Eurozone inflation slows to 0.8pc in December January 7, 2014 Inflation in the Eurozone was down to 0.8 per cent in December from a year earlier, below expectations of 0.9 per cent. Core prices came in at 0.7 per cent year-on-year, the lowest on record. The flash estimate comes ahead of the European Central Bank's meeting on Thursday, which has a target of two per [...]
The race that Android is set to win against Apple January 7, 2014 The number of devices shipped using Google's Android operating system will reach over a billion in 2014, according to research group Gartner. The number of Android users is set soar by 26 per cent to 1.1bn over the course of the year. Gartner forecasts that the strongest demand for devices will come from emerging markets. [...]
Bumper UK car sales at pre-crisis levels January 7, 2014 The end of 2013 marked a stellar year for the car industry, as car sales jumped 23.8 per cent year-on-year in December. Growing consumer confidence and cheap credit saw 2013's car sales zoom to pre-recession levels, recording the best performance in five years, after 22 successive increases. Car registrations hit 2.26m last year, up 10.8 [...]
German unemployment falls by 15,000 January 7, 2014 Good news for Germany as unemployment fell for the first time in five months in December – by 15,000. The jobless rate stayed steady at 6.9 per cent. Expectations were for no fall from November's figure of 10,000. Christian Schulz of Berenberg: Strong labour market data raises the chances of stronger wage growth in 2014 [...]
Topps Tiles’ fortunes follow housing market January 7, 2014 Topps Tiles, the UK's largest tile and wood floorings specialist, saw a 9.3 per cent jump in like-for-like revenues over the run up to Christmas – in the 13 weeks ending 28 December. For a company that helps people refurbish their homes, how well Topps does is closely linked to the housing market (people do [...]
Labour calls for showdown with betting machines January 7, 2014 The Labour party will use an opposition day on Wednesday to force a vote on its plans to crack down on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs). The machines allow players to bet on a variety of games, with payouts reaching as much as £500. Labour leader Ed Miliband has attacked FOBTs labelling them as "dangerously [...]
What you need to know before the open – 07/01 January 7, 2014 Despite another negative close in the US last night, and mixed data from both sides of the Atlantic, it still looks like Europe will open up this morning, matching gains in US stock index futures. From ETX Capital: At 0430 BST today, DJIA futures are trading 24.0 points higher. At 0430 BST today, FTSE 100 [...]
EasyJet rings in New Year with steady growth January 7, 2014 EasyJet continues to show steady growth, as passengers opting to fly with the low-cost airline continued to increase through December 2013. The company saw passenger numbers rise by 3.5 per cent compared to the same time last year, reaching a total of 4.3m. This marks further improvement for the company which posted positive numbers for [...]
Centrica finance chief moves to Reed Elsevier January 7, 2014 Publisher and information provider Reed Elsevier has announced this morning that Nick Luff, formerly chief financial officer (CFO) of energy firm Centrica, will be joining its ranks in the same position. In a separate statement, Centrica said that a search for a replacement for Luff is currently underway. Luff has been CFO at Centrica since 2007. [...]
Co-op execs face watchdog probe January 6, 2014 THE BOSSES who oversaw the Co-op Bank’s near collapse last summer are facing enforcement probes from the City’s regulators, the watchdogs said yesterday. Former senior staff at the bank could face fines or bans from the financial sector if they are found to have behaved wrongly in the run up to the lender’s capital crisis. [...]