London property market: Why a mansion tax could be disastrous for government coffers September 10, 2014 The threat of a mansion tax still looms large over the prime London housing market – despite the fact it could end up cutting the amount of tax paid to the government, according to research from property consultancy Savills. A mansion tax has been suggested by both the Liberal Democrats and Labour, and has proven [...]
B&Q owner Kingfisher’s share price rises as it names Veronique Laury as Sir Ian Cheshire’s replacement September 10, 2014 Shares in B&Q owner Kingfisher opened 2.8 per cent higher this morning after it revealed its new chief executive as Sir Ian Cheshire prepares to step down. He will be replaced by the chief executive of Castorama France, Veronique Laury, before the end of the financial year. Cheshire, who has been with the company for [...]
Satoshi Nakamoto could be unmasked if this hacker gets 25 Bitcoins September 9, 2014 A hacker is offering to reveal information that could unmask the anonymous founder of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. The hacker, whose name is Jeffrey, claims he managed to get hold of the information by taking control of Nakamoto's email address; satoshin@gmx.com. “The fool used a primary gmx under his full name and had aliases set up [...]
Scottish independence: David Cameron will miss PMQs to support the No campaign September 9, 2014 The main party leaders have announced they will skip the weekly joust of Prime Minister's Questions. Instead, David Cameron and Ed Miliband will head to Scotland to try to save the floundering Better Together campaign. They will also be joined by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. In a joint statement from all three, they [...]
Independent Scotland “will have to re-apply for Nato membership” – and will have a £500m defence shortfall September 9, 2014 As the debate over Scottish independence rages and the latest polls show the two sides neck and neck, Scotland's future place in world affairs is becoming an increasingly popular talking point. The most recent comment on the issue has come from a Nato official, who told Reuters Scotland will have to reapply for its membership [...]
Whitbread share price rises as Costa Coffee injects caffeine into sales September 9, 2014 Shares in leisure giant Whitbread opened 1.6 per cent higher, after it posted a trading statement showing Costa Coffee delivered like-for-like sales of 5.8 per cent in the 24 weeks to 14 August, helping to make up for more sluggish growth of 3.1 per cent in its restaurants. Costa enjoyed growth in worldwide sales of [...]
Scottish independence: Why the more you know, the more likely you are to vote yes September 8, 2014 Markets, politicians and the public are still taking in the shock of the first poll showing the Yes campaign ahead for the first time in the race for Scottish independence. A Sunday Times YouGov poll this weekend found 51 per cent are planning to vote in favour of independence and 49 per cent are planning [...]
Pound slides 2.5pc on Scottish independence fears September 8, 2014 While investors and the public are still digesting the latest polling on Scottish independence putting the Yes campaign in the lead for the first time, the pound took a knock in early Monday Asian trading. Britain's currency slid 2.5 per cent in the early afternoon to $1.6137, pushing past the lows of this year of [...]
Labour’s landlord cap “could result in higher rental prices” September 8, 2014 Ed Miliband's plan to cap rent increases has come in for sharp criticism in a report released today by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). Instead of focusing on limiting what Labour has called an "excessive" increase in rents, policy makers should look to radically liberalise the planning system to allow for more private rented [...]
ECB rates, growth and stimulus: Four charts that tell you what you need to know September 4, 2014 Today has been a busy day for central bank watchers. The Bank of England's monetary policy committee voted to keep rates at a record low of 0.5 per cent – but the European Central Bank (ECB) was where today's action really was. The ECB, against expectations, cut interest rates to 0.05 per cent and later [...]
