The Greeks have something to teach us about the importance of being idle August 20, 2013 BUSINESS and leisure seem like opposites. Ambition’s drive to succeed and achieve has little truck with the pleasures of idleness. With 135 graduates fighting for every opening at investment banks and fund managers, who can afford to be caught with their feet up? Yet leisure is essential, even for the driven. It’s a chance to [...]
CNBC Comment: Why it could now be time to buy gold August 19, 2013 GOLD kicked off 2013 trading just below $1,700 per troy ounce, only to see central banks and investors push its market value down to around $1,180 in late June. Since then, it has steadily risen in value, putting on its best performance in months last week, when it broke through the psychologically important $1,350 level. [...]
Daily FX: Analyst picks August 19, 2013 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Long dollar-yen, short euro-dollar Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few weeks Last week I was beginning to look at the dollar long against the euro and yen, but neither trade got off the ground. Now, attention turns to the [...]
Unemployment is falling in a majority of US states August 19, 2013 The unemployment rate fell in a majority of US states in July, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said today (release). The US labour market is a key factor for the Federal Reserve when deciding the timeframe for the tapering off of its bond buying programme. The unemployment rate fell in 36 states, increased in [...]
Green MP arrested at anti-fracking protest August 19, 2013 Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas has been arrested at the anti-fracking protest in Sussex. Earlier today, she said the protests weren't "just about Balcombe", but about the entire government policy on fossil fuels. "The government is not listening so I think there are times when peaceful direct action can be legitimate." (Full [...]
Indian rupee hits record low amid slowdown fears August 19, 2013 The Indian rupee fell to a record low today as investors pulled money out of the country amid fears of a slowdown in growth. The currency fell by around 1.7 per cent from the previous close to a low of 62.70 against the dollar. The rupee has fallen by nearly 16 per cent since May [...]
Cuadrilla’s message to anti-fracking protesters August 19, 2013 Energy company Cuadrilla, which has found itself at the centre of an anti-shale gas protest against fracking in Balcombe, has reacted to the highly-publicised protests at its headquarters in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Protesters broke into our Lichfield office, harassed our staff and chained themselves to filing cabinets. The police are on site dealing with this. We [...]
Tesco fined in strawberry mis-selling scandal August 19, 2013 Tesco has been fined £300,000 by Birmingham Crown Court after admitting it mis-sold strawberries to the British public in a half-price deal. The supermarket admitted four counts of engaging in an unfair commercial practise over strawberry prices in 2011. The case concerns the Tesco store on Coventry Road, Sheldon, and was widened to Tesco stores [...]
German Bundesbank expects economy to return to normal this year August 19, 2013 The German central bank has said the global economy is likely to continue on its upward trend in the third quarter of the year, although growth will be constrained by structural growth problems and tightened monetary policy in several emerging market economies and expectations that the US Federal Reserve may tighten policy sooner than expected [...]
Germany recognises Bitcoin as a taxable currency August 19, 2013 Germany has become the first country to take an official stance on the use of online currency Bitcoin, recognising it as legitimate for legal and tax purposes. Berlin acknowledged Bitcoin as a “currency unit” and “private money”, according to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the online edition of the "New Osnabrück newspaper", citing a [...]