Asda cuts unleaded petrol and diesel prices as chief Andy Clarke calls on George Osborne to freeze fuel duty in Autumn Statement October 26, 2015 Asda boss Andy Clarke has called on George Osborne to freeze fuel duty in his upcoming Autumn Statement, as the supermarket made further cuts to the cost of fuel at its pumps. “There are undoubtedly green shoots at a macroeconomic level and our customers are cautiously optimistic which is why they continue to save, particularly at this time of year. [...]
TalkTalk’s share price tanks again after cyber attack and data breach October 26, 2015 TalkTalk's share price is taking a pounding again. In morning trading its share price plummeted after a hacking crisis that has seen more than a billion items of customer data stolen from its website. In mid-morning trading TalkTalk shares were down 9.42 per cent. Read more: Chief exec Dido Harding comes out fighting over data hacking crisis Last [...]
Aberdeen Asset Management share price jumps, despite denying reports it is for sale October 26, 2015 Aberdeen Asset Management's share price jumped 3.9 per cent to 365.1p in mid-morning trading, amid reports the company is up for sale. A report in the Financial Times yesterday suggested that the FTSE 100 company's founder and chief executive, Martin Gilbert, was looking for potential buyers in order to turn around its fortunes. However, a senior source [...]
London house prices: This is who the capital’s prime rental tenants are, what they do, where they live and how much they pay for the privilege October 26, 2015 Ever wondered who those people are that are paying upwards of £8,000 a week to live in one of the capital's swankiest pads? Well, fellow nosy neighbours, wonder no more. In prime central London, a number of tribes have been identified by lettings agent EJ Harris, showing an increase in international tenants across the board [...]
BBA: Mortgage approvals leap as buyers race interest rate hike October 26, 2015 The number of mortgage approvals leaped 24 per cent in the year to September, figures published this morning showed, suggesting buyers are racing to secure mortgages before interest rates are hiked. The figures, by the British Bankers' Association, showed gross mortgage borrowing in September rose to £12.1bn, 17 per cent higher than a year ago. [...]
Got a cold? Sick employees are costing UK businesses £4.2bn each year October 26, 2015 Sick employees who take more than six months off work cost the UK private sector £4.17bn each year, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) reveals today. The cost to businesses has risen by a third in two years, from £3.13bn in 2012. That's largely thanks to a rise in statutory sick pay (eight per cent) and rising employee numbers (six per cent), CEBR explained. But around a quarter [...]
Tesco results analysis: Why earning mis-statements are like London buses October 26, 2015 Earnings mis-statements are like London buses, it turns out: you wait ages for one, before two turn up at once. Or that's according to a new study, anyway, which concluded that when one company is found to have mis-stated its earnings, its competitors in that industry could be incentivised to follow suit, leading to even more earnings mis-statements. But [...]
What Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal? German business confidence stays strong in October October 26, 2015 Volkswagen bosses may be busily sackcloth-and-ashing, but here's evidence the rest of the business world remains fairly unconcerned about the company's emissions cheating scandal: figures published this morning suggested that while German business confidence has taken a dip in the past month, it's still pretty resilient. The Ifo Business Climate Index, which measures confidence among [...]
Sign of the times? Majestic Wine abandons six bottle minimum purchase October 26, 2015 Is this a sign of how bad things have really become for food and drink retailers? Majestic Wine, the middle classes' favourite mass booze retailer, has just ditched one of its main rules – namely, that all customers are required to buy a minimum of six bottles. Gasp. In a statement today, the company said [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown hires Amlin chief investment officer Jayne Styles as new investment committee chair October 26, 2015 Hargreaves Lansdown has hired Jayne Styles as an independent non-executive director and chairman of the asset manager's investment committee. Styles has been Amlin's chief investment officer since 2002, where she oversees strategy, governance and operations of a multi-manager portfolio totalling £4.25bn in global assets. She is also a member of the Amlin management committee, which sets corporate strategy for [...]