Lloyds Banking Group cuts bonuses after PPI hits profits again February 25, 2016 Lloyds Banking Group may have hiked its dividends, but its workers are in for less of a treat. In a statement today the lender said its 2015 bonus has been cut to £353.7m. That figure is 4.3 per cent lower than last year's £369.5m. As a percentage of pre-bonus underlying profit, the bank's total bonus [...]
Zoopla share price rises as it shrugs off competition from OnTheMarket.com to post ninth month of growth February 25, 2016 It could have been a difficult day for Zoopla, which faced tough competition in the form of estate agent-run rival, OnTheMarket.com, when it launched at the beginning of last year. But this morning the property portal said it had a "solid start" to 2016, with a record 58m visits in January, and an average 47m monthly visits [...]
Surprise: Lloyds Banking Group share price leaps as it hikes dividend – but profits are hit by PPI charges February 25, 2016 Lloyds Banking Group shares leaped this morning as it hiked its dividend – but more PPI charges dented its pre-tax profits. Read more: Lloyds cuts bonuses for 2015 The figures Lloyds said underlying profits rose five per cent on last year to £8.1bn in 2015, while total income rose one per cent to £17.6bn. Operating costs fell to £8.3bn, while impairment charges fell 48 per cent to £568m. [...]
Back to the drawing board: Chinese shares on track for their biggest fall since January as oil drags down Shenzhen Composite and Shanghai Composite indices February 25, 2016 Chinese shares were down more than six per cent in afternoon trading, their biggest fall since the end of January, as oil lost gains made in recent days. The Shanghai Composite was more than six per cent lower, at 2,750 points, in mid-afternoon trading in China, while the tech-focused Shenzhen Composite was 6.5 per cent down, [...]
The Oscars 2016 by numbers: The cost of the Academy Awards in advertising, security and bling February 24, 2016 Oscars season is here again. But how much cash is shelled out – and by whom? Here’s everything you need to know. Oscar statuette: between $500 and $900 each The estimated cost of the famous Oscar statuette is a closely-guarded secret. “We have agreed with the Academy to never discuss [cost of] producing the statuettes,” [...]
The kids aren’t alright: Millennials are fleeing from London in their droves, driven by those in their early 30s February 24, 2016 Millennials – those born after 1980 – are deserting the capital in their droves, according to new research. The study, by the Office for National Statistics for The Silvertown Partnership, suggested 128,766 people aged 21-40 left London in 2014 – up seven per cent on the year before. In fact, the number of young Londoners ditching the [...]
Brexit brouhaha: Sterling hits new seven-year low against the dollar as EU referendum uncertainty continues to bite February 24, 2016 Thinking of going to the US this summer? Think again. The pound fell as much as 0.9 per cent against the dollar this morning, dropping to a new low of $1.3897 – the first time it has gone below $1.39 since February 2009. It also slid against the Euro, falling 0.58 per cent to €1.2651 – its lowest since November. The [...]
Boston Dynamics’ eerily man-like Atlas robot can walk, lift – and stand up to human bullies February 24, 2016 Remember Boston Dynamics' dystopian Christmas reindeer? Now the company has unveiled its latest futuristic offering – and it's so eerily human-like, it can stand up to bullies. A video released by Boston Dynamics showed its 5'9" Atlas robot opening a door, lifting boxes and wandering through a snow-blanketed wood, a la Snow White. In a move its team [...]
Neuroscientists joke reading is a form of brainwashing February 24, 2016 Thought literacy was a good thing? Think again – one neuroscientist has joked that it "makes us defenceless against an army of 26 letters". Lidia Stanton, a specialist in dyslexia at the University of Leicester, posted a response to the Quora question "what are some things that neuroscientists know but most people don't?". Stanton said cognitive [...]
Barratt Developments share price rises as profits jump 40 per cent, boosted by government housebuilding initiatives February 24, 2016 Another day, another stellar performance by a housebuilder: Barratt said revenues rose by a fifth last year, thanks to rocketing house prices. The figures Revenues rose 19 per cent to £1.87bn in the six months to the end of December, up from £1.58bn the year before. That pushed pre-tax profits up 40.3 per cent to £295m. Completions rose 9.4 per cent to 7,626, while average selling price increased 10.9 per cent to £254,200 – [...]
