Real wages may rise, but earnings are still set for a lost decade April 15, 2014 This morning’s official figures confirmed another drop in inflation, with consumer prices rising by only 1.6 per cent in the year to February, the lowest in four and a half years. Average weekly earnings rose 1.7 per cent in the year to January, with private sector earnings up 1.9 per cent, and even stronger growth [...]
Explaining Britain’s housing crisis with one simple chart April 15, 2014 Want to understand what's driving stunning UK house price growth? The answer lies with a lack of planning permits, says Sam Bowman, research director at the Adam Smith Institute. Data released todays shows headline inflation has fallen to an October 2009 low, trundling along at 1.6 per cent in the year to March. Yet house [...]
Inflation falls to four and a half year low April 15, 2014 Inflation keeps moving lower, having fallen below the Bank of England's two per cent threshold in January for the first time in four years. Headline consumer price inflation has come in at 1.6 in the year to March, down from 1.7 per cent last month. Analysts expected to see inflation at that level today – [...]
How the upside of regulation could make fund managers richer April 14, 2014 Red tape is rightly held up as a barrier to growth – but what if regulation could be a springboard for greater profits in the same way M&A can be? That is the slightly counter intuitive question consultants at McKinsey have asked themselves about the fund management sector – and their answer suggests some regulations [...]
Don’t bet on India’s Modi to be the pro-growth candidate he’s touted as April 14, 2014 Narendra Modi looks likely to become India’s next Prime Minister – polling in recent months has indicated that his party and its umbrella coalition (the NDA) are set to win the current election. Modi is often described by journalists as pro-business or pro-market, willing to cut through the country’s stagnant bureaucracy and boost sluggish growth. [...]
How Peugeot hopes to sell more by offering less April 14, 2014 Peugeot Citroen has decided to offer drivers less, in the hope that fewer, better models will help to boost its sales. The loss-making French car company is slashing the number of models it makes from 45 down to 26 as part of its recovery plan set out today. The turnaround plan has been dubbed Back [...]
EU prepares crackdown on high-frequency trading April 14, 2014 European politicians are set to vote tomorrow on a controversial new measure to crack down on high-frequency trading (HFT) – firms that use high powered computers and super fast internet connections to profit from discrepancies in share prices – in Europe. HFT first hit headlines in 2010 following the US flash crash that saw the [...]
Citi profits up despite fixed income squeeze April 14, 2014 Citi today reported a rise in first quarter profits – but as revenues dipped, the rise in profits is more based on falling costs than improved incomes. It is the third major bank to report a real crunch in fixed income revenues and mortgage business, a trend which looks set to sweep the sector. Citi [...]
Diplomatic blunder sees Ukrainian PM greet Swiss President with a Danish flag April 14, 2014 Swiss President Didier Burkhalter may not have received the welcome he was expecting this morning. When meeting with Ukrainian prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk, it was in a room not with the Swiss flag, but the Danish. Perhaps those preparing for the meeting can be forgiven the error – they are the same colour – and [...]
Here’s what you need to know about today’s gold price surge April 14, 2014 Demand for the lustrous metal has seen gold prices hit a three week high, with geopolitical risks seeing investors move towards the safe-haven asset. Seen as a hedge against inflation, other metals have also spiked as tensions over Ukraine heat up. Palladium today sees an August 2011 high, as traders worry that US sanctions on [...]
