UK businesses’ tax burden rises despite chancellor George Osborne’s Osborne’s cuts to corporation tax December 15, 2015 Britain's biggest businesses paid £80.5bn in taxes this year, up from £80bn in 2014, with a string of new measures expected to batter firms still in the pipeline. Figures from accountancy giant PwC – based on a survey of FTSE 100 finance directors, large private companies and multinationals – show that the total tax rate, a [...]
Good news for UK consumers as research reveals food prices are expected to stay frozen in 2016 December 15, 2015 UK food prices will fail to grow again next year in a further boost to consumers, according to a new forecast. Food prices dropped 1.5 per cent in 2014 and are expected to fall again 3.1 per cent this year, Prestige Purchasing, a foodservice supply chain consultant, said today. Annual food price inflation had not been negative [...]
London rents cool off as tenant demand softens December 15, 2015 London rents dropped in November as the market was hit by a seasonal slowdown. Figures published this morning by peer-to-peer mortgage lender Landbay show rents dropping 0.6 per cent compared with October. The monthly drop took annual London rental growth down to 3.1 per cent in November from 4.3 per cent. The dip in rental [...]
The gap between England’s largest cities and neighbouring towns is widening, think tank warns December 15, 2015 A leading independent think tank has warned of a widening divide between England’s largest cities and nearby towns, with three in five towns falling behind their bigger neighbours. A report released today by Demos has identified 21 largest cities and compared their performance with that of two towns closest to each city using 30 different [...]
City Moves for 15 December 2015 | Who’s switching jobs December 14, 2015 KINGSTON SMITH Accountancy firm Kingston Smith has announced the appointment of John Cowie and Luke Holt (pictured right) as corporate finance and not-for-profit sector partners respectively. The appointments are effective from 1 December 2015. John has extensive experience working with Aim-listed companies and has carried out a number of transactions in the support services sector [...]
Indices reverse losses but Fed fears remain – New York Report December 14, 2015 A PAUSE in the oil price slide yesterday helped Wall Street to reverse early losses. However, continued concerns about the high-yield debt market and a rate hike this week played on investors’ minds. The Dow Jones industrial average picked up 103.29 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 17,358.50. The S&P 500 index gained 9.57 points, [...]
Forget a fintech bubble: 2016 will be the year this booming market finally gets serious December 14, 2015 In 2015, global fintech investment will top $20bn, up from $12bn in 2014. There are wide-ranging estimates of the number of fintech players around the world today, but some say it’s surpassed 10,000. In China, there are over 2,000 marketplace platforms alone. The big banks are clambering over one another to invest in (or play [...]
What Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen is likely to say this week – eToro Tips & Picks December 14, 2015 Many are now asking when – not if – the oil price will reach the $30 benchmark. A sustained period of very low prices will place increasing strain on the Saudi economy, potentially worsening the internal security situation and contributing to greater tension with its neighbours. Western economies are enjoying lower energy costs, but the [...]
Financial workers are the most likely to miss the last train after the office Christmas party December 14, 2015 It's no secret that the City’s high-flyers are not the best at day-to-day life admin, but it would appear that as soon as a drink touches a financier’s lips all ability to take any mode of transport evaporates. Recent research has revealed that City workers and those in finance are the absolute worst for missing [...]
New EU data protection rules could ban teenagers from social media services like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat December 14, 2015 EU lawmakers are about to introduce new data protection laws that would require parents to approve their children’s use of social media and chat apps. With hours to go before the final discussions of the new law begin tomorrow, a last-minute change has taken centre-stage, with critics arguing teenagers are being “banned from the internet”. [...]