Unnecessary rules, inadequate resources and office politics top the reasons for poor employee productivity October 29, 2015 Fussy managers may be responsible for slowdowns in the workplace, as having unnecessary rules came top of a list of reasons for poor productivity in a study released today by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The CIPD’s latest Employee Outlook Survey, which was prepared in partnership with Halogen Software, also points the [...]
If you want a real scare this Halloween try predicting oil prices October 29, 2015 Forget scary movies this Halloween, consider instead this graph, which shows just how badly oil has performed, compared to market futures contracts, and just how impossible it is to accurately predict what prices will do. (The bloody red line tracks oil’s price, and the dotted lines represent futures contracts.) Proving just how volatile the market is, [...]
Iron ore price falls back below $50 mark for the first time in three months October 28, 2015 Iron ore fell below the $50 mark for the first time since July, as concerns over oversupply from China deepened, against a backdrop of falling global demand. Ore with 62 per cent content for immediate delivery to China slumped three per cent to $49.95 this morning, according to Metal Bulletin. Iron ore, a steelmaking raw material, [...]
Fixed rate mortgages growing in popularity as rates begin to rise – Mortgage Advice Bureau October 28, 2015 Fixed mortgage rates are growing in popularity, with 96 per cent of homebuyers opting for such products in September amid rising average rates, according to the latest national mortgage index from the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB). The average two year fixed rate rose from 2.68 per cent in August to 2.72 per cent in September, [...]
Consumer confidence hit its lowest level for 2015 in September – Lloyds Bank October 28, 2015 Consumer confidence dropped to the lowest level it has been in 2015 during September, the Lloyds Bank Spending Power Report revealed today. The proportion of people who feel comfortable about their household finances also dropped to the lowest it has been for the last five months, said the report. And the number of people [...]
Ford puts the brakes on Dow – New York Report October 27, 2015 Uncertainty over the US interest rate outlook and disappointing results from Ford and other companies yesterday weighed on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 41.62 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 17,581.43, the S&P 500 lost 5.29 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 2,065.89 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 4.56 points, or 0.09 per [...]
UK steel industry to save millions of pounds after being given extra time to meet EU emissions regulations October 27, 2015 The UK's steel industry is set to save huge sums of money, thanks to flexibility in new EU regulations on emissions. Certain plants across the country will have as many as four and a half extra years to come within the stringent requirements, which are being introduced across Europe in January 2016. The extra time will [...]
UK GDP: Weapons manufacturing, ship repair and steel manufacturing are among the UK’s fastest-shrinking industries October 27, 2015 UK growth fell to 0.5 per cent in the third quarter, analysis by the Office for National Statistics suggested this morning. But while economists pointed to the construction sector for holding back growth, a closer look at the figures reveals it was far from the worst-faring industry during the quarter. That dubious accolade belongs to the coal [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Last year’s chaos at Tesco, Asda, John Lewis, Currys and Argos has put bargain hunters off October 27, 2015 Is last year’s mayhem putting a dampener on Black Friday this year? New figures would suggest yes. Black Friday sales drew shoppers in their millions last year as the American shopping extravaganza came to the UK. But the unprecedented throngs left many with a bad taste in their mouth – and this could be a [...]
Northern Powerhouse child development gap: Educational impact of North/South divide visible from age of five October 27, 2015 Children as young as five are suffering from the impact of the north-south divide on their development and education, a think tank has warned. Less than half of children born into the poorest families in the north of England reach a "good standard" of development by school age – but they are behind even their [...]