Markit PMI: British manufacturing edges up but quarterly growth remains weak April 1, 2016 While British manufacturing ticked up last month from its weakest level in nearly three years, quarterly growth remained disappointing. It comes as the business secretary, Sajid Javid, visits Port Talbot to meet workers and management affected by Tata's decision to sell its UK assets. Read more: The travel industry must love Sajid Javid The Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers' [...]
April Fool’s Day 2016: Here are the internet’s most groan-inducing gags April 1, 2016 April Fool's is the best day of the year for bored product designers: all the bonkers inventions that would never pass the pitching stage have made it onto the internet this morning. Here's our round-up of the best jokes the ad-men and women have thrown at us so far today. How gullible are you? Take our April Fool quiz [...]
How gullible are you? Take our April Fool quiz and find out April 1, 2016 Everyone from Nigel Farage to BMW were at it this morning as the internet threatened to reach Peak April Fool – but some stories that seemed too good to be true actually weren't… Reckon you can beat the jokers at their own game? Take our April Fool quiz to find out just how gullible you really [...]
Brussels attacks: Flight bookings decline after deadly attacks in Belgium’s capital April 1, 2016 In the days following the tragic Brussels attacks flight bookings to the Belgian capital severely declined as terrorism once again had an impact on international travel. The bomb attacks in Brussels led to a 136 per cent fall in net bookings in the days following 22 March compared to previous year. "[The] analysis confirms what [...]
Investment banking revenue slumps to post-crisis low with 28 per cent year-on-year fall in first quarter of 2016 April 1, 2016 Global investment banking revenue has dropped to a post-crisis low, new figures suggest. In the first quarter of 2016, global turnover slumped to $14.4bn (£10bn) – down 28 per cent on the $20bn recorded in the first quarter of 2015. According to Dealogic figures, this was the worst first quarter since 2009. Read more: Investment banks' earnings set to [...]
The Tesla Model 3 has finally been unveiled: Here’s what Elon Musk has told us so far April 1, 2016 After the kind of hype (not to mention queues outside stores) only Apple tends to create, it's finally here: in the wee hours of this morning, Elon Musk unveiled Tesla's "car of the people" – the Model 3. Musk said the car is the "next logical step" of Tesla's "secret master plan" to make the [...]
UK house price growth has accelerated – and it’s not all because of stamp duty changes, according to the Nationwide House Price index April 1, 2016 Would-be second home owners appear to have bolstered the UK's house price growth in March, with the annual rate accelerating to 5.7 per cent – up from 4.8 per cent the previous month. The price of a typical UK home rose by 0.8 per cent, at least in part as a result of buy-to-let investors [...]
Waterloo & City line shut after empty train derails April 1, 2016 City commuters were faced with a headache on Friday morning as Transport for London was forced to shut the Waterloo & City line after an empty train was derailed. The incident happened before 7am this morning but was still affecting services more than an hour later. https://twitter.com/wlooandcityline/status/715772262453010432 There was no word on when the service would [...]
Co-operative Bank’s annual loss more than doubles to £610m in 2015 as conduct charges add up April 1, 2016 The Co-operative Bank's losses more than doubled in 2015 as the company dealt with conduct charges. The results have been released as the bank searches for its fourth chief executive since 2011. The figures The bank has reported pre-tax losses of £610.6m for last year, down from a loss of £264.2m in 2014. Read more: Co-op [...]
Home Retail Group and Sainsbury’s share prices both fall after Argos parent tells shareholders to back the final bid April 1, 2016 Good news for all those who like it when a couple get together: The directors of Home Retail Group have told shareholders they unanimously recommend its acquisition by Sainsbury's. That means the final offer for the Argos parent company – confirmed a fortnight ago after rival bidder Steinhoff backed away – will be put to the shareholders for [...]