. Gates, who served under presidents Obama and Bush, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that cuts [...]
Why you shouldn’t trust oil price predictions in 1 chart January 16, 2014 City forecasters are well paid for their advice – colleagues and clients rely on their predictions and make big bets and investment decisions on their word. But this shocking chart from the European Central Bank shows how wrong the forecasters are, pretty much all the time. The light dotted line shows the oil price which [...]
Why luxury means more than one thing in China January 16, 2014 China's wealthy have been buoying luxury brands for years, with high-end Western retailers like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry touting their wares across the upmarket shopping districts of Shanghai and Beijing. But China's just seen the steepest cut-back on spending in at least five years, according to a survey by the Hurun Report – [...]
Everything you’ve ever been afraid of in 2 handy maps January 16, 2014 Fiscal crises and the potential for a “fatal spiral” in some of the world’s most important economies are the most concerning risks for the world in the year ahead, according to a major yearly survey released today. The World Economic Forum's annual report on the biggest risks in 2014 is now out, based on a [...]
New device could slash STD results times to 30 minutes January 16, 2014 Today saw the announcement of a new of a point of care device that can deliver state of the art test results for a host of diseases in just 30 minutes. Patients could be provided with testing and begin their treatment in just a single visit to the clinicians as soon as next year. Current [...]
The 10 biggest challenges facing small businesses in 2014 January 16, 2014 Business confidence blossomed at the end of 2013, and things have got off to a good start for firms this year too. Figures from the British Chambers of Commerce showed that confidence in a broad-based UK recovery is growing, and net optimism flew to 71 per cent at the end of the year. When it [...]