British Gas is not overcharging customers – this is why February 13, 2017 | City Talk As we wrote in our article Forget the acronyms, we value investors care about the treatment of stakeholders. Not just investors but staff, customers, suppliers and regulators. Given the political, regulatory and media pressure on the so called “Big Six” energy companies, the situation at Centrica is worthy of closer examination. Are customers paying too [...]
Here are four reasons why the Russian ruble is at its strongest level against the US dollar since July 2015 February 13, 2017 One of the best performing currencies of 2016 was the Russian ruble. In fact, having edged up a further 0.5 per cent against the US dollar overnight, the currency is at its strongest level against the greenback since July 2015. But what is driving the change? The answer is a mixture of actual changes and market [...]
Opec has revealed compliance with its production cuts reached a record high, and oil prices are plunging February 13, 2017 Analysts are concerned the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec)'s production cuts won't be enough to raise crude prices. Opec today revealed it reached a record high of more than 90 per cent compliance with its planned cuts, but oil prices plunged on the news. Global benchmark Brent crude is trading down 2.13 per cent at around $55.49 a barrel while [...]
Le Project Fear: Frexit will cost France €30bn, says bank governor February 13, 2017 Marine Le Pen’s plans to pull France out of the European Union will raise the costs of servicing the country’s debt by roughly €30bn (£25.5bn), according to the governor of the Banque de France. Speaking on French radio, François Villeroy de Galhau warned quitting the Eurozone and the single currency will “impoverish” France. “With the euro, [...]
Brexit not as bad for the UK as we thought, says EU, as it revises country’s growth figures upwards February 13, 2017 The European Commission has become the latest body to lift its UK growth forecast, admitting today that the impact of Brexit might not be as bad as it originally feared. EU forecasters now expect the UK economy to expand 1.5 per cent this year, up from their prediction of just one per cent growth, made [...]
A surge in copper prices is boosting shares in London’s FTSE 100 miners February 13, 2017 Top London-listed miners' shares were given a boost this morning on the back of stronger metal prices. Mining stocks increased 1.6 per cent as London Metal Exchange three-month copper prices this morning increased about one per cent to the metal's highest price in 20 months . Shares in Glencore, Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Antofagasta climbed between 1.7 per cent [...]
Japanese economy grows one per cent, helped by weaker yen February 13, 2017 Japan’s GDP grew at an annualised rate of one per cent in the final quarter of 2016, falling slightly short of analysts’ expectations. Growth between the third and fourth quarters fell to 0.2 per cent, the slowest pace in the year and down from the 0.6 per cent growth rate achieved in the first three [...]
The mattress startup battle’s heating up in the UK as Simba gets in bed with top City investors February 13, 2017 The battle to bring you the best night's sleep is heating up as one of several mattress startups spearheading innovation, in an industry apparently ripe for disruption, has landed new funding. Simba Sleep has tempted several top City investors into bed in a fresh £9m funding round, bringing total investment in the one-year-old startup to £17.5m. Henderson [...]
For the first time, pensioners are better off than working households February 13, 2017 We all knew older generations are increasingly better off than their younger counterparts – but now a new study has found recent retirees are actually living on more than working households. Incomes across older generations have risen so fast, the average pensioner household now makes £20 a week more than the average working-age household. In [...]
Early signs suggest there’s already been a fall in supply of EU nationals – contributing to UK skills and labour shortages February 13, 2017 Sectors employing a high number of EU nationals are starting to feel the pinch as uncertainty lingers over future prospects. According to the CIPD and Adecco’s Labour Market Outlook, while the short-term outlook for employment remains strong, skills and labour shortages are starting to become evident in sectors employing a raft of EU nationals. Despite [...]