US oil tumbles more than two per cent as oversupply fears deepen while copper hits fresh six-and-a-half year low November 23, 2015 The rout in global commodity prices deepened this morning as US oil and copper slipped into the red. US crude oil futures tumbled more than two per cent in early Asian trading, as oversupply fears deepened. US crude's West Texas Intermediate January contract fell 1.86 per cent to $41.12 a barrel, while benchmark front-month Brent futures for [...]
One in five Brits has fallen victim to cybercrime in the last year, with a similar proportion having had their bank details stolen and used to make purchases November 23, 2015 One in five (22 per cent) Brits has fallen victim to cybercrime in the last year, according to a survey released today by security software company Norton by Symantec. The survey of more than 1,000 UK consumers also found that 44 per cent of people had suffered a cybersecurity incident at some point in their life. “We no [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Businesses back deficit reduction plans but the public remains split November 23, 2015 The vast majority of business directors want chancellor George Osborne to hold his nerve on budget deficit reduction when he delivers the Autumn Statement this week, new survey figures reveal this morning, while the general public remains split on the issue. The Institute of Directors (IOD), a business group, said 85 per cent of 1,211 members [...]
UK consumer confidence rebounds on record employment and cheap fuel November 23, 2015 Consumer confidence has rebounded after three months of steep decline due to a rise in positivity toward the jobs market, new survey figures reveal. The consumer confidence index published this morning by Lloyds Bank today hit a score of 158, up five points from October. The index, compiled from a survey of just over 2,000 [...]
Nearly half of Brits would squander their wealth to make sure they qualify for council care cost coverage in their old age November 23, 2015 Almost half (43 per cent) of people would be willing to deliberately deplete their assets to make sure their council pays for their care in old age, according to figures released today from specialist insurer Partnership. By comparison, less than a quarter (23 per cent) said they would be prepared to do the same when asked [...]
The financial sector jobs boom is spreading across the UK November 23, 2015 The jobs boom that has engulfed the capital and its financial sector is now on its way to other regions of the country, according to new figures released this morning. The number of permanent opportunities for professional roles was up six per cent in October compared with the same month last year, data from the Association of [...]
UK’s anti-money laundering controls are not fit for purpose, allowing billions of pounds of dirty money to seep into the country every year November 23, 2015 The UK’s anti-money laundering (AML) safeguards are not fit for purpose and require a radical overhaul, a report released today has found. According to the study by Transparency International UK (TI-UK) , the current system, which involves 22 different organisations across a range of sectors having some degree of responsibility for supervising and enforcing the [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Scrap the spending cuts ringfence, say the Institute of Economic Affairs and Taxpayers’ Alliance November 23, 2015 The government's decision to ringfence certain areas of spending means this week’s Comprehensive Spending Review is likely to be “incoherent and incomprehensive”, a prominent Westminster think tank has said today. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said that because 70 per cent of government spending is protected, or ringfenced, cuts risk being made in the [...]
Small business confidence hits second-lowest level since 2012 November 23, 2015 Confidence levels at UK small and medium-sized businesses are waning, according to new survey figures published today. The confidence index from accountants BDO dropped to a score of 61.8 this month from 64.3 six months ago. With the exception of January this year, the confidence of small and medium-sized quoted companies is at its lowest [...]
The global tax report 2015 by Knight Frank and EY: Shanghai and Monaco are where foreign investors are offered the lowest property costs and taxation November 21, 2015 International investors buying foreign property can get the lowest costs in Shanghai, according to a new report. However, it's Monaco that offers the lowest taxation when purchasing a property at both $1m and $10m (£7m). The slowing rate of property price growth in many cities worldwide has made transaction costs and taxation increasingly important factors for buyers. The global tax report 2015 [...]