Kingfisher: B&Q owner sales dragged down by weakness in overseas brands Retail B&Q owner Kingfisher saw the success of its UK brands dragged down by struggles overseas, as sales in France and Poland took a dip. The FTSE 100 firm suffered falling sales in its French Castorama (-2.2 per cent) and Brico Depot (-2.3 per cent) brands and in Poland (-1.1 per cent), while sales grew by [...]
Defence stocks rise as Europe’s tensions with Russia escalate Markets European defence stocks rallied on Wednesday after the shock arrival of Russian drones across the border with Poland sent tensions in the region to fresh highs. Shares in FTSE 100 giant BAE Systems closed up 2.1 per cent to 1,830p by the end of the day’s trading in London, while Italy’s Leonardo rose 2.4 per [...]
The bond markets must not be allowed block defence spending Opinion The Germans are funding increased defence spending through debt so why can’t we? The Chancellor needs to start telling a better story about the future direction of our economy, says Paul Ormerod President Trump wants European countries to spend five per cent of GDP on defence. Kier Starmer plans to increase UK spending from 2.3 [...]
Non-doms: South Africa’s richest woman is fighting to stay in the UK November 18, 2024 When it comes to leaving countries in a hurry, Magda Wierzycka has plenty of experience. At just 12 years old, the South African entrepreneur and her parents fled their native Poland under the the cover of night, becoming refugees after its communist government declared martial law. Ending up in South Africa – via an Austrian [...]
How Poland and Vietnam escaped poverty October 17, 2024 In a new book, Rainer Zitelmann examines how Poland and Vietnam escaped the ravages of the Cold War to become some of the world’s fastest growing economies – and argues that poverty isn’t inevitable, it’s a policy choice says Kristian Niemietz Case studies in recent economic history typically deal with unambiguous success stories, or unambiguous [...]