RBS could be ordered to beef up new lender Williams and Glyn May 28, 2015 George Osborne yesterday asked the competition authorities to look into the RBS spin-off Williams and Glyn to make sure it is big enough to challenge other banks in the market. Bailed-out giant RBS has to carve the unit out of its existing branch and customer network, under terms imposed by the European Commission at the [...]
Irish MPs give Aer Lingus sale to International Consolidated Airlines final go-ahead May 28, 2015 The Irish parliament today gave British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines' (IAG) bid for Aer Lingus the final go-ahead. Irish MPs voted by a majority of 23 according to local media reports, ending two days of tense negotiations. The vote comes after the Irish government agreed to sell its 25 per cent in Aer Lingus to IAG [...]
Banks have finally started lending to small and medium sized businesses May 28, 2015 Banks are finally starting to lend to Britain's small and medium sized businesses new data has shown, suggesting the widely criticised Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) could be beginning to work. Net lending to small and medium sized businesses in the first three months of this year rose by £635m, according to the Bank of England. [...]
Which country benefits most from economic growth? UK ranks below Ukraine and Russia May 28, 2015 Economic growth is generally considered a positive thing for the people living in that country – it brings jobs, opportunities and usually a higher standard of living. But how much that growth translates into what we can actually experience as improved level of well-being varies from country to country, and it turns out the UK [...]
Buzzfeed IPO: Boss Jonah Peretti says media company intends to go public May 28, 2015 Finally, the world will learn how much listicles and cat gifs are worth after the boss of Buzzfeed revealed his intention to take the media company public. Jonah Peretti, the founder and chief executive of the online media company – beloved by the young and envied by the executives of legacy media companies – told an [...]
Disposable income soars in London and Scotland – at the expense of north England May 28, 2015 People living in London and Scotland have experienced the biggest rise in their disposable income over the course of the twenty-first century – at the expense of the north of England. Disposable income in the capital rose faster than in any other part of the country, growing 75 per cent between 2000 and 2013. Scotland [...]
War of the wearables: Jawbone sues Fitbit ahead of IPO May 28, 2015 The war of the wearables has just been taken up a notch after two of the leading companies pioneering the technology have become involved in a legal dispute. Jawbone, the maker of the UP fitness tracker band, has filed a lawsuit in a California court alleging rival Fitbit, which also makes health tracking devices, stole [...]
Kingfisher profits knocked by foreign exchange volatility, but share price is up nonetheless May 28, 2015 Currency volatility did Kingfisher no favours in the first quarter of 2015, but investors have not been put off. The figures Sales for the company, which owns B&Q, rose slightly by 0.8 per cent to £2.6m during the first three months of the year. Retail profit was also up by 1.4 per cent at £150m [...]
Tate & Lyle share price falls as company warns of another difficult year as profit, earnings and sales all fall May 28, 2015 The figures Tate & Lyle's share price slumped four per cent in early trading after a depressing set of full-year results signalled little turnaround in profits. The FTSE 250-listed group is predicting profits will stay flat next year. admitting that it had endured "very challenging" last 12 months as it continues to restructure its business. In the [...]
Tesco share price edges down as shareholder group ramps up legal battle for “substantial” compensation May 28, 2015 A group of Tesco shareholders seeking compensation from the supermarket claim the troubled supermarket "committed serious violations" by overstating its profits. Tesco Shareholder Claims Limited (TSC), which launched proceedings in March this year, argues there is a “strong case” and that the ultimate claim will be “substantial”. Back in September, the supermarket's incoming boss Dave Lewis [...]