Down the Tubes: Boris mucks in amid transport meltdown February 5, 2014 (Laura Lean/City A.M.) Boris Johnson has had an interesting commute in on the Northern Line this morning as the Tube strike over ticket office closures causes huge disruption across the network. The Mayor spoke to commuters and Tube staff working at London Bridge – as well as some of the TfL staff volunteering at stations in [...]
Three cheers for services! Now get back to work UK February 5, 2014 The UK economy is still 1.3 per cent smaller than it was before the Latest Great Global Recession (or whatever you want to call it) came along and ruined everything back in 2008. At least that’s what the Office for National Statistics estimated at the end of last year. But most of us, certainly blogging [...]
2 things to look out for in tonight’s Twitter results February 5, 2014 Twitter’s results tonight (out around 10pm GMT) will be our first look into a company that had one of the hottest IPOs last year and is currently trading at more than double its $26 (£16) opening price in November. These are the two main things to look out in Twitter’s numbers tonight: User Growth One [...]
Shark-hunters: BBA mulls new role fighting crime February 5, 2014 Cybercrime is top of the Bank of England’s list of threats to financial services, and the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) could be appointed to fight attacks on the system. Rogue states, terrorists or criminals could all try to take down the payments infrastructure, and today a report was published on Waking Shark 2, a trial [...]
No Diane Abbott, now is the worst time for rent controls February 5, 2014 It'd be hard to miss London's housing problems. London house prices rose by a staggering 11.6 per cent in the year to November 2013, according to ONS data. Labour MP Diane Abbott has proposed a solution: Just made a speech in Parliament on need for RENT CONTROLS #ifnotnowwhen? #londonhousingcrisis — Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) February [...]
How tube strikes are hitting London’s economy February 5, 2014 Disruption getting around London will likely have a "dampening impact" on London's economy. IHS Global Insight's Howard Archer says that the main impact will be on the capital's shoppers, but this shouldn't result in a major loss, as consumers defer their purchases or choose to go online for their goods. Tourism, restaurants and entertainment in [...]
The 5 best ways commuters are beating today’s tube strikes February 5, 2014 With delayed services, and stations so crowded that they've had to be closed (and we can see why) many have decided to experiment with new ways to get to work. If you don't fancy using our guide to navigating the tube strikes, then here are some more innovative options. On your bike While this option [...]
Eurozone economy expanding at fastest rate since June 2011 February 5, 2014 We might finally be seeing a stronger recovery in the Eurozone. Eurozone output is rising at its fastest pace since 2011 according to the latest purchasing managers' index (PMI) data from Markit. Up from 52.1 to 52.9 in January – but still short of analyst expectations. Consensus estimates suggested we'd be seeing a jump to [...]
Could falling Japanese stocks see Abenomics end in tears? February 4, 2014 The Nikkei took the biggest hit of any advanced economy stock index yesterday, dropping over four per cent. The Japanese stock index is down by about 14 per cent from its December peak. Is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s radical easing policy slipping up? Despite fears of a new bear market, this isn’t even the biggest [...]
Here’s what Microsoft’s Nadella gets wrong about Oscar Wilde February 4, 2014 It’s all well and good Microsoft’s new chief executive Satya Nadella quoting Oscar Wilde – but he might as well have picked any quotation out of thin air and shoe-horned it into his speech. The newly instated tech boss paraphrased: “We need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable.” He's borrowing from Wilde’s [...]
