Four charts that show how remittances are helping growing economies October 14, 2013 The World Bank published a great briefing paper on remittances this month, and the data is staggering. Remittances (the flows from non-residents to residents) are expected to $540bn (£338bn) by 2016. We've got four charts from that paper that show just how vital remittances are to growth. 1. Remittances are huge Even your armchair economist [...]
Christmas sales to be strongest since crisis October 14, 2013 Christmas sales this year are forecast to be the best since the pre-recession levels of 2007, according to a report released by Verdict Retail. Consumer spending is expected to reach £88.4bn in the fourth quarter, a 2.2 per cent increase from last year. Online sales are set to reach £11.6bn, a 12 per cent rise [...]
Five best spots in the City for a clandestine meeting October 14, 2013 Security experts Blackstone Consultancy have analysed the City of London's top venues to find the best spots for those wanting to host clandestine meetings with potential employers, recruitment consultants, or with other parties that value discretion. The research was conducted by recruitment platform jobandtalent.com and saw security experts scrutinise some of the City's most popular [...]
Almost a third of Londoners in poverty according to think tank October 14, 2013 Almost one third of Londoners are living in poverty, according to new research conducted by the New Policy Institute. The study shows that 28 per cent of all Londoners are living in poverty, seven percentage points above the national average. The survey commissioned by Trust for London uses the official definition of poverty, a household [...]
Fama, Hansen & Shiller awarded with Nobel prize for economics October 14, 2013 Eugene Fama, Lars Hansen and Robert Shiller been announced the winner of the Nobel prize in economic sciences for their work in predictions. Or as the committee puts it "for their empirical analysis of asset prices." There is no way to predict the price of stocks and bonds over the next few days or weeks. [...]
Amazon’s best selling products of all time October 14, 2013 Amazon, the online mega retailer, has published a bumper list of entertainment best sellers. We've got as much as we can fit of the 15 years worth of data below. Overall Fastest Selling Product Fastest selling product of all time Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (physical book) Fastest Selling Product by Category Fastest selling [...]
BT offers movies package as Sky agreement reached October 14, 2013 Fresh signs that the relationship between BT and Sky might be healing. The two have signed a multi-year contract that will see BT customers able to watch Sky Movies for an additional monthly subscription, from 26 October. BT TV customers will be able to enjoy the latest movies across 11 Sky Movies channels, in standard [...]
Eurogroup chief says direct recapitalisations are possible after ECB reviews October 14, 2013 Jeroen Dijsselbloem, chief of the Eurogroup, has said that European Stability Mechanism (ESM) direct recapitalisations are possible after European Central Bank (ECB) reviews. This is being met with some scepticism. Countdown to 'clarification' 3—2—1—RT @fwred: He's baaack *DIJSSELBLOEM SAYS ESM DIRECT RECAPS POSSIBLE AFTER ECB REVIEWS — Paweł Morski (@Pawelmorski) October 14, 2013 *DIJSSELBLOEM SAYS [...]
Investment in renewable energy declines sharply October 14, 2013 Global investment in clean energy was £28.7bn in the third quarter of 2013, a 14 per cent fall on the second quarter of this year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEW). Investment in the sector is now 20 per cent below the number for the third quarter of 2012. The weak investment figures will [...]
Politicisation of energy market spells trouble for SSE says JP Morgan October 14, 2013 JP Morgan has warned that the politicisation of the UK energy market could lead credit ratings agencies to downgrade energy firm SSE. The recent announcement that the company would raise prices by 8.2 per cent, adding £104 to the average annual bill, led to a series of condemnations by senior Labour politicians. SSE asserted that [...]
