Sky and Discovery reach a deal – but the war of words isn’t over January 31, 2017 Discovery and Sky have reached a last-minute deal in a very public spat which had threatened to see popular channels removed from the satellite TV provider. Discovery had threatened to pull its channels after it was dissatisfied with the price Sky had initially offered. The end-of-month deal ensures that its channels, which also include Eurosport [...]
Private equity assets reach a record of almost $2.5 trillion – double the size before the global financial crisis January 31, 2017 The global private equity industry has doubled in size since the global financial crisis to reach a record level of assets under management, according to a new report. The industry now manages $2.49 trillion in investor money, according to the latest figures from data provider Preqin. Assets under management have risen for eight consecutive years [...]
New in-depth study finds apprenticeship levy is little more than a stealth tax and could distort training schemes January 31, 2017 The apprenticeship levy, a flagship government scheme intended to boost the training of young people, has been slammed as little more than a stealth tax following a damning new report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) which found it represents “poor value for money”. The levy will apply to all businesses with a payroll [...]
Higher Germany inflation raises pressure on ECB to tighten monetary policy January 30, 2017 Inflation in Germany rose to just short of the target set by the European Central Bank on price stability, raising pressure further on a historically loose monetary policy stance. Headline inflation rose to 1.9 per cent year-on-year in January, up from 1.7 per cent the month before, according to the German statistics office. Most of [...]
Morale in Europe’s businesses rises to highest since before the Eurozone debt crisis hit in March 2011 January 30, 2017 Confidence in the Eurozone economy has jumped to its highest level since before the debt crisis six years ago ravaged the bloc’s businesses. The European Commission’s economic sentiment indicator rose above economists’ expectations to 108.2, a reading not seen since March 2011. Industry confidence increased markedly, as production expectations grew more optimistic. However, confidence in [...]
Spain’s economy grows faster than the UK in 2016 January 30, 2017 Spain’s economy grew faster than the UK during 2016, as the tentative recovery in one of the countries hardest hit by the Eurozone crisis stabilises further. Growth of 0.7 per cent in the final quarter was enough to push growth in 2016 to 3.2 per cent, according to preliminary estimates from the National Statistics Institute [...]
European industry fears being left behind without investment in innovation January 27, 2017 European industrialists have called for a big increase in efforts to boost innovation as they fear a rise in protectionism and trade restrictions damaging the EU’s economy. The rise in protectionism, most potently symbolised by the rise of Donald Trump as US President, has alarmed business leaders in the European Round Table of Industrialists. Kurt [...]
US consumers feel a Trump bump as confidence rises to 12-year high January 27, 2017 US consumers have greeted the arrival of Donald Trump as President with glee, as confidence soared in January to its highest level in 12 years, according to a closely watched survey. Optimism for the prospects of the world’s largest economy has risen by nine per cent year on year, according to the survey by the [...]
US economy grows slower than expected in fourth quarter of 2016 January 27, 2017 The US economy grew by less than expected in the last full quarter of the presidency of Barack Obama, as the country enters a new era of fiscal and monetary policy. Real GDP grew at an annual rate of 1.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to the US Bureau of Economic [...]
European and US visitor numbers to Britain surge after Brexit as spending jumps January 27, 2017 Visitor numbers to the UK from the EU and America have surged year on year, while a new analysis shows just under 900,000 British citizens live in Europe. US visitor numbers increased by 11 per cent in the three months to November 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, according to the Office for [...]
