Neil Woodford’s Patient Capital Trust pays off as it invests three-quarters of IPO funds August 11, 2015 Given his success at Invesco, the decision by star fund manager Neil Woodford launch a solo venture was always going to have a risk attached – but it looks like it paid off, after his new fund, Woodford Patient Capital Trust, posted results showing it had already invested more than three quarters of the £800m [...]
What George Osborne needs to do to get Britain’s productivity engine started again August 11, 2015 Productivity is the engine of economic growth. For a quarter of a century prior to the financial crash, Britain’s productivity engine ran smoothly as output per worker increased at an average rate of more than two per cent a year. But in 2008 the engine stalled. In the last seven years there has been no [...]
New Look to launch menswear-only stores August 11, 2015 Fast fashion retailer New Look is to launch its own standalone menswear stores in the UK, with the first five branches expected to be open by the end of the current financial year. The retailer, which is in the middle of a turnaround under chief executive Anders Kristiansen, has been dipping its toe in [...]
Precision Castparts share price leaps as Warren Buffett makes Berkshire Hathaway’s biggest ever acquisition with $37.2bn swoop August 10, 2015 Shares in aerospace manufacturer Precision Castparts Corp (PCC) jumped 19.5 per cent after Warren Buffett confirmed his company, Berkshire Hathaway, will buy it for $37.2bn (£24bn) – the investor's biggest deal ever. In a statement today, Buffett said he had "admired PCC's operation for a long time". "It is the supplier of choice for the world’s [...]
Landslide victory predicted for Labour leader candidate Jeremy Corbyn August 10, 2015 Jeremy Corbyn is set to ease to victory in the contest for Labour leadership, a new poll reveals. The hard-left Islington North MP can expect 53 per cent of the vote, 32 points ahead of his nearest rival. In second place was health secretary Andy Burnham, who was far behind at 21 per cent, according to [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s renationalisation agenda would be disastrous for consumers August 10, 2015 Labour leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn has called for a “public debate” about renationalisation, in particular of the railways but even of energy firms. As with others occupying the left wing of UK politics, his logic seems to be: “these industries were privatised, prices have gone up in these industries, ergo privatisation has caused high prices [...]
Alastair Campbell says Jeremy Corbyn Labour leadership would be a “car crash” August 10, 2015 Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell is urging voters to support “ABC” – Anyone But Corbyn – in the upcoming Labour leadership contest. Despite saying after the General Election that he did not want to get involved in the race to replace Ed Miliband, Campbell wrote on his blog today that he was intervening to warn [...]
Chancellor George Osborne faces backbench revolt over cuts to tax credits August 10, 2015 The government is set to face its first Conservative backbench revolt over the Budget, after MPs voiced concerns about plans to reduce tax credits by up to £1,000 a year. The Times reported the chancellor will face “real anger and frustration” around the changes, which mean 3m families will lose on average £1,000 a year, [...]
Trumpmania: The odious billionaire Donald Trump’s gloom won’t win over an optimistic US August 9, 2015 “They are bringing drugs, and bringing crime, and they’re rapists.” – Republican Donald Trump, on Mexican immigrants, at his presidential announcement “With malice toward none, with charity to all… let us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds.” – Republican Abraham Lincoln, on ending the US Civil [...]
Mark Zuckerberg’s book club: These are the 15 books you need to read to catch up over the summer August 9, 2015 Mark Zuckerberg is more than half way through his ambitious goal of reading a book every two weeks – a new years challenge he set himself at the start of 2015 – and they're quickly piling up. Keeping up with his accompanying book club on Facebook may not have been at the top of everyone's [...]