Markets rise but Big Mac shares decline – New York Report May 4, 2015 WALL Street ended higher yesterday as corporate earnings came in better than feared, although shares of McDonald’s declined after the fast-food chain’s turnaround plan left investors wanting more. Berkshire Hathaway rose 1.62 per cent, giving the biggest boost to the S&P 500 as the insurance and investment conglomerate’s results beat forecasts. The Dow Jones industrial [...]
Razor sharp: Will King talks moving on from King of Shaves, politics, a plan for Tesco and why we need Tinder for voting May 4, 2015 I came, I saw, I shaved, I died’ isn’t how I want to be remembered,” quips Will King. In 1993, he founded King of Shaves, the popular men’s toiletries brand. In frustration over the poor quality of his own products, he turned to his then-girlfriend’s bath oil for a smoother finish. The resulting businesses, including [...]
Investec Comment: What the election could mean for SMEs May 4, 2015 THE RISE of smaller parties across the UK has made this the most difficult General Election to forecast in at least a generation. We know that the SNP is likely to make major gains across Scotland, winning upwards of 40 seats, mostly from Labour. An increased Ukip vote will likely hit the Conservatives harder than [...]
Saudi’s quiet political revolution: How the kingdom saved itself from disaster May 4, 2015 “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” – Mark Twain While all eyes are understandably on the climax of the most fascinating British election in a generation, an equally important political outcome has quietly been reached in far-away Arabia. There, the Saudi royal family – the House of Saud – has managed [...]
Politicians must start seeing voters like customers – or they’ll shop elsewhere May 4, 2015 The UK’s political heavyweights are throwing their final few punches in what we are assured will be the closest political fight for years. Who will land the knock-out blow is anyone’s guess – but there is one certainty and it revolves around the question of trust. Every voter wants to know which party will deliver [...]
General Election 2015: Why I have decided not to vote this year May 4, 2015 When Russell Brand said last year that he had never voted, and urged others to follow his example, much of the political commentariat lamented his irresponsibility. As ever with Brand, his thinking was faulty. He seemed to believe that politics itself did not matter. In his view, all politicians are much the same. History shows [...]
Is Tesla’s new battery the next big threat to energy firms? May 4, 2015 Bruce Davis is director at Abundance Generation, says Yes. Tesla’s development of in-home energy storage will revolutionise the way we use electricity to power our homes. It will also be a game changer in the market for home solar power systems. The idea of the centralised utility company, providing mass-produced power, will be a thing [...]
How to crack the UAE May 4, 2015 Nicole Green finds out why relationships are so important when trading with one of Britain’s leading export markets EVEN for ambitious businesses, breaking into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may seem like a challenging prospect. It’s a complex economy, with its own cultural quirks and peculiarities. But it’s also one of the UK’s leading export [...]
A better understanding of risk can unlock finance May 4, 2015 For British manufacturing firms seeking finance, a return to the lending practices of 30 years ago, when decisions were based less on financials and more around “common sense”, may be welcome news. This is according to Mike Hartley, head of commercial credit north at Santander, who says that lenders are now looking more holistically at [...]
Interview: City A.M. talks economics with Santander UK chief economist Barry Naisbitt May 4, 2015 GDP growth slowed to 0.3 per cent in the first quarter. Is the UK economy losing momentum? Growth at 0.3 per cent was a surprise relative to expectations, particularly expectations based on purchasing managers index surveys, retail sales and the like. We do know that GDP figures get revised, however. It seems to me that, [...]
