Euro area jobless rate stuck at record high yet retail sales rise January 8, 2014 THE UNEMPLOYMENT rate in the Eurozone stuck at a record high for the eighth month in a row in November, with joblessness hitting an historic peak in Italy. Separate data also showed a 1.4 per cent jump in retail sales in November, the sharpest monthly rise for 13 years and a more positive sign for [...]
Growing trade surplus ignites feud over Germany’s exports January 8, 2014 THE ROW over the size of Germany’s trade surplus was stoked yesterday by data that showed its exports rising for a fourth straight month. The release coincided with a visit to Berlin by US Treasury secretary Jack Lew who has said that the German government should be doing more to stimulate domestic demand. Germany’s current account [...]
Persimmon steps up construction as house recovery spurs demand January 8, 2014 HOUSEBUILDER Persimmon posted a 21 per cent jump in full-year revenues yesterday helped by higher prices and strong demand. The group said it has boosted construction activity as a result of a rise in weekly sales rates and that new house sales had increased by 16 per cent to 11,528 for 2013. Meanwhile housing and [...]
Greece misses 2013 target for assets sell-off January 8, 2014 GREECE’S court of auditors yesterday unexpectedly blocked the sale of 28 state assets to two Athens-based companies, the privatisation agency said yesterday, meaning that the country will miss its €1.3bn (£1.1bn) target for selloffs in 2013. Selling state assets is a key condition of Greece’s €240bn rescue package. But the debt-laden nation has so far [...]
Alibaba division deals a new blow to Bitcoin in China January 8, 2014 CHINA’S largest e-commerce business, Alibaba Group, will prohibit the sale of Bitcoin in the wake of People’s Bank of China’s crackdown on the cryptocurrency. Last year, Chinese authorities instructed all third party payment companies to stop offering clearing services to Bitcoin exchanges by 31 January. In December, the People’s Bank of China announced a ban [...]
Recruiter says UK recovering its confidence January 8, 2014 ROBERT Walters said yesterday British companies are becoming more confident about hiring white-collar staff – but London is proving the exception, as financial services firms shy away from big decisions. The firm, which posted a nine per cent rise in quarterly net fee income to £49.7m yesterday, said UK income was up 18 per cent [...]
Analysts label Twitter a sell January 8, 2014 TWITTER suffered its third analyst downgrade in the last two weeks yesterday when Cantor Fitzgerald gave the firm a sell rating. Shares in the firm slumped 3.7 per cent yesterday to $59.2 (£35.9), adding to the firm’s six per cent fall already this year. “We find Twitter’s valuation to be excessive and currently see materially [...]
Diageo joins Diddy for a shot of tequila January 8, 2014 DIAGEO and celebrity rapper turned business mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs have jointly bought luxury tequila brand DeLeon, hoping to repeat the success they have had with the company’s fast-growing Ciroc vodka. “With Ciroc, we dated. Now with DeLeon, we’re married,” Combs said. “This deal is way better. This makes me a true owner.”
City lady says “Take Me Out” January 8, 2014 IN A CITY where smiling at someone on the Tube can get you arrested and most are trapped in a cycle of lunch al desko, finding love can sometimes be tricky. Well, one City worker has taken matters into her own hands (actually, strictly speaking Paddy McGuinness’ hands) and appeared on ITV’s Take Me Out. If [...]
Happy day for Winkler as he receives the Freedom of the City January 8, 2014 We already know how he feels about a third runway at Heathrow after an inadvertent BBC interview, now the Fonz has integrated into London life even further – receiving the Freedom of the City of London. Actor Henry Winkler was granted the honour at Guildhall last night in recognition of his work with young people [...]
