Sick-man France’s economic reform failures risk restarting the Eurozone crisis April 29, 2016 Although Britain had its own strike this week, this time by junior doctors, spare a thought for the French public who once again faced widespread industrial action yesterday. A strike was held over proposed reforms to France’s employment rules. Reform is desperately needed. Employment protection in France is higher than in any other major western economy, [...]
Savings ratio set to hit 50 year low as baby-boomers top savings chart April 29, 2016 The household saving ratio, the percentage of personal savings to disposable income, is forecast to fall to its lowest level in 50 years in 2016, according to a new report. The amount that people are putting aside is set to drop to 3.8 per cent, though this remains higher among older generations. Current savings levels [...]
First-time home buyers come roaring back despite investor surge in March April 29, 2016 The number of first-time buyers soared to its highest level in nearly two years last month, according to Your Move, in a new study which counters claims that a surge in buy to let investors has squeezed out homeowners. Homes bought by newbies rose by 48 per cent between February and March to a total [...]
Businesses want the government to pay them to become more energy efficient April 29, 2016 Businesses want the government to pay them to make their premises energy efficient, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). In a new report, launched today, 36 per cent of businesses told the BCC the best thing that could be done to encourage them to spend on energy efficient technology and equipment would be to [...]
Spin-off deals appetite remains strong across Europe despite general M&A slowdown and looming EU referendum April 29, 2016 The looming EU referendum is not expected to slow spin-off mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in Europe. Following a record 2015 for M&A as a whole, with more than $5 trillion of deals announced, there has been a slowdown in global activity so far this year. But Aurelius Group, which surveyed 200 respondents from its network [...]
UK consumer confidence at highest level for two years, despite Brexit concerns April 29, 2016 Consumer confidence in the UK has reached its highest level in nearly two years despite concerns over the EU referendum, new figures released today show. The YouGov and Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) Consumer Confidence Index increased by 2.2 points in April to 115.2 – slightly behind the 115.4 recorded in May 2014. The largest [...]
Baidu’s share price jumps in after hours trading after the company reports revenue to have soared April 28, 2016 Chinese search engine Baidu's share price jumped almost five per cent in after hours trading after the company reported strong financial results. Sometimes dubbed China's Google, Baidu reported first quarter total revenue had climbed 24.3 per cent year-on-year to 15.82bn yuan (£1.68bn). The company also said that online marketing revenue had risen to 14.93bn yuan in the three months [...]
Apple: Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has sold Apple stake on China fears April 28, 2016 Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has sold his stake in Apple, and it's China's fault. Icahn said that while Apple is a "great company" and chief executive Tim Cook is doing "a great job", he had sold his position in Apple. Speaking to CNBC he said that China's attitude towards Apple and the Chinese economic slowdown led him to sell [...]
Shareholder voices heard loud & clear April 28, 2016 The shareholder spring picked up pace yesterday, when investors voted against boardroom pay rewards for engineering firm Weir Group and Shire, the FTSE 100 pharmaceutical group. The revolts came on the back of major uprisings at oil giant BP, miner Anglo American, energy firm Centrica and financial behemoth Citigroup. “This year has seen a ‘spring [...]
Amazon’s share price soars after posting better than expected results April 28, 2016 Amazon's share price has soared after it reported better than expected first quarter results. Shares in the company rose over 12 per cent in after hours trading after posting strong results, a quarter after having been pounded after profit missed the mark. The e-commerce giant reported net income was $513m in the first quarter, or $1.07 per diluted share, [...]