Russian government shutters three more McDonald’s outlets August 26, 2014 The Russian government yesterday closed another three branches of McDonald’s, despite official denials that the shutdowns were related to sanction efforts against western governments. Last week, the state shuttered four McDonald’s outlets in Moscow, citing unsanitary conditions. Yesterday, two more in Moscow were closed, along with one in the mountainous Urals region. The company’s Russian [...]
Hollande sacks socialist rebels in reshuffle August 25, 2014 THE FRENCH government was dissolved yesterday, after just four months in office, following a scathing attack on the Eurozone’s economic policies from economy minister Arnaud Montebourg. Embattled President Francois Hollande formed the government in April, when Prime Minister Manuel Valls was brought into office after the Socialist Party’s gruelling losses in local elections. But during [...]
Top state schools add £21,000 premium to house prices in catchment areas August 25, 2014 Buying a house in a catchment area for one of the best state schools in England can cost tens of thousands of pounds more than a similar home in the same area, according to research out today. Figures from Lloyds Bank indicate that it costs an average of £21,000 more to live in the catchment [...]
Manufacturers say pay deals are bucking national wage slump August 25, 2014 The UK’s industrial firms are reporting stronger wage growth than dismal official figures suggest, with a new survey indicating that wages in the sector are now accelerating at a faster pace than inflation. The latest figures from manufacturing industry body EEF show an average pay increase of 2.6 per cent between February and July, in [...]
Fuel price decline lifts spending power for embattled consumers August 25, 2014 The drop in fuel prices and lower inflation on other essential items is helping to prop up discretionary incomes in the UK, according to figures released this morning. Fuel prices fell by 2.9 per cent in the year to July, according to research conducted by Asda, while food prices also dipped by 0.4 per cent. [...]
Professional services hiring hits a record high even as growth eases August 25, 2014 Professional and business services firms are currently snapping up new staff at the fastest pace in at least 16 years, with slower growth in the sector failing to stem a wave of hiring. According to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) this morning, more business and professional services firms are reporting that they are recruiting [...]
Misery growing for Eurozone as growth falters and consumer confidence wavers August 21, 2014 The Eurozone’s major economies are facing another slowdown, with confidence and output sliding even further after the bloc’s growth ground to a halt in the second quarter of the year. Grim figures yesterday from data firm Markit showed both services and manufacturing firms in Europe reporting a slower expansion this month. The purchasing managers’ index [...]
Borrowing blues adds to concern on fiscal targets August 21, 2014 Government borrowing fell during July, according to figures released yesterday, but questions about whether the government would meet its current fiscal targets still remained. Public borrowing fell to £0.8m in July this year, cut from £1.6bn in the same month last year, when one-off interventions were removed. However, in the first four months of the [...]
Fastest growth since 2010 seen by US factories August 21, 2014 US MANUFACTURING is currently enjoying a growth spurt, with the fastest expansion in four years this month, according to a private survey released yesterday. Markit’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) figures for August came in at 58, the highest reading since 2010. Any score about 50 indicates growth, and higher readings suggest particularly rapid expansions. Some [...]
House building rises, but more homes needed August 21, 2014 Even after the past year’s spike in house building, England is still far short of an adequate level of construction, exacerbating the country’s enormous supply shortfall. Building firms started construction work on 137,000 residential properties during the year to June, an increase of 22 per cent on the same period last year, according to the [...]
