Hurrah – wage growth to hit three per cent in 2015 April 21, 2015 Wage growth in the UK will rise to three per cent in 2015, a new report reckons – that's 0.5 percentage points higher than the average increase in 2014. Set against inflation, which is forecast to average out at 0.2 per cent in 2015 (by some estimates, we may even slip into deflation), the research, [...]
UK property prices: Half of parents worried their children will never own a house without inheritance April 21, 2015 Even with house price growth more muted than it was, first-time buyers are still finding it hard to climb the first rung on the property ladder. Now research has shown that parents are so worried about their offspring's inability to buy a house that they think the only way they will be able to buy [...]
Payday lender Wonga slips into the red as regulatory crackdowns take their toll April 21, 2015 The figures Things aren't looking good for much-maligned payday lender Wonga. Figures posted today showed it slipped into a pre-tax loss in 2014, to the tune of £37.3m, down from a profit of £39.7m this time last year, as various regulatory crackdowns took their toll on its figures. That pushed it to a net loss [...]
Arm Holdings share price jumps as revenues rise 22 per cent April 21, 2015 The figures One of the darlings of the UK's tech scene has reported revenues up 22 per cent to £227.5m in the first quarter, as sales in the phones its chips power jumped. Arm Holdings, which licenses its chip designs to the likes of Apple and Samsung, said pre-tax profits had jumped 24 per cent [...]
LSE students and workers evacuated from Aldwych as building collapses April 20, 2015 Some 200 people, including workers and students at the London School of Economics (LSE) have been evacuated from the area around Aldwych after a building in Portugal Street collapsed.https://twitter.com/charlieheinz/status/590178569508286465 Witnesses reported a "large crash" as the seven-storey building, which was under demolition, collapsed. According to a Metropolitan Police spokesperson a 56 year olf woman was [...]
Desperate act? Bank of Greece asks local governments to send cash April 20, 2015 The last-ditch actions of a desperate country? Greece's central bank has asked its municipalities to send money they don't need. More on this story: Here's everything Greece owes, and when it has to pay The FT reported the Bank of Greece had asked local governments to transfer any cash they won't spend in the next 15 [...]
Sky vs customer: The best moments from one man’s 96-minute attempt to cancel his Sky package April 20, 2015 Many have tried it, but few have succeeded: and alas, Sky TV customer Gavin Hackwood found himself in the latter camp last month following a 96-minute, 3,800-word attempt to cancel his Sky package so he could move to Virgin. In an episode not dissimilar from the plight of Ryan Block, the US Comcast customer who [...]
European markets shrug off Greece fears April 20, 2015 European markets started the day stronger, shaking off worries over Greece's ability to negotiate with its lenders. The FTSE 100 rose one per cent in early trading, while Germany's Dax jumped 1.18 per cent and France's Cac rose 0.9 per cent. The gains followed an announcement overnight by China's central bank that it [...]
Standard & Poor’s upgrades Nokia and puts Alcatel-Lucent on positive watch April 17, 2015 Was selling off its mobile manufacturing arm the best decision Nokia's management ever made? Following a generally positive reaction to its proposal to buy Alcatel-Lucent earlier this week, it's only gone and been upgraded by credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's… In a statement today S&P said it was upgrading the Finnish former mobile manufacturer [...]
IMF official: The risk of a Greek exit from the Eurozone should not be underestimated April 17, 2015 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) "doesn't expect a Greek exit from the euro", Poul Thomsen, one of its top officials, said a press conference today. However, he added that risks of a Grexit should "not be underestimated". The press conference came just over a day after the FT reported the IMF had "persuaded" the Greek government [...]
