Iceland boss Malcolm Walker: Which? supercomplaint over supermarket offers was “b*****ks” July 17, 2015 Iceland boss Malcolm Walker – the supermarket sector's answer to Michael O'Leary – has blasted the Which? supercomplaint over misleading deals as “bollocks”. The consumer group took a petition signed by more than 100,000 to the Competition and Markets Authority earlier this year, claiming it had found examples of “dodgy special offers” that led [...]
Here’s what analysts think about Bank of England governor Mark Carney’s interest rate rise comments July 17, 2015 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has dropped a few hints interest rates could rise from their record lows sooner than markets are currently expecting – but yesterday he was unusually clear. During a speech in Lincoln he said: "In my view, the decision as to when to start such a process of adjustment will [...]
Guarantor loans are “as damaging” as payday loans, Citizens Advice says July 17, 2015 A charity has warned as Britain's regulators heap pressure onto payday lenders, problems linked with this sector are simply shifting to other parts of the market for credit products. Citizens Advice said "guarantor loans", which allow borrowers to use the name of someone else, usually a friend or family member, as security for a loan. [...]
Royal Mail’s share price just fell off a cliff as Ofcom revealed the scope of its review July 17, 2015 Royal Mail's share price has dropped this morning as Ofcom revealed the scope of its wide-ranging review of regulation for the business. Shares, which had been trading slightly up, suddenly fell off a cliff as the watchdog released its “discussion document” settting out its remit for the review. Royal Mail's share price was down [...]
Good news for landlords: Rents are rising faster than house prices July 17, 2015 All right, so landlords might have been hit by the Chancellor's new rules on mortgage tax relief – but rents might just help to make up for that, after they rocketed 5.6 per cent in the year to June – the fastest rise since 2009. Read more: Landlord it by Summer Budget proposals? Here's what [...]
Surge in Airbnb for business trips as travellers prefer flat rentals to hotels July 17, 2015 Do business travellers prefer Airbnb? The flat rental site has become a popular lodging option for cheap getaways – but now it seems Airbnb is on the rise for business trips as well. Rather than using it to source wacky budget holidays – whether you fancy an Alaskan cabin in the woods or a Mongolian [...]
Ex-MPC member Danny Blanchflower says rate rise would harm the UK July 17, 2015 Former Bank of England policymaker Danny Blanchflower has warned that an interest rate rise in the near future would harm the UK. Read more: Carney fuels speculation of 2015 interest rate hike "It may well be that the Fed [US Federal Reserve] is going to put off raising so it seems rather strange that Carney is [...]
888 share price bounces as it agrees to buy Bwin.party for £900m July 17, 2015 888 put it all on red, and has now emerged triumphant, having agreed to buy rival Bwin.party for £898.3m. That values Bwin.party at 104.09p per share, a premium of 16.4 per cent to the closing price on 14 May, the original day the offer was made. Since then, shares have risen as high as 108p [...]
IMF’s Christine Lagarde says Greek plan not viable without debt reduction July 17, 2015 IMF chief Christine Lagarde has said that the deal between Greece and its creditors will be "categorically" impossible without some form of debt relief. "The answer is quite categorically not," she said in response to questions on the viability of the €86bn (£59.8bn) three-year aid package on France's Europe1 radio station. Lagarde added any debt [...]
Dragon Oil share price falls while Elliott Advisors says Enoc offer undervalues company July 17, 2015 Activist investor Elliott Advisors has become the latest Dragon Oil shareholder to say Emirates National Oil Company's (Enoc) takeover bid "substantially undervalues the company". Enoc, which owns 54 per cent of the Turkmenistan-focused oil producer, offered 750p per share in June. But Dragon Oil's second- and third-largest shareholders, Baillie Gifford and Setanta Asset Management, have said they want [...]