Reports reveal services leading the UK recovery – London Report May 31, 2015 THE UK service sector is once again expected to be the star turn as purchasing managers (PMI) reports this week show continued economic growth. Figures due out on Wednesday are expected to show the sector held up well in May, remaining stable at 59.5 (with 50 and above denoting growth) after rising to this level [...]
Bumper month for US car sales may lift stocks – The week ahead on Wall St May 31, 2015 SHARES of US automakers may finally be able to accelerate. Investors are closely awaiting this week’s May sales data, expected to come in near record levels. Meeting those forecasts could be enough to lift the sector – among the cheapest in the market – putting the sting of product recalls and tepid recent growth in [...]
How economic prosperity led Ireland to overturn centuries of conservatism with same-sex marriage vote May 31, 2015 Before the tide of euphoria passes, it is worth thinking back a moment on what the overwhelming vote in Ireland in favour of same-sex marriage actually means. This traditional, close-knit country, dominated for centuries by the socially conservative Catholic Church, seems at first glance an unlikely location for global social advances. Yet by approving a [...]
Why companies have a public duty to publish their Brexit risk assessments May 31, 2015 A “Top-secret taskforce” always makes for a good headline, and “news” that the Bank of England has just such a unit to look at Brexit was discussed with glee. Headline-grabbing as it may be, it would truly be far more extraordinary if the Bank (or Deutsche Bank, which made similar waves by announcing its own [...]
Tax Freedom Day has come: You’re finally working for yourself May 31, 2015 Congratulations – you, and the rest of the UK, have collectively paid off your taxes for the year, and it only took you 150 days to do it. Every year, the Adam Smith Institute calculates Tax Freedom Day – the first day of the year when the average person stops working for the government [...]
With no deal on the cards, is the Eurozone too complacent about the risks Grexit poses? May 31, 2015 Guy Foster, group head of research at Brewin Dolphin, says Yes. It’s difficult to tell how complacent the Eurogroup really is about the risks of Grexit, as its rhetoric forms part of the negotiations. Both parties are citing a Grexit as their best alternative to a negotiated agreement. Their respective hands are strengthened as it [...]
Fighting forward: The Black Farmer’s Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones talks sausages, political incorrectness and willpower May 31, 2015 Being an entrepreneur is all about timing. You can have the best-laid plans in the world, a huge amount of skill, but it’s really about catching the zeitgeist.” This is Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones’s opening line to me. After a brief pause, he adds, “life is also all about timing”. This is something the founder of [...]
Investec Comment: How a retail bond can give a firm the edge May 31, 2015 THE PROFESSIONAL rugby union club Wasps launched its debut retail bond at the London Stock Exchange last week, raising £35m. I was very proud to have been involved in the transaction, and it’s fair to say that the success of the issue is the latest sign of growing investor appetite for retail bonds in the [...]
Remote working: Ensuring an easy ride when employees work from home May 31, 2015 Even if they can sort the trust issue, there are still some key legal considerations for employers. We have become information junkies. The web is booming, thousands of apps come into being each month, and we have constant entertainment feeds to read and video clips to watch. And now, information has turned inwards – [...]
Why Toshiba still sees value in rugby after 60 years supporting the sport May 31, 2015 Japanese firm Toshiba sees the 2015 Rugby World Cup as a chance to build B2B connections IT’S THE nature of sporting events that, for all the hype in advance, and indeed while they’re taking place, before we know it they’re over and the carousel moves on to the next celebration and jamboree. The Rugby World [...]
