Traders at Barclays and Deutsche Bank questioned over Euribor rigging March 8, 2015 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is questioning former traders from Barclays and Deutsche Bank over possible Euribor rigging. According to the FT, which spoke to sources close to the matter, they are being interviewed “under caution”. This means the UK fraud investigators must have at least a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing, and this type of [...]
The Eurozone’s quantitative easing programme is about to start – here’s what you need to know March 8, 2015 Tomorrow is the launch of the Eurozone's long-awaited quantitative easing programme, as the European Central Bank (ECB) starts buying back €1trn (£720bn) worth of bonds from the bloc's member states. The scheme, which aims to boost Europe's economy, was finalised on Thursday, with ECB President Mario Draghi citing the success of similar programmes launched by [...]
Income tax rate 2015: Is an £11,000 personal tax-free allowance on the cards in Osborne’s Budget speech? March 8, 2015 The nation could be in for a treat and find more cash in their pocket from April as part of a pre-election tax pledge by the Conservatives and Lib Dems. George Osborne is planning to raise the tax-free allowance further in what could be the chancellor’s last ever budget, due to be announced in less [...]
Glaxosmithkline China dismisses more than 100 over bribery scandal that cost company £300m March 7, 2015 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has booted more than 100 staff in China on the back of its investigations into the corruption scandal that ended with it being fined £300m last year. The company was found guilty last September of bribing doctors to prescribe its medicines, and began an internal investigation to ascertain the extent of the corruption. [...]
Apple is going to join the Dow Jones on 18 March March 6, 2015 Apple is to jump across to the Dow Jones, becoming the fifth highest-ranked company on the index. AT&T will be the casualty, with the switch taking place on 18 March this year. Apple is the world’s largest company, but won’t top the Dow as companies are ranked by share price, not by market cap. The [...]
Heron Tower police raid: The colourful world of Chelsea FC’s forex partner CWM FX March 6, 2015 Only one company in the Heron Tower has alluded to this week’s police raid. We ask who they are… Three days ago police raided offices in the Heron Tower, hauling 13 City workers out of the building and away for questioning. The event has sent shockwaves through the Square Mile; but aside from pub gossip [...]
Lockheed Martin has made a laser that can do this to a truck from a mile away March 6, 2015 We’ve had stealth bombers and drones for a while, it was always just a matter of time until we had lasers, too. US defence company Lockheed Martin has developed a prototype laser weapon that can scorch holes through metal from over a mile away, as this photo shows. Some have termed the device a death-ray, [...]
Quids in: Inside Poundland founder Steve Smith’s £5.7m mansion March 6, 2015 The house comes complete with water feature, although there's no word on whether the Roller is included in the price… (Source: Estates Direct) They say a pound doesn't stretch as far as it once did, but that doesn't seem to be the case for Poundland founder Steve Smith, who has put his Shropshire mansion up [...]
Rangers FC shareholders vote on club’s future at EGM called by Dave King March 6, 2015 Rangers’ shareholders have voted on a resolution to oust the football club's board at a highly anticipated extraordinary general meeting (EGM) today. Dave King, the South African businessman who holds a 14.5 per cent stake in the club, called the EGM to gain control of the board and unseat its four members allied with Sports [...]
So meta: Amazon just opened an online store on Alibaba March 6, 2015 Amazon and Alibaba may be a hair away to declaring themselves official arch-nemeses, but that hasn't prevented the US online retail giant from making the most of the opportunities presented by its rival. Amazon has opened a shop on Alibaba's Tmall, the Chinese tech giant's equivalent of, er, Amazon. What does it all mean? Amazon's [...]