UBS delivers a poke in the eye for equity bulls March 13, 2014 The bull markets are raging, IPOs are surging and investors are pinning their hopes on the FTSE breaking through the 7,000 barrier for the first time this year. All is rosy in the world of equities – unless you happen to pay attention to something called the equity risk premium. This is the difference between [...]
How will the Bank tackle a crisis with lower “new normal” interest rates? March 13, 2014 Three monetary Policy Committee members, including governor Mark Carney, have voiced the view in recent weeks that rates may only rise to somewhere between two and three per cent, even after years of relatively solid recovery. The rough level was suggested in the February inflation report, and ever-proactive TUC senior economist Duncan Weldon blogged on [...]
George Soros says Eurozone is now like a debtors’ prison March 13, 2014 George Soros has been holding court at the London School of Economics today on the state of Europe, how the Ukraine crisis could bring the continent closer together, and why the UK should stay a part of it. Here are some of the billionaire investor’s most interesting comments. On the state of the Eurozone You [...]
16 years of clawback for bank bonuses March 13, 2014 Bankers could lose their bonus 16 years after it was awarded if they misbehave or if decisions they took turn bad, the Bank of England said today. Currently pay can only be clawed back in the years between the bonus being awarded and it vesting – that is, when they actually collect the payout, typically [...]
How has Tim Sherwood got Tottenham winning more when they’re playing worse? March 13, 2014 Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood may have divided opinion this week by publicly castigating his players but one thing about his fledgling tenure is undeniable: results have improved. Spurs have taken 20 per cent more points per Premier League game since Sherwood replaced Andre Villas-Boas in December. Even though Sherwood’s greater emphasis on attack has seen [...]
Netflix subs added to inflation basket March 13, 2014 The UK's official statisticians have elected to add "video streaming services" to a basket of goods used to measure inflation. Now items like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video will be included in the consumer price inflation measure, a decision taken as part of the annual review of the CPI basket of goods and services. The [...]
Here’s why plunging Herbalife shares have been halted March 12, 2014 Shares in nutritional supplement company Herbalife have resumed trading some 13 per cent lower, after being halted. They were halted after the US company received a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Before that halt they were trading up by 4.5 per cent. The company has said that it "welcomes the [...]
French billionaire brings electric car sharing to London March 12, 2014 Londoners will from next year be able to hire an electric car for 15 minutes at a time, along the lines of the Boris Bike scheme, under plans unveiled by French industrialist Vincent Bollore today. Bollore, the company that will take over the existing Source London network of 1,500 electric charging points from TfL and [...]
Don’t believe Osborne – his taxes are making the UK less competitive March 12, 2014 Higher income taxes risk driving businesses away, tax firm Baker Tilly warned today, reversing the gains made by cutting corporation taxes. Tax partner George Bull fears George Osborne and Ed Miliband are both threatening Britain’s competitiveness by targeting high earners relentlessly. Britain’s headline corporation tax has dived from 30 per cent a decade ago to [...]
Video: Building collapses after New York explosion March 12, 2014 New York media sources report that emergency services have responded to a possible explosion and building collapse on East 114 Street. That's been confirmed by FDNY on Twitter. Their social media profile confirms that FDNY has 39 units and 168 members responding. The building in question is apparently a six story apartment building, located in [...]
