Here’s how much alcohol abuse and hungover employees cost the economy October 16, 2015 Inebriated employees who opt to stay out on a school night can cost an economy billions. The US economy lost about $249bn (£160bn) in 2010 due to the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, with binge drinking accounting for $191.1bn, or 76.7 per cent, of this. This was due to lost productivity, healthcare and other factors such as crime. But the effect of a [...]
Map: UK house prices are still below 2007 peak in Wales, the North and southern Scotland – but have soared past them in London, Bristol, York and Manchester October 16, 2015 London’s house prices may have surged well beyond the prices of the last property boom, but that’s hardly true of the whole country. Looking at average house prices today against what they were eight years ago shows prices are still below their 2007 peak in about half the country. The map of England, Scotland and [...]
It turns out humans don’t actually need eight hours’ sleep – our ancestors got by on six and a half hours October 16, 2015 Eight hours' sleep: it might be a goal for many people, but the majority of us rarely get more than seven hours. We can all stop feeling bad about it, though, after new research suggested the idea of eight hours' sleep is actually a myth. In fact, our ancestors got by on about six and a half [...]
Building a lucrative art scene in the Middle East October 16, 2015 The world’s tallest building, most expensive hotel, fastest rollercoaster, and the largest mall – the list is long. The United Arab Emirates is a country of superlatives. It’s got the money, power and everything that comes with it. But perhaps nothing can better shape a nation’s identity and affirm its arrival on the world stage [...]
Taxis at dawn: Uber and Transport for London taximeter High Court ruling due Friday morning October 16, 2015 The fate of Uber in London will be known this morning, when the courts finally decide if the app is legal or not in a long-running and bitter battle with rival black cab drivers. A High Court judge will hand down a ruling on whether the app is considered a taximeter – a device which is only allowed to [...]
Ministers, companies and unions descend on Rotherham for UK steel crisis summit October 16, 2015 Ministers, representatives of producers and unions have descended on Rotherham for a crisis meeting over the UK's remaining steel industry. The summit comes a day after the final closure of the SSI steelworks in Redcar, announced last month, which caused the loss of 1,700 jobs. The government said today's summit will address the "challenging conditions" facing the market, after [...]
FTSE led higher by Hargreaves and Arm results – London Report October 16, 2015 THE FTSE 100 closed higher yesterday after three consecutive sessions of closing down, as investors concentrated on company earnings. The FTSE closed 1.1 per cent up, at 6,338.67 points, led by gains in Arm and Hargreaves Lansdown. Arm, the semiconductor and software design company, ended 4.78 per cent up on the back of strong results [...]
Best of the Brokers for 16 October 2015 October 16, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASOS ASOS is still “overweight”, according to Barclays, but the broker says that while investor confidence remains low, thanks to under-performing the FTSE 250, it believes shares can “materially outperform” as sales accelerate on price investments, margins are unlikely to fall below four [...]
The secrets of presenting to the boss: Off-the-wall is fine but prepare answers before you go in October 16, 2015 As a former director, I recall the time when a newly appointed member of the executive team was “called in” to present to the chief executive for the first time. Needless to say, she was a little anxious, so I did my best to encourage her. Afterwards, I asked how it went, and she [...]
London property prices: City rents rocketing as estate agent warns the only way is up October 16, 2015 London rents reached a record high in September after rising 11.6 per cent over the last year, according to new figures released this morning, with agents warning that the only foreseeable trend is an upward one. Rental price growth in the capital was far higher in September than the UK average of 6.3 per cent, the [...]