Pay to return to pre-crisis levels in 2017, think tank predicts, but warns of inflation rise risk September 13, 2015 Pay will return to pre-crisis levels by 2017 if economic trends continue, a think tank predicts, however rising inflation could push that off-course. The latest research by the Resolution Foundation predicts that average weekly earnings grew by between 2.7 per cent and 2.8 per cent in the three months to July, in line with the [...]
Interest rates must rise “relatively soon” says Bank of England’s Martin Weale September 13, 2015 Interest rates will need to rise "relatively soon", Bank of England rate setter Martin Weale has said. The hawkish member of the BoE's monetary policy committee (MPC) has said inflation is likely to rise above the central bank's two per cent inflation target "in two to three years' time", which needs to be reflected in policy [...]
Rental properties in Scotland’s university cities named best for buy-to-let investors September 12, 2015 Scottish university cities offer the best chance of profit for buy-to-let investors in the UK, according to new research. Read more: Scotland's house price growth at its highest since 2007 Edinburgh offers the best average rental yield in the country at 6.11 per cent, according to a study put together by property website Zoopla, while Aberdeen, [...]
Number of Britons expecting Bank of England to raise interest rates climbs to four-year high September 11, 2015 More Britons are expecting interest rates to rise soon than anytime since 2011. Yesterday’s interest rate news was its usual less-than-exciting event, as the Bank of England held interest rates steady at 0.5 per cent for the 77th consecutive month. But change is closing in, as the Bank of England’s Quarterly Survey shows that the [...]
Oil price could drop to $20 a barrel, Goldman Sachs warns September 11, 2015 Oil prices could fall as low as $20 a barrel as weak fundamentals and wider concerns about the global economy push prices down even further, Goldman Sachs has warned. In a note sent out this morning, the analysts highlighted that the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil had fallen to its previously-forecast [...]
Next share price: Sales rise but clothing retailer warns of national living wage costs September 11, 2015 Next warned yesterday the government’s so-called national living wage – a pay rise for over-25’s currently on the minimum wage – will cost the firm £27m each year as it revealed its half-year results. The clothing chain said next year’s hike will cost the business just £2m but thereafter the increases will be much [...]
Passenger numbers take off as Heathrow airport clocked up its busiest ever August September 11, 2015 Heathrow airport clocked up its busiest ever August, with 7.33m passengers passing through its gates, up four per cent on the same month in 2014. The airport said 2 August was its busiest day on record, where it helped to process more than 257,000 travellers. The trend towards larger aircraft and airlines, fighting on price [...]
Morrisons share price fall drags FTSE 100 index down after closure statement – London Report September 11, 2015 London’s leading shares fell yesterday, with supermarket Morrisons among the biggest fallers. At the end of the day, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down by 1.18 per cent, or 73.2 points, at 6,155.81. Morrisons shares fell 2.8 per cent after the supermarket said it was closing M Local stores amid falling sales and profits. [...]
Andrew Tyrie attacks George Osborne’s bank tax surcharge as challenger bosses meet with Treasury officials September 11, 2015 Pressure is mounting on chancellor George Osborne to reconsider his new bank tax, as bosses from challenger banks meet today with Treasury officials to voice their concerns. The new tax, set to go into effect next year, will take an additional eight per cent of banks’ profits each year for the government, on top [...]
Apple and Shell’s Eurozone bond bonanza: Corporate giants set to cash in on cheaper rates and a lower euro September 11, 2015 Two mammoths of the corporate world, Apple and Shell, stepped on to a crowded bandwagon yesterday when they decided to tap the Eurozone’s bond market to raise billions of euros. More than €53bn (£39bn) have been raised using bonds – interest-paying IOUs – by US companies so far this year, according to figures from [...]