Why the City should welcome a Capital Markets Union February 18, 2015 I strongly welcome the Capital Markets Union initiative that the Commission launched today. A Capital Markets Union will not change Europe overnight. But it can create a step change in the availability of finance, provide a new way for businesses to expand, fuel growth and create jobs across Europe and ensure that, should [...]
Three reasons $10 oil is a very real possibility February 18, 2015 After a couple of weeks of rises during which oil prices gained 35 per cent, today they fell back by $1 to $61 per barrel, as investors showed renewed concern about a glut in the global supply of oil. Brent crude, the global benchmark, hit a six-year low of $45.19 in January – and the [...]
Eastenders star Danny Dyer turns Tube announcer, becomes the first person ever to reminisce fondly about changing trains on the District Line February 18, 2015 Danny Dyer – cockney geezer, EastEnders actor, writer of surprisingly motivational tweets – has got a new string to add to his bow: London Underground announcer. As part of EastEnders' 30th anniversary celebrations, customers at Bromley-by-Bow (the station that inspires the fictional Walford East) will today hear the voice of the actor reminding them to [...]
Advertising Standards Authority clears Booking.com ad as it decides “booking” is not a swear word February 18, 2015 So it turns out "booking" isn't actually a rude word – or that's what the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has decided, after an ad for travel website Booking.com became the most-complained about ad of all time. The ad racked up just under 2,500 complaints over the voiceover, which went something like this: The door opens, [...]
Bank of England minutes: MPC unanimously voted to hold interest rates February 18, 2015 The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) voted unanimously to hold the interest rate at 0.5 per cent when it met last, despite hints it could be lowered in the next few months. Minutes of the MPC's meeting in early February showed the committee's hawks – Martin Weale and Ian McCafferty, who have both [...]
Greek debt negotiations: What happens next? February 18, 2015 After talks between Greece and Eurozone finance ministers collapsed on Monday, what now? Greece has until the end of this week to agree a deal to extend its €172bn rescue programme, and is expected to request an extension to its bailout today, although within a different framework to the one offered by finance ministers [...]
Apple just patented a virtual reality headset February 17, 2015 Apple has become the latest technology giant to jump on the virtual reality bandwagon, after it patented a design for a virtual reality headset that works by by plugging the iPhone into it. The tech giant is actually surprisingly late to this particular party: US Patent No 8,957,835, aka "Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a [...]
The odds of a Greek exit from the euro just dropped to 6/4 February 17, 2015 The odds of a Grexit have been cut again after the collapse of emergency talks between European leaders last night. Bookie Paddy Power has slashed its odds of Greece leaving the euro to 6/4, from 3/1 two days ago. And it's put the chances of the country leaving the currency this year at 11/8. Maverick [...]
Fraud rises to its highest level in 12 years (but fraudsters are stealing less each time) February 17, 2015 The number of reported cases of fraud rose four per cent to 546 in 2014, its highest figure in more than 12 years, according to findings by accountancy giant BDO. But the research also found that the average value of fraud cases fell 34 per cent during the year, from £2m in 2013 to £1.3m [...]
Fraud rises to its highest level in 12 years (but they’re stealing less each time) February 17, 2015 The number of reported cases of fraud rose four per cent to 546 in 2014, its highest figure in more than 12 years, according to research by accountancy giant BDO. But the research also found that the average value of fraud fell 34 per cent during the year, from £2m in 2013 to £1.3m in [...]
