UK current account deficit should “ring alarm bells” for the UK June 30, 2015 The UK's current account deficit should ring an "alarm bell" for the UK, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said today, after official figures showed the deficit was £26.5bn in the first quarter of the year. The figure – a measure of the UK's success in exports – has narrowed from last year's £28.9bn – [...]
Willis Group to merge with Tower Watson in $18bn deal June 30, 2015 Reinsurance broker Willis Group is set to merge with risk management group Towers Watson in a deal worth $18bn. On completion the deal will result in Willis owning 50.1 per cent of the combined group. Towers Watson shareholdings will own the remainder, keeping Willis’ Irish domicile, the Financial Times reported today. The deal will create [...]
European markets begin second day of falls as Greece confirms it won’t make today’s IMF payment deadline June 30, 2015 The FTSE 100 was 0.6 per cent down in late morning trading today, after Greece confirmed last night it will definitely miss today's 6pm deadline to pay the International Monetary Fund (IMF) €1.6bn (£1.1bn). Read more: George Osborne vows to help Britons hit by Greek crisis Meanwhile, although both the Cac and the Dax fell, [...]
Sky wants the markets watchdog to investigate BT Openreach June 30, 2015 Sky wants media regulator Ofcom to launch a full investigation into the UK’s broadband market and get the competition watchdog involved. Yesterday, Sky published the evidence it has submitted to Ofcom, which highlights what Sky considers to be the low quality service offered by BT’s Openreach division, which runs the UK’s telecoms network. Sky’s broadband [...]
Greece will default on its €1.6bn repayment to the IMF today June 30, 2015 Greece will not pay the €1.6bn (£1.14bn) it owes to the IMF today, Athens has confirmed Read more: How Twitter became Alexis Tsipras’ secret weapon in Greek negotiations The beleaguered country is required to make the repayment to its creditor by 11pm on 30 June, after saying it would bundle all its payments for the month [...]
Ocado targets international deals after beating profit expectation June 30, 2015 The figures Ocado delivered better-than-expected pre-tax profit of £7.2m in the first half of the year, amid reports the grocery delivery giant is closing in on a deal with an international retailer. Read more: Ocado's making robots that will help in the workplace Despite intense price competition in the UK's supermarket sector, Ocado enjoyed a 15.7 [...]
Here’s why today’s “leap second” is creating anxiety among traders and businesses leaders around the world June 30, 2015 This evening at 8pm New York time (that's 1am over here) clocks around the world will have a “leap second” added to the end of the day. Read more: Daylight Saving Time has arrived – here are seven interesting facts you should know about the clock change It's a necessity resulting from the introduction [...]
Germany, France and Italy warn Greek people referendum ‘no’ vote will spark exit from currency union June 29, 2015 Eurozone leaders ratcheted up the pressure on embattled Greek leader Alexis Tsipras yesterday by warning Greek voters that Sunday’s crunch bailout referendum was a vote on the return of the drachma. Amid a day of high drama in Greece, the Eurozone’s top three economies, Germany, France and Italy, raised the stakes by urging voters [...]
Greek debt crisis: George Osborne vows to help British pensioners, businesses and holiday makers June 29, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne has said that the government will protect British pensioners, businesses and holiday makers who stand to lose money in the ongoing Greek debt crisis. In a special statement to the House of Commons yesterday, Osborne said that Britain is “prepared” in a “rapidly changing situation”. “Britain’s attitude to the developing [...]
Who is Carolyn Fairbairn? Meet the first female director-general of the CBI June 29, 2015 The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has appointed Carolyn Fairbairn, a former director of strategy at both the BBC and ITV, as its first female director-general. Fairbairn will take the reins of Britain’s biggest business group from John Cridland later this year, the CBI announced yesterday. Cridland has led the CBI since 2011. [...]