The 14 Google searches that can predict Britain’s unemployment rate May 31, 2016 The three billion searches we make across the world each day using Google may tell us more than simply the latest celebrities everyone is reading about – the massive data points could in fact help us make economic forecasts. Researchers in Finland have managed to put the information to a very valuable use and say they can predict a [...]
Oil prices heading for longest run of monthly gains in five years May 31, 2016 Oil prices are on course for the longest run of monthly gains in five years, helped by supply outages across the world. Brent crude, the global benchmark, slumped 0.9 per cent to $49.33 per barrel today. West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, also fell 0.2 per cent to $49.4. Read more: These three perilous trends spell [...]
How to make workers more productive without paying them more May 31, 2016 It's a question most managers are eager to know the answer to: How can a company make its employees more productive without paying them more? A new study by economists Michael Kosfeld, Susanne Neckermann, and Xiaolan Yang — published on the economics commentary website VoxEU — observed 413 students doing data-entry to find out. It defined meaningful work as something with a [...]
Three stocks to make your portfolio hum May 31, 2016 There is (almost) nothing more delightful than a good stock picker who’s passionate about why he or she chooses to invest in a certain company. I especially respect the fund managers who take a hard look at the numbers and then make time to meet with management of a company. And I love the ones who, [...]
National living wage hurting UK productivity and low-wage sectors, claims think tank May 31, 2016 The national living wage has had a detrimental impact on the UK’s low-wage sectors, a study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has found. The think tank said that businesses are trying to offset the cost of the national living wage by cutting overtime, bonuses and other staff perks. It said that the UK’s low-wage sectors, [...]
Soaring demand for bankers, insurers and accountants, but graduates left out in the cold May 31, 2016 Finance firms across the UK are on a hiring spree, as the number of job vacancies in banking jumped by ten per cent last month. The new analysis of job openings by a group of recruitment firms will provide welcome respite from reports of swingeing job cuts, as the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (Apsco) [...]
Iain Duncan Smith: “Immigration is the economy, stupid.” May 31, 2016 Former work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has warned that unchecked immigration will hit both wages and the affordability of homes as a new report has forecast that almost half a million refugees could arrive in the UK from 2020 onwards. According to a report from lobbying group Migration Watch, up to 968,000 of the 1.7m refugees already in [...]
Week ahead: Data set to steer the FTSE after four day rising streak May 30, 2016 Markets are set to be moved by data this week after the FTSE 100 posted its biggest weekly gain since mid-April last week. The blue-chip index closed at 6,270.79 on Friday, a fourth straight day of gains and up two per cent on the week. The FTSE’s winning run is largely due to an oil [...]
Neil Woodford is expected to pick up a stake in Time Out when it unveils its plans to list tomorrow May 30, 2016 Star fund manager Neil Woodford is expected to be among investors in line to pick up a stake in media group Time Out when it unveils plans for its London listing tomorrow. Time Out's long expected float on the London junior Aim market is set to value the company at between £185m and £225m. The company, which has [...]
Mario Draghi to keep stimulus on ice in this week’s ECB meeting May 30, 2016 Mario Draghi will put his weapons out on display but keep the ammunition locked away at this week's European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy meeting, experts have predicted. The president is expected to hold fire on another bout of quantitative easing or further interest rate cuts, as early indications appear that the ECB's latest efforts to [...]