The one reason people trust Coca-Cola more than David Cameron March 20, 2015 Barack Obama reading trolls’ tweets on Jimmy Kimmel, Yanis Varoufakis in a lifestyle shoot in Paris Match, David Cameron on Buzzfeed (or “The Buzzfeed”, as he likes to call it). In our celebrity-obsessed world, we want to see the human side of our politicians. For this reason, a politician’s “brand” is critical. Why do you [...]
Auto Trader share price races off the starting grid on its first day of trading March 19, 2015 Shares in Auto Trader, the UK's biggest site for classified car ads, have hit the accelerator hard, rising more than 13 per cent in the first few minutes of trading. Conditional trading in its shares began today at 235p per share. That values Auto Trader at £2.35bn, raising £437m for the group. Its private equity [...]
European markets rise as Fed loses patience March 19, 2015 European markets rose this morning, despite last night's indication from the US Federal Reserve that it could begin to raise interest rates over the coming months. In a statement following a meeting of the Federal Open Markets Committee last night, Fed chief Janet Yellen dropped the word "patience" from the wording of her statement, indicating [...]
Solar eclipse 2015: How, when and where in London to watch it – here’s everything you need to know March 19, 2015 The ancient Greeks believed it was a sign the gods were angry, while the Vikings thought wolves were eating the sun. Either way, on March 20 London will experience its first solar eclipse in 14 years. It's a natural phenomenon not to be missed – so how, where and when can you see it? What [...]
Budget 2015 summary: Here are all the personal finance pledges George Osborne made today March 18, 2015 There were the usual tears and tantrums as chancellor George Osborne stepped up to the despatch box earlier today, to deliver a Budget speech geared largely towards savers, pensioners and first-time buyers. In the end, it was the "savings revolution" that made the headlines – with new rules on Isas and savings among a raft [...]
Budget 2015: “Saving revolution” as Osborne pledges first-time buyer Isa March 18, 2015 George Osborne unveiled a Budget aimed at helping savers, first time buyers and pensioners today, with measures including a "Help to Buy Isa". Under the new rules, the government will contribute £50 for each £200 saved by first-time buyers. Savers who put away £12,000 could stand to make as much as £3,000 Just before he [...]
Budget 2015: City hit by Google tax and bank levy hike March 18, 2015 The government's bank levy will be increased by 0.21 per cent, in an effort to raise £900m, the chancellor announced today. The measures were being taken so banks "make a bigger contribution to the repair of our public finances", George Osborne said during his Budget speech. Lenders will also be prevented from offsetting PPI compensation [...]
Budget nightmare: Wage growth drops to 1.8 per cent March 18, 2015 Wage growth fell to 1.8 per cent in the three months January, down from 2.1 per cent in the three months to December and way below expectations of 2.2 per cent. Excluding bonuses, that figure fell to 1.6 per cent. The figure, published this morning by the Office for National Statistics, will come as a [...]
House prices near Crossrail stations have risen as much as 82 per cent since it was announced March 18, 2015 House prices within a 10 minute walk of Bond Street station have risen 82 per cent since Crossrail was first announced in 2008, a report published this morning suggested – almost twice the 43 per cent rise experienced in the wider area. Bond Street isn't the only over-performing Crossrail site, though: according to Knight Frank's [...]
“No giveaways, no gimmicks”: Here comes George Osborne’s Budget 2015 March 18, 2015 George Osborne is set to outline a range of measures designed to reinforce his party's austerity message, while enticing as many voters as possible for May's election. The chancellor has promised "no giveaways, no gimmicks' in his final Budget of this parliament. So far, the government has hinted at Easter eggs for pensioners, in the [...]
