This week’s 3 must-see charts March 21, 2014 How global tightening will affect emerging market stocks, the Federal Reserve's fuzzy guidance, and Italy's flailing growth rates. We bring you some of our favourite analysts’ picks of the most important graphs this week. Julian Jessop, chief global economist at Capital Economics Fears that US monetary tightening will prompt a collapse in emerging market (EM) [...]
Why this new game is the best 2048 clone yet March 21, 2014 Finally, we've reached peak 2048. In its latest form, the hit puzzling game has been redesigned by Lou Huang, a San Francisco based web developer. Borrowing from the satirical gameshow Numberwang, the rules of the game make absolutely no sense. But, Huang says on Twitter, "your confusion is intended". He says that "Numberwang is supposed [...]
All possible Russian sanctions in one chart March 21, 2014 The European Union is struggling to come up with any measures that would have a meaningful impact on Russian decision making. Earlier today it announced that sanctions related to Russia's annexation of Crimea would be extended to a further 12 individuals. Russia's upper house unanimously approved the treaty that annexed the Ukrainian region on Friday. [...]
BG Group plans redundancies to slash costs March 20, 2014 OIL AND gas explorer BG Group confirmed on Thursday night that it has invited its 1,100 employees at its head office in Reading to apply for voluntary redundancy, as it looks to slash costs and streamline the business. It is understood that the FTSE 100-quoted firm started the process earlier this month and is looking [...]
Gulf of Mexico: BP’s small spend with big significance March 20, 2014 Mere days after the US lifted a ban on BP bidding for new drilling licences, the oil giant has won 24 out of 31 bids in the Gulf of Mexico. The Environmental Protection Agency had forbidden BP from bidding for new federal contracts after the infamous 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which was the [...]
How Chelsea have outsmarted their Premier League rivals by putting defence before attack March 20, 2014 What’s the most important ingredient for a title-winning team? A dead-eyed 20-goal-a-season marksman, a quicksilver midfield playmaker, or a nimble giant of a goalkeeper? The answer is, perhaps surprisingly, none of those. The Premier League table and data from Kickdex show that a robust, sleeves-up back line goes further than flair in other positions. Take [...]
Why you should move to a National Park March 20, 2014 It’s crossed every commuter’s mind at least once, usually during rush hour on the Northern Line, to pack it all in and move to a cottage in a quiet bit of the countryside. The Office for National Statistics has today offered some decidedly mixed news for those hoping to escape to the remotest parts of [...]
How to become an Isa millionaire in just 27 years March 19, 2014 Who says saving doesn’t pay? We may be living in an era of flat-as-a-pancake interest rates, but chancellor George Osborne’s changes to Individual Saving Accounts (better known as Isas) have given savers a glimmer of future riches. Sort of. The clever people at Brewin Dolphin have calculated that, if you started chucking money into an [...]
Everything revealed in the Budget March 19, 2014 Apparently this a budget for makers, doers, and savers. But enough of the buzzwords, onto the substance. GrowthThe UK grew by three times as much as the OBR predicted at the budget last year. Now the OBR has revised its growth forecasts up. 2014 should see growth of 2.7 per cent, up from the 2.4 [...]
Why counterfeited £1 coins are useful to the UK economy March 19, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne's facelift for the £1 coin could have unintended consequences for the UK's economy. Designed to tackle counterfeiting in the UK, the new 12-sided coin should be much harder to forge than existing currency. The Royal Mint estimates that three per cent of all £1 coins are fakes, or £45m worth. Some warn [...]
