At the close: FTSE 100 index closes up on Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey December 29, 2015 The FTSE 100 index edged higher in the first trading day since Christmas, led higher by Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey. The UK's top blue-chip index closed 0.96 per cent higher at 6,314 points, despite losses by miners, which had benefited from a dead cat bounce in the build-up to Christmas. Read more: Oil prices crawl back up [...]
ArcaBoard is a real-life hoverboard that’ll set you back $20,000 December 29, 2015 The craze for hoverboards may put some people into a technicality tizz, considering the devices do little – well, actually no – hovering at all. But now, the future envisioned in Back to the Future is really here, with the invention of a real-life hoverboard. The floating device (not simply a self-balancing scooter like the Christmas craze, which has been blamed for [...]
Music ban on the Tube, child-free restaurants and four-day working week: The 10 laws we most want to see introduced in 2016 December 29, 2015 Ban on being drunk in a pub, carrying a plank along a pavement or flying kites in the street. There are plenty of weird British laws that we suspect may not always be strictly enforced (not that we’ve ever seen anyone inebriated in a pub, of course). But what about laws that ought to exist, [...]
FTSE 100 index edges higher, despite falls in mining stocks December 29, 2015 The FTSE 100 index opened slightly higher on the first day of trading after Christmas, despite falls in mining and oil stocks that had rallied in the build-up to the festive period. The UK's top blue-chip index opened 0.24 per cent up at 6,271 points, led higher by Hikma Pharmaceuticals and Berkeley Group. Read more: FTSE 100 [...]
Young home ownership has fallen to a record low, new data finds December 28, 2015 The percentage of young people who can afford to buy a home has fallen to its joint lowest level, previously touched in 1996, new data has shown. Data revealed by Labour found that just 44.9 per cent of 20 to 30-year-olds are homeowners, based on figures that include shared ownership and based on analysis of [...]
The five most important books Mark Zuckerberg read during his “A Year of Books” December 28, 2015 Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg this year set himself a personal challenge: To read a new book every other week in what he termed A Year of Books. Read more: Three of the best business books to read this Christmas "Reading has given me more perspective on a number of topics – from science to religion, from poverty to [...]
10 tips for healthy eating in the New Year December 28, 2015 Feeling the bloat of a heavy Christmas, you'd be forgiven for ranting about how your New Year's resolution is to cut back on excesses and have a healthier 2016. Read more: Eating lunch at your desk again? Here's how the City does delivery So we've done a bit of research, drawing on sources including prominent [...]
UK floods: Prime Minister David Cameron to visit flood hit areas in the north of England December 28, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron is set to visit flood-hit parts of the United Kingdom today, as 27 severe flood warnings remain in place and communities battle devastation. The Prime Minister is anticipated to face questions about funding for flood defences, after environment secretary Liz Truss told the BBC they had been "overwhelmed" and pledged to review [...]
Boxing Day sales 2015: UK footfall soars to defy online sales which dominated Black Friday and Christmas Eve December 27, 2015 Black Friday and pre-Christmas shopping may have been a letdown for brick and mortar retailers, but Boxing Day certainly delivered. In-store shopper traffic soared by 3.36 per cent year-on-year on 26 December, according to data from retail intelligence firm FootFall, showing that the rise is mainly driven by an increase in shopping centre footfall counteracting [...]
UK flooding costs: Insurance losses from Storm Eva and Desmond top £1bn December 27, 2015 The economic damage of the torrential rains and floods that are forcing hundreds to flee from their homes in northern England could be as high as £1bn. Storm Eva has struck Yorkshire and Lancashire hard over Christmas, flooding many of the same regions that were hit by Storm Desmond just weeks ago. Although it may [...]