The US Federal Reserve is on course for a December interest rate hike, hints Janet Yellen December 2, 2015 The Federal Reserve is on course to raise interest rates from record lows this month, the US central bank's chair has signalled, provided there are no economic data surprises over the next two weeks. “Many FOMC participants indicated in September that they anticipated, in light of their economic forecasts at the time, that it would [...]
Business groups slam shadow chancellor John McDonnell’s proposal for ministers to “kitemark” businesses December 2, 2015 Business groups have hit back at shadow chancellor John McDonnell’s suggestion that a Labour government would recognise firms for meeting living wage targets and paying their taxes “transparently and properly”, while naming and shaming those who failed to comply. Speaking at the London Chambers of Commerce yesterday, McDonnell said Labour would bring in a “Good Business” [...]
Including foreign students in the net migration cap is sheer buffoonery December 2, 2015 If reports are true that the government may exclude foreign students from the net migration cap, it’s cause for celebration. The migration cap helps nobody, and limiting the number of foreign students who can come – and pay – to study in Britain is particularly senseless. It might just be a sign that a Prime [...]
Russia levies Islamic state oil claims at Turkey December 2, 2015 Russia's defence ministry today claimed that it has proof Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan and his family were benefiting from the illegal smuggling of oil from Islamic State (Isis) held territory in Syria and Iraq. Deputy defence minister, Anatoly Antonov, said during a major briefing on new findings concerning Isis funding by Moscow: "Today, we are presenting only some facts [...]
Are your meetings a complete waste of time? These nine meeting commandments will make them more productive – and cut wasted time December 2, 2015 In a world where instant online communication seems to dominate, it looks like we still prefer to meet face-to-face or at least voice-to-voice to get things done. The average worker currently spends 37 per cent of their week in meetings, be that in person or via video or audio conferencing. This is not a figure that is likely [...]
Syria air strikes vote: Yvette Cooper, Margaret Beckett and Tim Farron say they’ll vote for bombing during all-day debate December 2, 2015 Labour, Liberal Democrat and DUP MPs have all backed British air strikes against Islamic State (Isis) targets in Syria in today's all-day debate in the House of Commons. High-profile Labour backbenchers, including former shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and former deputy Labour leader Margaret Beckett, have said they will vote in favour of the government's proposals for [...]
Yahoo shares rise on speculation of “core” business sell-off and Alibaba stake as Marissa Mayer and board meet December 2, 2015 Shares in US media and tech firm Yahoo have shot up more than six per cent as speculation surrounding the company's future mounts. It's been suggested Yahoo is considering selling off its core internet business – it's main news and sports website and email service – when its board meets this week. Just a fortnight ago, activist investor [...]
How we drastically overestimate the proportion of immigrants in Britain and young people living with parents but underestimate obesity levels and female politicians in parliament December 2, 2015 Everything you think you know is wrong. Almost everything, anyway: new research by Ipsos Mori has suggested that when people are asked to gauge things such as age, wealth and religion, the majority of people get it drastically wrong. Want proof? When it comes to perception versus reality, here are six areas where you might just be wildly off the [...]
London’s prime rental property prices have grown 22.2 per cent since Lehman Brothers: Faster than New York, Hong Kong and Singapore December 2, 2015 London's prime rental properties have gone up 22.2 per cent since the Lehman Brother's collapse of September 2008: faster than New York (15.4 per cent) while avoiding the falls seen by other cities such as Hong Kong (-14.4 per cent) and Moscow (-14.9 per cent). But despite this growth, prime rents in the capital have actually [...]