Oil prices dip after Iraq opts out of Opec arrangement to cut production October 24, 2016 Oil prices shed more than one per cent today after Iraq said it did not want to be part of an Opec deal to slash production to help rebalance the market. Brent crude was trading down 63 cents, or 1.22 per cent, this afternoon to $51.15 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, the US [...]
UK open for business following Brexit vote, but lack of innovation and inability to toot our own horn letting the side down October 24, 2016 Global business leaders rate the UK as a place to do business, but lack of innovation and businesses' inability to sing their own praises is stopping the country from reaching its full potential, according to research out today. More than three-quarters (78 per cent) of the over 1,300 business leaders surveyed by Barclays felt the UK is [...]
UK banks get ready to report third quarter results, with forecasts of non-core dragging on profits at Barclays and pension problems predicted at Lloyds October 23, 2016 All eyes will be on the banking sector this week, as big players get set to reveal their third quarter results. Lloyds will be reporting on Wednesday, followed by Barclays on Thursday and Royal Bank of Scotland on Friday. Analysts have predicted Barclays will announce profits before tax for the group of £1.3bn, compared with [...]
Official GDP figures to show UK economy defying Brexit recession warnings October 23, 2016 The UK economy is set show by just how much it outperformed pre-referendum forecasts later this week, when official growth figures for the crucial third quarter are published. Economists expect the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to find the UK grew by a robust 0.3 per cent between the end of June and the end of September. [...]
The UK’s biggest banks are bracing themselves for another £2bn on their PPI bill October 18, 2016 Britain's largest banks are set to add billions to their collective bill for payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling in the next two weeks. According to Sky News, executives at Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Barclays are in the process of finalising top-up provisions, amounting to around £2bn in total – due to be [...]
The most powerful man in tech believes the world will become cashless October 18, 2016 The man in charge of the biggest company in the world and arguably the most powerful man in technology – Apple's Tim Cook – has weighed in with his two cents on the future of money. Apple may be rolling around in cash reserves of more than $100bn, but Cook won't be doing a Scrooge McDuck style [...]
Theresa May-backed Women’s Business Council says more needed to unlock contribution of female workers to the economy October 17, 2016 A high-profile government advisory group has hailed progress on roles for women in business, but says there is still more to do. Theresa May established the Women Business Council while home secretary, and four years after its creation WBC chair Cilla Snowball has warned that despite significant victories, more progress must be made. Household names [...]
Be afraid: Market volatility and the fear index are on the rise October 14, 2016 After a surprisingly quiet summer, nerves have returned to the financial markets and volatility is on the rise. In the UK, the FTSE 100 has moved by more than 0.5 per cent on 10 of the last 13 days and sterling has suffered some chunky jolts back-and-forth, often crashing through multiple resistance points in single trading sessions. [...]
The “forgotten middle” is essential for creating Britain’s truly digital workforce October 13, 2016 The pace of innovation in technology is as exciting as it can be daunting. While the "digital native" generation seems to have little trouble keeping up with new tech developments, a lack of investment in digital skills is fostering a society of "digital consumers" rather than "digital creators". Last week, secretary for culture, media and sport Karen Bradley [...]