Why your jeans are making it difficult to print money December 18, 2013 Stretchy jeans are great – softer, possibly more flattering, and they shrink a bit after washing – but it turns out that they're causing a bit of an issue for the dollar, reports Vogue's Laura Milligan. Crane, the company that, for over 100 years, has single-handedly supplied the paper used to make America's currency, has [...]
Wow, so bucking the trend, very resilience: Why is Dogecoin gaining today? December 18, 2013 While most cryptocurrencies are crashing today – one remains triumphant. Dogecoin has managed to combine two things that are huge right now – virtual currencies and the Doge meme. News that Bitcoin has been hit by fresh regulation in China has seen millions wiped off the market capitalisation of more established currencies, but Dogecoin is [...]
US firm gives artificial hearts new lease of life with $14m investment December 18, 2013 A US firm that makes artificial hearts has raised $14m (£8.6m) to expand and develop a smaller version of its Total Artificial Heart. SynCardia Systems will also be marketing its Freedom portable driver which powers the artificial heart. The device is designed to be wearable so patients can carry it in either a shoulder bag [...]
US housing starts see fastest rise in almost 24 years December 18, 2013 US housing starts have jumped from 0.891m to 1.091m in November, smashing expectations of an increase to 0.95m. They're now at their highest level since February 2008. That's an increase of 22.7 per cent, compared to last month's 1.8 per cent rise – making this month's rise the largest since January 1990.
Europe to miss out on cloned meat as EU Commission imposes ban December 18, 2013 The European Commission has adopted two draft laws banning the sale, import and marketing of cloned meat in the European Union. The Commission adopted the proposals due to concerns over animal welfare and ethical issues surrounding the controversial technology. The EU commissioner responsible for health, Tonio Borg said: Today's initiatives on animal cloning respond to [...]
Is the Christmas shopping boost to retail sales really that positive? December 18, 2013 Retail sales picked up significant pace in the first half of December, as shoppers took a pre-Christmas breather in October and November before the festive rush. The Confederation of British Industry's Distributive Trades Survey came in at 34, rocketing past November's figure of one, the consensus forecast of 10, and matching September's 15-month high. Orders [...]
How strong jobs numbers are putting Carney in a tight spot December 18, 2013 Some analysts think today's unemployment numbers will be giving Bank of England governor Mark Carney a headache. The surprise drop in the headline rate – from 7.6 per cent to 7.4 per cent in the three months to October – is a move towards the Bank's threshold level of seven per cent. When unemployment reaches [...]
Asos and M&S downgraded by UBS. Here’s why December 18, 2013 Some sobering news for UK clothes retailers this morning, as UBS cut its ratings for both Marks and Spencer and Asos from 'buy' to 'neutral'. M&S is trading in the red, having shed over four per cent to 434p, and is topping the FTSE 100's biggest fallers this morning. UBS said: We cut our forecasts [...]
Dutch sex workers lobby for pensions tax break December 18, 2013 Dutch prostitutes are lobbying for the same pension benefits enjoyed by professional footballers. The campaign is being led by Freya, a company hoping to run a number of brothels in the Dutch city of Utrecht. The company argued that the tax system should treat sex workers in the same way as it does other physically [...]
EU job seekers will have to wait three months to claim benefits from 2014 December 18, 2013 Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that from next year EU job seekers will have to wait three months to claim out-of-work benefits. Everyone coming to Britain should contribute. So from 1st Jan 2014, EU job-seekers will have to wait 3 months to claim out-of-work benefits. — David Cameron (@David_Cameron) December 18, 2013 Yet [...]