The way we message now: Text and email decline with the rise of WhatsApp August 4, 2016 The nation is ditching email and text messaging in favour of instant messenger services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, the use of which has surged over the last two years. IM is the fastest growing form of digital communication in the UK, with 43 per cent of people in Britain now using it at least once [...]
Outside the UK, only one country thinks Brexit was the right decision for Britain, according to pollsters August 4, 2016 Just one out of 16 countries believes that the Brexit vote was the right decision for the country, according to new polling figures. Ipsos Mori last month quizzed 12,525 people online across nine European and seven non-European countries, but found that in only one did a majority support the Brexit verdict – Russia. 54 per [...]
Markets poised for crunch interest rate move from Bank of England August 4, 2016 Markets are standing by this morning for the Bank of England to take interest rates to a record low later today – and the nerves are showing. Sterling is falling ahead of the announcement and the FTSE 100 has also eased back as traders assess just how much fuel the Bank of England will throw onto the [...]
The UK has just experienced the highest jump in card fraud in Europe. Here’s why August 4, 2016 Card fraud is regarded as an unpleasant fact of life by many – but it turns out things are looking worse in the UK than anywhere else in Europe. According to research by software analytics firm Fico, the UK experienced an 18 per cent jump in card fraud losses in 2015 – the highest of any [...]
Stock exchange makes commitment to London amid merger HQ doubts August 4, 2016 The London Stock Exchange has insisted the City will remain the home of its joint headquarters with Deutsche Boerse under the terms of their £21bn deal. Any changes to the location of the merged entity’s holding company, the London location of which was thrown into doubt after the UK’s Brexit vote, could not be made before the [...]
Ladbrokes the real winner from Leicester City’s Premier League triumph August 4, 2016 Euro 2016 and a less-than-predictable Premier League season boosted earnings at bookies Ladbrokes and sent shares climbing 3.8 per cent this morning, as it edges closer towards its £2bn tie-up with Gala Coral. The figures Profits before tax climbed by 61 per cent to £39.8m in the six months to June at Ladbrokes, with operating profits up 34 [...]
We’re a nation of “digital detoxers” August 4, 2016 Feel like you're suffering online overload? You're not alone. Some 15m Britons – a third of the country – say they have gone on a so-called digital detox to escape their connected devices, according to a comprehensive new survey of the nation's digital habits. A quarter of digital detoxers said they did it for a day, while [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan urges Londoners to be vigilant in wake of Russell Square attack August 4, 2016 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on Londoners to be "calm and vigilant" after last night's attack in Russell Square. One woman was killed and five other people were injured by a man with a knife in central London on Wednesday night. "The safety of all Londoners is my number one priority and my [...]
RSA share price ticks up with strong second quarter August 4, 2016 Insurers RSA claim they are on course for another bumper year after posting a big jump in operating profits and hiking its dividend in the first six months of the year, sending the shares up 2.7 per cent at the open. The figures Pre-tax profits came in at £148m for the first half of the year. This [...]
Aviva hikes dividend by 10 per cent as operating profit rises 13 per cent – but combined operating ratio deteriorates August 4, 2016 Insurance giant Aviva has hiked its dividend after posting "encouraging" results for the first half of 2016. The figures Operating profit was up 13 per cent to £1.33bn, from £1.17bn last year, with operating earnings per share up one per cent to 22.4p, from 22.1p in the first half of 2015. General insurance net written premiums [...]