UK inflation: Rail fares have risen “three times faster” than wages – but next year will be lowest increase for years August 18, 2015 Next year could the the first time in years that commuters beat the annual rail fare rise, with the rate based on July's inflation data published today. Economists have previously tipped the inflation measure to be around one per cent for July – the month which regulated rail fares are set by. That would make it [...]
Global M&A activity goes above $3trn for the year – and healthcare takes the crown August 18, 2015 The total value of global mergers and acquisitions has surpassed $3trn (£1.9trn) for 2015, according to figures released by Dealogic. It is the fastest this point has been reached since 2007, when total activity went above $3trn on 23 July. In 2014 the point was not passed until November. The deal that pushed [...]
Gatwick Airport boss Stewart Wingate blasts recommendation to build third Heathrow runway August 18, 2015 The chief executive of Gatwick Airport has hit out at a recent commission’s recommendation that Heathrow be expanded. A 50-page catalogue of criticisms, published yesterday, targets the Davies Commission’s use of analysis from consultants PwC, despite its own expert panel urging caution on it. It also said the commission’s proposals, which rejected calls to expand [...]
Can shipping brokers ride out the rougher seas? August 18, 2015 Commodity turmoil could blow the shipping industry off course. The wider effects of stormy conditions in the global commodities market are emerging as more companies reveal tumbling earnings. Shipping company Clarksons yesterday published profits of £6.2m, down 36.7 per cent on the first six months of the previous year, citing “severe challenges faced by the [...]
Japan’s Abenomics is branded a failure as GDP points to an economic slump August 18, 2015 Japan could be forced to ramp up QE this autumn following its economic contraction – while experts are suggesting Abenomics has been a failure. Latest figures from the world’s third-largest economy show Q2 GDP shrunk 1.6 per cent on an annualised basis, brought down by lower consumer spending and weak exports. Private consumption [...]
All eyes on Federal Reserve after shock Empire State index drop August 18, 2015 American traders will be poring over crunch sets of data this week after a key index plummeted to its lowest level since the depths of the recession in 2008-09. The Empire State index – one of several widely watched barometers of manufacturing in the US – collapsed to a score of minus 14.9 in August [...]
UK house prices: Approvals of mortgages slip back in July as interest rate rise looms August 17, 2015 The number of mortgage approvals fell back in July against a backdrop of fears over a rise in the Bank of England’s interest rates, according to the latest Mortgage Monitor from e.surv, the UK’s largest chartered surveyor. There were 65,356 house purchase mortgage approvals in July, down 1.8 per cent from 66,582 in June and [...]
Bank of England policymaker Kristin Forbes warns against keeping interest rates low for too long August 17, 2015 Bank of England policymaker Kristin Forbes has warned keeping interest rates low for too long risks undermining Britain's economic recovery. Earlier this month, when the monetary policy broke unanimity and voted 8-1 to hold rates, Forbes chose to stick with the majority. The US economist and external member of the monetary policy committee (MPC) said there [...]
Eurozone trade surplus hits six-month high amid weak euro August 17, 2015 The Eurozone's trade surplus soared to a six-month high in June, as growth in exports outpaced imports. The euro area's official statistics agency said it hit €26.4bn (£18.7bn) during the month, up from €16bn a year earlier. Exports from the single currency area to the rest of the world rose 12 per cent to €182.7bn in the [...]
FTSE chief executive pay: How long would it take you to earn as much as these top 10 highest earners? August 17, 2015 The pay packets of the FTSE 100's top bosses has fallen in real terms, with chief executives taking home around £80,000 less than previous years, adjusting for inflation. You probably won't see any of them cutting back, though. That's a drop in the ocean of their annual income from salaries, bonuses, share awards and other remuneration, which [...]