Oil slips as key chokepoint reopens after failed Turkey coup July 18, 2016 Oil markets shrugged off an attempted coup in Turkey late last week after a vital global shipping route was re-opened. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell 1.85 per cent to $46.73 per barrel this afternoon. Meanwhile, the US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate crude, slumped 1.78 per cent to $45.13. Read more: The grand edifice of President [...]
UK stocks in a post-Brexit world – industrials, healthcare and biotech can still do well, despite the weakening pound July 15, 2016 The UK’s decision to vote Leave sent share prices tumbling, and the more domestically-focused FTSE 250 has been left worst off. Mark Martin, manager of the Neptune UK Mid Cap fund, explains the areas he’s still finding attractive – and the ones he’s avoiding On the Friday after Brexit, the FTSE 250 mid-cap index had [...]
Prime Day was the biggest day ever for Amazon July 13, 2016 Here's how crazy Prime Day was for Amazon. Sales on the shopping day that's now bigger than Black Friday for the retailer rocketed 60 per cent on last year, when it's estimated sales hit around the $400m, according to analysts. Now in its second year, Amazon Prime vice president Greg Greeley said: “We want to thank our [...]
Defined benefit pension hole deepens to over £380bn following Brexit vote, according to pensions lifeboat figures July 12, 2016 The hole in the UK's pension pots became much harder to fill last month, according to figures released today by the pensions lifeboat. The numbers from the Pension Protection Fund revealed that, based on its calculations, the aggregate deficit across 5,945 defined benefit (DB) pension schemes had jumped from £294.6bn at the end of May to £383.6bn at [...]
Amazon has soared above Buffett ahead of Prime Day July 12, 2016 Amazon is soaring ahead of one of its biggest shopping days of the year Its share price has struck an all-time high and the web giant has overtaken Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway to become the fifth largest company in the world. Jeff Bezos's retail and technology giant has had a stellar year so far that just seems to [...]
Mixed fortunes for North Sea drillers trying to strike black gold July 11, 2016 Two firms that bet on finding black gold in the North Sea revealed markedly mixed fortunes. Independent oil and gas producer, Faroe Petroleum, got lucky near its main Brasse well in Norway, it said today. The company added that the discovery could produce as much as 80,000 barrels of oil. Shares in the company were up 5.52 per cent [...]
These are the best value wines to buy this year July 8, 2016 If you're looking for the biggest bargains in the wine world – look no further. These are the top wines to buy if you want a great Friday night dinner, without spending too much. The best value wines in the 2016 International Wine Challenge (IWC) Great Wine Champions have been announced – make sure you grab them [...]
Amazon is going on a pre-Christmas hiring spree as it gears up for another bumper festive period July 6, 2016 Amazon, the US online retailer that has been ruffling feathers with its aggressive expansion plans, is upping its UK staff head count by a further 1,000 this year. It today announced plans to add 1,000 permanent jobs across the UK, on top of 2,500 permanent roles previously announced in January. The latest increase means it will [...]
Carney for PM? Bank of England governor praised for Brexit response July 5, 2016 With political crisis engulfing Westminster in the wake of the EU referendum, businesses have increasingly had to rely on other sources of authority to fill the void. David Cameron has been conspicuously absent from the big stage since he resigned in the hours after the vote, while the Conservative leadership race has hijacked much of the decision [...]
Profits leap at Dixons Carphone – and it isn’t worried about Brexit June 29, 2016 Technology retail giant Dixons Carphone posted strong results after its first full year of trading following the merger of Dixons and Carphone Warehouse. The figures Profit before tax at the group rose 17 per cent to £447m in the year to 30 April, as like-for-like sales jumped by five per cent across the group. Total sales remained broadly [...]