Is this the happiest we’ve been since 2008? April 16, 2014 Economists aren’t great at measuring happiness – or a lack thereof – no matter how hard they work on complex methodologies in a bid to record our levels of contentment. But one of the more simple, and therefore arguably powerful, measures has long been known as the Misery Index. It’s simple – high unemployment and [...]
Top City bankers strip for the Young Vic April 16, 2014 It’s the video they wish we’d never seen, five top City names take part in a fundraising video for the Young Vic theatre which sees them rip open their shirts and sing at the top of their voices. The video was never supposed to be public, it was aired for 400 guests at special screening [...]
Is Dogecoin finally starting to cannibalise itself with meme-based crypto conference? April 16, 2014 Finally – the conference Dogecoin investors have been waiting for. The amusingly titled "Dogecon" will be hosted in San Francisco on 25 April, with six hours of panels and keynotes. They'll be bringing together top entrepreneurs, investors, and activists interested in the meme-based cryptocurrency. And it's one that already boasts a range of speakers, including [...]
Why Alibaba’s IPO will be the biggest tech float in history April 16, 2014 Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, is on track to reach a $188bn (£111.9bn) market valuation when it floats on the US stock market in coming weeks and is expected to raise $16bn, making it the biggest technology float in history. The debut, if it reaches IG’s grey market mid-point of trading, will surpass Facebook (which [...]
Bankers are getting out of the casino game, but not in the way you might think April 16, 2014 Deutsche Bank could be looking to dispose some gambling property, according to reports. But we're not referring to typical "casino banking" here. Instead, Deutsche is preparing for the sale of some more traditional gambling properties. We're talking about the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas Resort – an establishment famously marketed as doing "just the right amount of [...]
Co-op’s Paul Flowers charged with drugs offences April 16, 2014 The former chairman of the Co-op bank, Paul Flowers, has been charged with offences over class A and class C drugs. Flowers held the role until last summer, when it was alleged by the Mail on Sunday that he had been using illegal narcotics, including crystal meth. It was revealed in January that Flowers had [...]
Wage growth is back with a bang as unemployment falls below 7pc April 16, 2014 Perhaps finally an ease to consumer budgets, and a chance that the "cost of living crisis" meme may start to fade away. For the first time since July 2009, the Office for National Statistics' measure of average earnings growth may now exceed headline inflation. Yesterday saw headline consumer price inflation fall to a four and [...]
Embattled insurer RSA’s UK and Western Europe boss quits April 16, 2014 RSA Insurance's attempts to renew itself continue. The insurer announced the "agreed resignation" of its UK and Western Europe CEO Adrian Brown this morning. That sees Brown resign from the board, but continuing in his executive role until a successor is found. Brown's final departure date is expected to be somewhere in the second half [...]
How much does a house in the UK really cost? April 15, 2014 Buying a home in the UK will set you back £235,000 on average, according to the latest figures published this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). “But hold on a minute,” I hear the news-hounds among you say. “Yesterday I read that it was much higher than that.” And indeed you may have. [...]
Rio Tinto’s shareholders are green and angry April 15, 2014 A shareholder at Rio Tinto’s annual meeting today accused the company of “getting as bad as BP”, referring to its health and safety record due to 33 deaths at the Grasberg mine in Indonesia last year. The two companies make an interesting comparison, BP having had its own annual meeting last week. While both are [...]
