Eurozone inflation falls to its lowest rate in eight months as business output crashes January 4, 2019 A fall in oil prices saw eurozone inflation crash to an eight-month low in December as business activity fell to a four-year low, it emerged today. Inflation for the 19-country area stood at 1.6 per cent in the last month of 2018, down from 1.9 per cent in November and the lowest recorded since April, [...]
Brexit fears see job creation fall to 29-month low January 4, 2019 Brexit uncertainty weighed on the UK’s services sector at the end of 2018 as it marked the close of the year with some of its weakest growth in recent times, while job creation fell to a 29-month low. The services sector posted a 51.2 score for December in the closely-followed IHS Markit/CIPS services purchasing managers’ [...]
Poll: Most Tories would back a no-deal Brexit rather than support Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement January 4, 2019 More than half of Tory party members prefer a no-deal Brexit over Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, a new poll today suggests. Around 57 per cent of Conservatives would support leaving the EU with no agreement compared to just 23 per cent prepared to back the Prime Minister’s vision. The Yougov poll, funded by the Economic and [...]
UK house prices fall in December on Brexit uncertainty as annual growth rate hits six-year low January 4, 2019 UK house prices fell by 0.7 per cent in December, as prices’ annual growth rate dropped to its lowest level in almost six years. Prices grew by just 0.5 per cent year on year, compared to 2.6 per cent growth in 2017, but fell compared to November. London recorded a 0.8 per cent decline in house [...]
David Davis: May should postpone parliament’s Brexit vote again to stoke no deal fears January 3, 2019 Former Brexit secretary David Davis believes Theresa May should delay parliament’s vote on her Brexit deal for a second time in order to push Britain closer to a no-deal scenario, and to pile pressure onto MPs and the EU. Parliament was originally due to vote on May’s deal on 11 December, but the Prime Minister [...]
Overcrowding on trains close to a record high as commuters warned it will get even worse January 3, 2019 Overcrowding on trains has hit one of its highest ever levels – but is likely to get even worse, according to Labour. The 10 most overcrowded peak train routes are already running at 187 per cent overcapacity, the party’s analysis found, an increase of 25 per cent since 2011. And they are likely to get [...]
Playtech pays €28m to settle Israeli tax audit after shares shaken by Italy gambling tax January 2, 2019 Betting software firm Playtech has agreed to pay €28m (£25.2m) to settle a run-in with Israeli tax authorities. Israel had audited the company’s accounts between 2008 and 2017, with the additional tax payment covering this period. The company will face no penalties once it makes the payment in the next 30 days. The news comes shortly [...]
Luxury slippers brand Mahabis falls into administration January 2, 2019 Upmarket footwear brand Mahabis has entered administration after four years of trading, the company has confirmed. The luxury slippers maker called in administrators KRE on 27 December, despite selling almost 1m pairs of slippers in more than 100 countries. Mahabis described itself as “desperately disappointed” at the news. The online retailer – which targeted millenials [...]
Rail fares rise by 3.1 per cent as commuters stage protests at train stations across the UK January 2, 2019 Rail fares increased by an average of 3.1 per cent today despite commuters suffering a year of travel chaos in 2018. Passengers are set to stage a national protest at the hike today, which will see many rail season tickets increase by more than £100. Commuters, rail union leaders and politicians are expected to protest [...]
Investigation clears EBRD president after ‘director dossier’ claims December 14, 2018 The head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was cleared of wrongdoing yesterday, following member states’ claims that the lender inappropriately gathered information on some of their directors. The bank confirmed that an external investigation has exonerated EBRD president Suma Chakrabarti after board members representing some of the bank's 70 member governments [...]
