Yule regret it: Christmas party hangovers to cost UK economy £541m this year, study estimates December 2, 2016 Post-Christmas party hangovers could cost the UK economy £541m, a new study out today claims. A survey of 2,000 British workers by Travelodge found that 57 per cent plan to attend two or more work Christmas parties this year. And more than half will waste half a day after the do, costing the economy £541m [...]
Network Rail pays £316m in penalties for planned engineering works over the last year December 2, 2016 Network Rail has revealed which rail companies benefit the most from penalty payments for planned engineering works. And London's commuters may be shocked to hear the name that isn't at the top… No, neither Southern nor parent company Govia top the pile of operators which receive handouts from the publicly funded body in charge of Britain's rail infrastructure. [...]
Don’t blame it on the politicians, blame it on social media: Brits think Twitter and Facebook led to Trump victory December 2, 2016 We've heard about the evils of social media and all the supposed wasted hours we spend online, but this might be a bit much. Apparently, nearly half of Brits think that Donald Trump would not be President-elect right now had the US election taken place before the existence of social media. A YouGov poll of 1,658 [...]
US non-farm payroll: US adds 178,000 jobs in November as wages rise and unemployment falls December 2, 2016 US non-farm payroll data has shown that the US added 178,000 jobs in the month that saw Donald Trump win the Presidential election. Market experts had been expecting an increase of 165,000 in November, slightly above the 161,000 reported for October. Unemployment dropped to 4.6 per cent and wages were up 2.5 per cent. The jobs [...]
NFU Mutual announces tie-up with BAE Systems to protect customers December 2, 2016 It's probably not one of the most obvious business combinations but one of Britain's largest insurers has drafted in BAE Systems to help protect itself from financial crime. NFU Mutual will team up with the defence giant to "provide the insurance firm and its customers with comprehensive protection across underwriting, claims and financial crime services." Read [...]
This London tech entrepreneur has been picked to advise Arnold Schwarzenegger on The Celebrity Apprentice December 2, 2016 A London-based fintech entrepreneur has been picked to join Arnold Schwarzenegger in the boardroom on the US version of Celebrity Apprentice. Gemma Godfrey, the founder of online wealth manager Moola (who also appeared in City A.M.'s Power 100 list earlier this year), will join Arnie' 10-strong panel of advisers alongside Jessica Alba, Warren Buffett and YouTube celebrity Justine [...]
Opinion: Forget banning letting fees – it’s time we introduced compulsory regulation into the lettings sector December 2, 2016 Invent a snappy name, rent a shop and build a website – and, hey presto, you are now set up as a lettings agent. And until the Chancellor’s move to ban fees in the Autumn Statement, you could charge whatever you liked to tenants to handle the renting of a property. Unlike many of our [...]
New Builds: 600 new homes are set to be built on a site the size of three football pitches in south London December 2, 2016 The Quarry, Bexley A quarrying site that hasn’t been used in 40 years is set to be home to 600 new properties. The first new homes – 80 per cent of which will be modern family houses hoping to attract upsizers – will go on sale in the new year. There will also be a [...]
Oil prices dip but still on track for recovery after Opec deal December 2, 2016 Oil prices fell slightly on Friday morning, but are still set for a strong week. Investors piled into oil futures and related stocks earlier this week when Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (Opec) revealed a deal to cut production by 1.2m barrels a day. Read more: $50 oil saves FTSE 100 from further falls This [...]
Aerobike X-Ride review: This affordable e-bike puts in a decent performance December 2, 2016 Electric bikes still feel like an insane kind of magic. Start to pedal and an intelligent motor in the wheel hub kicks in to help you accelerate, zooming you up to an EU-mandated speed limit of 15mph. The sensation is similar to being pushed along by your dad, except now your dad is invisible and [...]