Buffett not so sage after S&P outclasses him March 3, 2014 STOCK picking guru Warren Buffett failed to beat America’s S&P 500 again last year, marking the first time he has lost to the index over a five-year period since he started in 1965, results show. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway saw its book value per share rise by 18.2 per cent in 2013, while the S&P 500 [...]
Firms of the future are expected to hire four generations of staff March 3, 2014 BRITISH workplaces could soon have four generations of employees on staff, as an ageing population and a rise in flexible jobs mean people must work for longer. Meanwhile, a boom in business technologies could make many semi-skilled and white-collar jobs obsolete and force those who have been left behind to retrain, according to the UK [...]
UK’s most deprived areas see biggest surge in productivity March 3, 2014 SOME of the poorest parts of the UK have seen the biggest bounce back in output since the end of the recession, according to new research out today. Eight of the top 10 areas with the fastest growth in productivity are economically deprived, according to accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. By gross value added (GVA), [...]
John Lewis launches search for tech firms to help lift its game March 3, 2014 JOHN LEWIS has launched a search for five start-up technology companies to develop new ideas for the retailer and to help it stay ahead as mobiles and tablets change the way consumers shop. The department store group is setting up a technology incubator called JLAB, with five successful firms given office space and advice to [...]
London hotels to have highest growth in 2015 March 3, 2014 LONDON hotels are set to outperform their European rivals next year, as rising room rates and visitor numbers help to boost fortunes. An improving economy and a rise in the number of people travelling will mean hotels in all of Europe’s 18 major cities except for Madrid report growth this year and next, according to [...]
Housing market surge spreads through the UK March 3, 2014 HOUSE prices rose across the largest proportion of the UK on record this February, shooting up at the fastest pace recorded for a single month, according to Hometrack’s latest assessment of the rapid recovery in the property market. Last month, 51.1 per cent of postcodes saw price increases, according to the research, released today. Only [...]
Government to make gambling industry’s new code mandatory March 3, 2014 CULTURE secretary Maria Miller is backing new voluntary industry measures to restrict the use of high-stakes gambling machines. The changes will prevent bookies from advertising the machines in their windows and introduce an alert system to pop up after someone has been using a machine for 30 minutes, or when they have spent £250. Writing [...]
Virgin Money to boost bonuses March 3, 2014 VIRGIN Money is this week set to approve banking bonuses of up to 200 per cent of executive’s salaries. Sir Richard Branson’s banking arm will reveal investor approval for the move at tomorrow’s full-year results, according to Sky News. The bonus decision comes as new European rules demand there should be a 100 per cent [...]
Labour: free coffee to stay March 3, 2014 A LABOUR MP who called on his colleagues to press supermarket chain Waitrose into withdrawing its free coffee and newspaper deal for loyalty card holders has received short shrift from his own party. Andy Sawford accused the firm of taking business away from independent shops, but a Labour spokesperson put an end to the budding [...]
Retailers point to impact of flooding on February sales March 2, 2014 POOR retail sales in February were down to bad weather and fewer stores discounting products, according to BDO. The firm’s high street sales tracker, which follows like-for-like performance among mid-market British stores, showed sales down by 0.9 per cent in comparison to the same month last year. BDO suggested that flooding in the UK affected [...]
