Ukip conference 2014: Nigel Farage sets out tax-cutting policies September 26, 2014 Ukip has gathered in Doncaster for its last party conference before next year's general election. The timing is somewhat unfortunate for Nigel Farage's eurosceptic party with much of the media's attention focused on the upcoming vote on whether Britain will join airstrikes against ISIS. However, that won't stop the party putting forward some eyecatching policies to [...]
Mark Carney: Bank of England will get tough on the insurance industry September 25, 2014 The Bank of England is cracking down on malpractice in the insurance industry, governor Mark Carney said today. In a speech this afternoon, Carney indicated regulators will come down hard on insurance companies that give a distorted view of risk to decrease the amount of capital they are expected to hold. A new regime, known [...]
Mark Carney drops interest rate rise hint as “many of the conditions for the economy to normalise [are] now met” September 25, 2014 Interest rates will be rising soon. In a speech this afternoon mainly focused on the insurance industry, Mark Carney reiterated the Bank of England's stance on interest rates, and indicated that they will be rising before long. The Bank governor would not give a precise time scale, but saw the pieces falling in to place: [...]
What is a put option and how is Mike Ashley using it to bet on Tesco? September 25, 2014 Mike Ashley's Sports Direct has taken a punt on Tesco by entering into a put option agreement with Goldman Sachs. But what exactly is a put option and how is he using it to make money? In short, Sports Direct is selling the option to Goldman, meaning that if the share price goes up, [...]
Richard Branson has spoken: Apple Pay is the future, Bitcoin regulation is a good thing and Sidecar is the startup app to watch September 25, 2014 City A.M. chatted with Richard Branson about his views on startups, why affordable space travel is imminent and what drove his decision to invest in a drone business. What’s the most exciting startup at the moment? I’m lucky in that I meet exciting startups virtually everyday. One that’s especially grabbed my attention lately [...]
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct takes a punt on Tesco’s share price September 25, 2014 Mike Ashley isn't averse to taking a flutter. This time, the Newcastle United owner has taken a bet on Tesco – his company, Sports Direct, has entered into a put option agreement with Goldman Sachs on 23 million of its shares, which could leave it with a 0.28 per cent stake in the retailer, worth [...]
Richard Branson unveils unlimited holiday allowance for Virgin staff September 24, 2014 Entitled "why we are letting Virgin staff take as much holiday as they want" a Richard Branson blog post is making waves. The Virgin supremo will allow his staff to take off unlimited amounts of time with no questions asked – so long as breaks do not impinge upon individual or team targets. The approach, which [...]
Putin threatens retaliation against Ukraine if EU trade deal goes ahead September 24, 2014 Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine that its access to Russian markets could be hampered if it goes ahead with a planned trade agreement with the EU. Putin said in a letter to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko that any change to legislation to prepare for the deal would be met with retaliation from Russia. [...]
Nicola Sturgeon launches bid for SNP leadership after Scottish Independence No vote and Alex Salmond resignation September 24, 2014 Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s deputy first minister, has launched a bid to become the next leader of the Scottish National Party following the resignation of Alex Salmond. Sturgeon announced her intention to run for the leadership of the party, of which she is also currently the deputy leader, in Glasgow today. Salmond said on Friday that [...]
Deficit reduction target at risk as George Osborne borrows £11.6bn in August despite rise in tax revenues September 23, 2014 The UK government had to borrow £11.6bn in August as it failed to slash the budget deficit, putting chancellor George Osborne’s borrowing targets for the year at risk. In his March statement, Osborne aimed to cut £10bn off government borrowing in 2014-15, compared to the year before. But new figures from the Office for National [...]