Germany on collision course with Brussels as exports climb higher September 8, 2015 GERMANY is set to clash with the European Commission (EC) after it exported a record €103.4bn (£75.25bn) worth of goods and services in July, taking the country’s trade surplus an all-time high of €25bn. The EC has already warned Germany this year that it needs to take more decisive policy action to tackle its surplus, [...]
Citizens Advice: Pension freedoms pushing people towards guidance September 8, 2015 NEW PENSION freedoms may be pushing older Brits to take a second look at more than just their savings. One in four people seeking guidance on their pensions is also asking for help on other issues such as managing money, benefits and debt, according to a new report out yesterday from Citizens Advice. The national [...]
Rolls-Royce dented by anti-corruption moves in China September 8, 2015 Rolls-Royce yesterday conceded that sales of its luxury cars have been hit by a fall in demand in China. The chief executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, talking to the BBC World Service’s World Business Report, said the turnaround in the market had been unexpectedly fast. “We have been surprised by the speed of development in the Chinese [...]
City Moves for 9 September 2015 | Who’s switching jobs September 8, 2015 Colliers International The commercial real estate services provider has appointed Charles Cowley as head of London offices lease advisory. He joins from Savills, where he was director of lease advisory. Cowley has 25 years’ experience in the industry, and also previously headed the landlord and tenant team in CBRE’s West End office. Northern Trust Douglas [...]
Wall Street jumps after China rebound – New York Report September 8, 2015 US stocks rose more than two per cent yesterday, bouncing after steep losses last week and a China-fuelled rebound in global equities. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 390.3 points, or 2.42 per cent, to 16,492.68, the S&P 500 gained 48.19 points, or 2.51 per cent, to 1,969.41 and the Nasdaq Composite added 128.01 points, [...]
Catastrophic EU VAT rules are destroying the digital sector September 8, 2015 In January, new EU VAT legislation was imposed on the broadcasting, telecoms and digital sectors, causing a crisis for SMEs. Thousands of businesses have closed, geo-blocking (the refusal of non-EU businesses to sell into the EU) is rampant, and the legislation threatens to wreck the Digital Single Market. In simple terms, the new [...]
Why economics can prevent Europe’s refugee crisis from becoming even worse September 8, 2015 Emotions are running high over the refugee crisis, with heart-breaking images arousing waves of compassion across Europe. As ever, however, economics lurks in the background. The tragic stories of refugees coming to Europe rightly elicit a call to help those in need, but we must understand the underlying realities to truly do something about [...]
Government procrastination must end: Give the green light to Heathrow expansion now September 8, 2015 As ministers return to their desks this week from their summer holidays, the government will be faced with the pressing issue of whether to back the expansion of airport capacity in London and the South East. This follows the clear recommendation of the Airports Commission in July to build a new runway at Heathrow. [...]
After killing two British IS jihadists, is the government right to say it won’t hesitate to use drone strikes again? September 8, 2015 Robin Simcox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, says Yes There is, correctly, a high threshold for the government to meet before carrying out a targeted strike against a British citizen. This is the first time such a strike has taken place, and it was done to prevent Reyaad Khan – an [...]
Bale never came close to leaving Real for Old Trafford, says agent September 8, 2015 Suggestions that Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale was close to joining Manchester United this summer were scotched yesterday by the player’s agent. United were linked with Bale, who joined Real from Tottenham for a world record £83.5m in 2013, although the man who brokered that deal claimed the notion of Bale moving to Old Trafford [...]
