Gold fix revamp to resist fiddling February 2, 2015 A NEW gold price benchmark will launch next month under the auspices of the Intercontinental Exchange group (ICE), replacing the near-century old gold fix. The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Gold Price should have more participants than the outgoing fix, which is set by just four banks. The pool of banks will be much wider, with Chinese [...]
Afren share price jumps 88.7 per cent after debt deadline moves February 2, 2015 Shares in oil firm Afren shot up by 88.7 per cent yesterday, following news at the close of trading on Friday that the company has been given extra time to repay its debts. The Africa-focused firm has obtained a deferral of a $50m (£33m) amortisation payment, which was due on 31 January, until 27 February, [...]
Aston Martin finance chief Hanno Kirner quits to take new post at Rolls-Royce February 2, 2015 Aston Martin’s chief financial officer has quit the luxury car-maker to take up the same position at Rolls-Royce’s land and sea division. Hanno Kirner, who had been with James Bond’s brand of choice since 2010, has been immediately replaced by Vikram Bhatia, who the company praised for his Deloitte training and “more than 30 years’ [...]
Business group urges red tape renegotiation February 2, 2015 BRITAIN should get the EU to cut red tape and stop bashing the City, campaign group Business for Britain said today, as it set out 10 key points it wants to see in the membership renegotiation plans. If the Conservatives win the general election, David Cameron said he will renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the European [...]
Turn UK railway tracks into express bus lanes to reduce ticket prices and allow commuters to sit down, says IEA February 2, 2015 Commuters could save money, and even be able to sit down, if some of the UK’s railways were turned into bus routes instead, according to a new report by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). In the report named “Paving Over the Tracks: A better use of Britain’s railways?” authors Paul Withrington and Richard Wellings [...]
Eurozone gets a lift from factory sector growth February 2, 2015 A SPARK of good news emerged from the Eurozone’s manufacturers yesterday, while separate data from the UK showed British factories enjoying economic growth. The latest purchasing managers’ index (PMI), compiled by Markit, showed that the Eurozone manufacturing sector’s rate of growth rose by 0.4 percentage points in January, to 51. Any figure above 50 indicates growth. [...]
London’s population soars to an all-time record, new data shows February 2, 2015 LONDON is now home to more people than at any time in its history, with the capital’s population set to grow by more than a quarter by 2050. There are 8.63m people living in the capital now, compared with 8.61m at its previous peak in 1939, according to figures published yesterday by the Greater London [...]
Boom is back: Britons party like it is 2006 February 2, 2015 BRITISH consumers are more confident than at any point since 2006, the peak of the boom years, according to a study out today from market researchers at Nielsen. Sentiment has improved over each of the past four quarters, with confidence levels in the UK up five times faster than the global average. Nielsen’s index for [...]
Ashcourt Rowan’s turnaround king Jonathan Polin is a glutton for punishment February 2, 2015 “I am going to the beach for a week or two. I’ve not decided where. I want to go to the beach, then walk Machu Picchu, or somewhere. Somewhere with no mobile signal.” Jonathan Polin has earned a break, and he knows it – he has taken Ashcourt Rowan from the brink of collapse to [...]
Cote Brasserie owner buys up stake in UK insurance business February 2, 2015 CBPE Capital, the owner of popular dining chain Cote Restaurants, yesterday snapped up a controlling stake in UK insurance company Compre. CBPE has bought the business, based in the UK but with operations in Germany, Switzerland and across the Nordic region, from Milestone Capital Partners. Compre specialises in buying non-life insurance and reinsurance business in [...]
