Inflation hits 1.6 per cent: Experts react to biggest price rise in two years January 17, 2017 Inflation has come in higher than expected as weaker sterling continues to feed through into higher prices for the UK consumer. The 1.6 per cent increase in December surprised analysts. The Bank of England expects inflation to hit 2.7 per cent by the end of this year. It has a legal target rate of two [...]
Gold prices are up more than one per cent ahead of Theresa May’s Brexit speech January 17, 2017 Gold increased up to 1.7 per cent today, remaining well above the $1,200 per ounce mark as the dollar stayed low this morning. Growing concerns over Donald Trump's protectionist policies have pushed the currency down going into his inauguration this week, Reuters reported. The dollar dropped 0.9 against the yen to a five-week low in early [...]
Thanks Brexit: Now the price of iPhone apps are about to rise January 17, 2017 It's not just the price of your, Freddo, Fondant Fancy and Marmite which are being pushed up by the falling value of the pound. Apple is the latest company to raise prices, this time for apps you download from the app store by as much as 25 per cent, 9to5mac reports. The cost of apps downloaded on your [...]
Saga picks KPMG as its new auditor, replacing EY after a 10-year relationship January 17, 2017 Saga has ditched Ernst & Young (EY) as auditors in favour of KPMG, the company announced this morning. EY has been the FTSE 250 firm's group auditor since September 2014, having previously been appointed auditor across the Saga's principal trading subsidiaries in 2007. Read more: Over 50 per cent growth to Saga profits Under audit directives, listed [...]
How does the UK rank in the world’s 50 most innovative economies? January 17, 2017 The UK lags behind 16 global economies when it comes to innovation, as Scandinavian countries plough ahead in pushing boundaries. The UK has grasped on to its spot at number 17 for the second year, however, in Bloomberg's 2017 Innovation Index, which ranks 50 of the world's economies based on six factors which indicate a recipe for innovation. [...]
Hotel Chocolat’s revenue is up and chief exec Angus Thirlwell is “quietly confident” for the year ahead January 17, 2017 British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat has said it is "quietly confident" for the year ahead after posting increased revenue for the six months to 25 December. The figures Total group revenue for the period was up 16.2 per cent compared with the prior year, or 14.6 per cent on a constant currency basis. The chocolatier opened 10 new stores during [...]
London house prices edged closer to £500,000 in November January 17, 2017 The average house price in the capital edged closer to the half a million pound mark in November, rising to £482,000 for the first time. Figures published this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed house prices in the capital jumped 8.1 per cent in the year to November, rising 1.9 per cent [...]
Standard Chartered: Analysts say the bank is a wise place to invest in light of Brexit and Trump January 17, 2017 Shares in Standard Chartered leapt over six per cent this morning after market upgrades and traders saw the stock as a good hedge against the tumbling pound. Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML) raised its expectations of StanChart's profit before tax by 18 per cent and raised its target price for the stock to 900p from 735p. [...]
Hunt called off for MH370: Here’s what we do know January 17, 2017 Teams from Australia, Malaysia and China working together to find an airliner which disappeared three years ago say they have called off their search. The Press Association reported today that authorities hunting for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared with 239 people on board, had taken the decision with "sadness", after they scoured more than [...]