Leonardo DiCaprio attacks the “corporate greed” of oil companies at the World Economic Forum awards in Davos January 19, 2016 Leonardo DiCaprio this evening won an award from the World Economic Forum for his leadership in tackling the climate crisis and used his speech to attack energy companies. He said to the audience in Davos: We simply cannot afford to allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity. "Those entities with a financial [...]
Davos 2016: Two-thirds of UK CEOs say they will hire more in 2016, according to PwC survey January 19, 2016 Bosses at Britain’s biggest companies are investing in hiring and growth this year despite concerns about rising global risks, according to a major new survey out this week from PwC. Two-thirds of UK chief executives are planning to increase the size of their workforce and 64 per cent are planning mergers and acquisitions in the [...]
The UK clocked up £732m worth of fraud in 2015, up from £717m the year before, with crimes committed in London and the South East accounting for more than half the value January 19, 2016 Frauds in the UK in 2015 were worth £732m, up from £717m in 2014. A report out today by professional services firm KPMG, which studied fraud cases that reached UK courts with losses worth £100,000 or more, also discovered that the average value of fraud per case studied had risen to £2.4m, up from £2m in 2014. Crimes committed [...]
Irish government debt falls below 100 per cent of GDP mark to 99.4 per cent, or €204.2bn in money terms January 19, 2016 General government gross debt in Ireland has fallen below the 100 per cent of GDP mark for the first time since 2011. According to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office, general government gross debt in the country for the third quarter of 2015 was €204.2bn (£157.2bn), which is 99.4 per cent of annualised GDP. [...]
Pound plummets to lowest value against the US dollar since 2009 January 19, 2016 The pound has fallen to its lowest value against the US dollar since 2009. Sterling rose in the morning to a value $1.43257 before Bank of England chief Mark Carney said now was not the time to raise interest rates. Carney also signalled he was some way off from voting for a rate hike. The pound [...]
Eurozone construction jumps in November January 19, 2016 Construction in the Eurozone jumped 0.8 per cent in November compared with the month, adding to the evidence that the economy of the currency-bloc is picking up speed. Compared with the same month last year, construction was up 2.1 per cent, the figures released this morning by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, show. While [...]
Oil prices: Brent crude inches above $30 per barrel January 19, 2016 Oil prices rose above the $30 per barrel mark today, as traders weighed mixed messages from global oil markets. Brent crude, the global benchmark, jumped as much as five per cent to above $30 per barrel today. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, the US benchmark, rose 1.8 per cent to $29.96. It came as data [...]
Sterling’s gains wiped as Bank of England governor Mark Carney says now is not the time for an interest rate hike January 19, 2016 The pound lost over half a cent against the dollar today, erasing earlier gains, as Bank of England governor Mark Carney said now is not the time to raise rates. Last summer Carney said the decision on whether to raise interest rates from record lows "would likely come into sharper relief around the turn of the year." "Well [...]
Eurozone inflation climbs to highest rate since July January 19, 2016 Annual inflation in the Eurozone rose to 0.2 per cent in December, according to figures released this morning. December's inflation rate is the highest since July with November's inflation rate revised down to 0.1 per cent from 0.2 per cent. The figures from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, confirm an earlier estimate of [...]
So much for the winter lull: UK house price growth jumps again in November January 19, 2016 UK house prices grew 7.7 per cent in the year to November, up from seven per cent the month before, as people rushed to buy homes before interest rates rise. The east of England led the charge, with price growth of 10.2 per cent, while prices in the south east and London rose 9.8 per [...]