UK property prices: Mortgage approvals fall as cooling measures take their toll August 26, 2014 Mortgage approvals fell in June as cooling measures introduced by the Bank of England took effect, figures by the British Bankers' Association (BBA) showed on Tuesday. The number of mortgages doled out fell to just under 42,800, from 43,200 in June. Gross mortgage borrowing also fell to £10.9bn in July from £11.1bn in June. But [...]
209-year-old Swiss bank Pictet publishes results for the first time August 26, 2014 Pictet, one of Switzerland's oldest banks, published first-half results for the first time in its 209-year history on Tuesday. The figures showed an operating income of CHF 975m (£642m) in the six months to the end of June, and a consolidated profit of CHF 203m (£134m). Although it did not publish data from previous periods [...]
Telecity share price dives as chief executive Michael Tobin resigns August 26, 2014 Shares in data centre provider Telecity plunged as much as 5 per cent in early trading on Tuesday after Michael Tobin, its outspoken chief executive, resigned. In a statement to the stock exchange ahead of a trading statement due on Friday, Tobin said it was "time to move on". Having led the company for over [...]
No, really: Ann Summers launches Isis lingerie range (well, kind of) August 22, 2014 In what may be the poorest timing in recent retail history, Ann Summers has been forced to deny supporting terrorism after it launched a range of lingerie named "Isis". The range, which appeared in shop windows this week, includes a £26 plunge bra and a £45 babydoll, both in monochrome colours. Obviously, the range isn't named [...]
Fed’s Janet Yellen hints at an early rate rise August 22, 2014 New US Fed chief Janet Yellen raised the prospect of an earlier-than-expected rise in interest rates during her first address to the audience of central bank chiefs at the Kansas City Fed's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday. Yellen, who started her job in February this year, studiously avoided making any commitments to new [...]
Janet Yellen’s Jackson Hole speech: Full text August 22, 2014 Janet Yellen opened the Kansas City Fed's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday for the first time since she was installed as chair of the US Fed. Her speech, on the subject of "labour market dynamics and monetary policy", called for "pragmatic" policy, and said there was "no simple recipe" to help the [...]
Why healthcare could be Google Glass’s biggest market August 22, 2014 Google Glass, the wearable tech device, may be an exciting new development – but with a $1,500 price tag (not to mention its less-than-fashionable appearance), its appeal to the consumer market has so far been limited. But during a conference yesterday, the man widely credited with creating the Glass identified what could end up being [...]
1,400 gay couples have married since the law changed August 21, 2014 More than 1,400 same-sex couples have married since the law changed to allow it, official figures published on Thursday showed. While there were fewer than 100 same-sex weddings during March – the law was changed on March 29 – that number rose to 498 by June. Female couples were more likely to get married – [...]
“Today is a miraculous day”: US Ebola doctor treated with ZMapp discharged from hospital August 21, 2014 Two Americans who contracted Ebola while they were working in Liberia have been discharged from a hospital in Atlanta. Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol were among the first human patients treated with ZMapp, an experimental drug made by US-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical. Before it was rushed to Liberia to be used on patients during the latest [...]
Why Quindell’s share price bombed today, even though profits rose threefold August 21, 2014 Over the past few months, insurance outsourcer Quindell – once the darling of the stock market – has been the reluctant protagonist in a soap opera with a plot involving a shadowy organisation run by a mysterious superhero intent waging war on business “bad guys”. Quindell’s woes began in April, when analyst Gotham City [...]
