The nightmare before Christmas: Ofcom says fairy lights could interfere with your wifi December 1, 2015 Next time your internet connection isn't working, blame your fairy lights, which Ofcom has warned can interfere with the wifi signal. Ofcom released its telecoms and wireless network report today, which suggests wireless broadband may be slower than it should be in nearly six million UK homes, thanks to poor set-up and inference from household objects including lamps, microwaves, baby [...]
The UK has one of the lowest pensions in developed world according to the OECD December 1, 2015 The UK has some of the lowest pensions in the World, according to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report out this morning. Public pensions spending in the UK accounts for 5.6 per cent of GDP, less than the OECD average of 7.9 per cent of GDP, even though the UK has an older population. Across the [...]
Silverfleet Capital sell Office for £256m to South African retailer Truworths, more than tripling its money November 30, 2015 Office, the shoe shop, has been sold by its private equity owner Silverfleet to Truworths International, a South African fashion retailer for £256m. Silverfleet achieved an impressive 3.4x return on its investment five years ago, in December 2010, when it bought the shoe brand from Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist, who's behind private equity vehicle West [...]
BHP Billiton shares plummet after Brazilian government says it will take legal action seeking $5.2bn in damages after the Samarco mine disaster November 30, 2015 Mining giant BHP Billiton is one of the FTSE 100's biggest fallers today, with shares trading down 3.39 per cent, at 778.70p, having fallen as low as 756.7p after Brazil said it would seek around $5.2bn (£3.5bn) in damages from BHP and Vale, co-owners of the Samarco mine, where 13 people were killed after a dam burst. BHP and [...]
Aberdeen Asset Management’s chief executive Martin Gilbert wants a Fed rate rise in December to avoid emerging market sell-off November 30, 2015 We need the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in December, was the message from the chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management Martin Gilbert. He told City A.M. a Fed rate hike “won't cause problems in the emerging markets (Ems) because it's been so well signalled. “The problem is if the Fed doesn't raise rates, it [...]
Mortgage lending and individual borrowing rose in October according to the latest Bank of England credit report November 30, 2015 The number of mortgages approved in October rose to 69,630, just up from September's 69,012 figure and higher than the 68,099 average over the last six months, Bank of England figures published today showed. The value of new mortgage approvals hit £12.2bn. The October total was just shy of the 70,000 figure forecast by analysts and up 17.2 per cent year-on-year, from 59,423 in October [...]
Friends, Dirty Dancing, a hatchback and £4,300 in savings: How do you compare to the average 30-year-old? November 30, 2015 The average 30-something has £4,300 saved in the bank, drives a hatchback, and will spend more than three years saving for a deposit. Sound familiar? A survey by Nationwide reveals 30- to 35-year-olds on average have around £343 a month in disposable income, which they splash on two meals out, two nights out, and one trip to the cinema [...]
Funding Circle’s SME Income listed fund set to join the London Stock Exchange after £150m floattion November 30, 2015 Funding Circle’s SME Income fund is due to join the London Stock Exchange today. It is the first such fund to have been launched by a crowd-funding platform. Funding Circle’s listed fund will provide investors with access to a diverse portfolio loans from its debt crowd-funding platform, and will focus on SMEs in the UK and [...]
Battle of the Banks: UBS is financial advisor to the most FTSE 100 companies, followed by JP Morgan and Bank of America Merrill Lynch November 30, 2015 UBS has managed to win the battle of the banks and remain at the top of the table of FTSE 100 financial advisors for another year, with 14 clients in the UK's blue-chip index, according to Adviser Rankings' data. JP Morgan and Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML) were just behind with 13 and 11 [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: John Lewis & Marks and Spencer’s best deals on kitchenware, homeware and furniture including Sony TVs, Le Creuset pans and Dyson vacuum cleaners November 26, 2015 Like it or not, it appears Black Friday is here to stay, and us Britons can't get enough. It's estimated that we will spend as much as £1.9bn on 27 November, with Visa expecting £721m to be spent online. Peak shopping times will be between 6pm and 7pm, as commuters go shopping on their mobiles. Homeware will account [...]
