All change at Bob Diamond’s Atlas Mara as chief exec steps down February 16, 2017 Atlas Mara, the African investment vehicle co-founded by former Barclays boss Bob Diamond, has unveiled plans for a shake-up. The investor, which in October reported a 70 per cent slide in pre-tax profits, said chief executive John Vitalo had stepped down, with a replacement to be announced in "due course". Vitalo, who joined the company in [...]
This tiny house in Chelsea has gone on sale at £600,000 February 16, 2017 If you're a fan of Miss Honey and her doll's house-style home in Roald Dahl's Matilda, this might resonate with you: a tiny house in Chelsea, dubbed one of London's smallest houses, has been put up for sale – with a price tag of £600,000. Described as a "proper Chelsea gem" by estate agent Douglas & [...]
Podcast: Mindfulness in the office, and how to be happy at work February 16, 2017 They say happiness is a state of mind – can you use mindfulness to change that? We're Joined by Gelong Thubten, a Buddhist monk whose corporate clients have included Google, and Dr Jack Kreindler, founder of the Centre for Happiness and Performance, to talk about how to be happy at work using techniques like mindfulness. [...]
Bank of England: Sorry, vegans. We’re keeping the polymer £5 note February 15, 2017 The Bank of England is keeping the £5 note – despite concerns from animal activists, it said today. Veggies were outraged in November after it emerged the plastic fiver, which was launched in September, contained tiny amounts of tallow, a form of animal fat. After a consultation, the Bank has not only said it's going [...]
Berkshire Hathaway “A” shares have officially topped $250,000 February 15, 2017 These shares are so expensive, you need a mortgage just to buy one: last night "A" shares of Berkshire Hathaway, the vehicle founded by legendary investor Warren Buffett, rose above $250,000 dollars for the first time. The company's shares closed 0.8 per cent higher last night, at $250,419. That means shares have surged more than [...]
Snake on a phone: Nokia is resurrecting the 3310 February 15, 2017 Remember the early noughties? A simpler time, when phones had keypads and the internet was something you did at home? It looks like a little slice of that is coming back – after it emerged the company behind Nokia phones is planning to resurrect the humble Nokia 3310 at this month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. VentureBeat has [...]
This Deutsche Bank analyst thinks the pound could fall another 16 per cent against the dollar February 14, 2017 The pound's dip today may have left some investors a little shaken – but you ain't seen nothing yet, one Deutsche Bank analyst has warned. George Saravelos, the lender's global co-head of FX, said in a Bloomberg interview that the pound could fall as low as $1.05 – or another 16 per cent. "Being bearish [...]
London boroughs ranked in order of house price growth (if you live in Hammersmith, look away now) February 14, 2017 Official data published this morning suggested UK house price growth has got its mojo back – but things are looking less encouraging in London, where growth fell to a weak (relatively speaking) 7.5 per cent in December. But analysis of the data by online estate agent Emoov suggests the story is not the same across the whole of [...]
The pound has fallen well below $1.25 on bad inflation news February 14, 2017 The pound plunged below $1.25 this morning, after disappointing figures showed inflation was weaker than expected in January. The pound fell as low as $1.2457 in mid-morning trading, 0.55 per cent down. Meanwhile, it fell 0.68 per cent against the euro, dropping to €1.1739. Inflation had been expected to hit 1.9 per cent in January, [...]
It looks like UK house price growth is getting its mojo back February 14, 2017 Are house prices bouncing back from their Brexit blip? UK house price growth ticked up to 7.2 per cent in December, official figures showed today – the highest annual growth rate since August last year. The Office for National Statistics' (ONS) UK house price index showed the average price rose to just under £220,000 in [...]
