China’s stock market turmoil could spell bad news for London flotations August 26, 2015 When China sneezes, IPO-hungry investment bankers in London catch colds: it’s not quite as catchy as the original epithet, but it contains a distinct ring of truth. China’s stock market turmoil is unlikely to be a short-term phenomenon: the schizophrenic exhortations of Beijing to simultaneously beware of, and embrace, the ultimate expression of a [...]
As global markets selloff continues, here’s what seven analysts think of today’s market turmoil August 26, 2015 Market turmoil is widespread today, with gains being wiped off indices in Asia, European markets opening lower, and the FTSE 100 edging towards 6,000. What do analysts make of the developments? Here's a round-up: 1. "The news propped up a malaise in markets" – Bernard Yaros, Moody’s Analytics The release of the weakest Chinese manufacturing [...]
Oil prices at rock bottom: Shares in energy companies plummet – should you purge your portfolio? August 26, 2015 Oil prices have fallen to their lowest levels since the financial crisis. The price of Brent crude went down to $42 a barrel earlier this week, before recovering a little. The news is shocking because, when oil prices were first slashed from over $100 a barrel to around $50 last June – due to the fact that [...]
M Local selloff: Morrisons’ ill-fated attempt to build a convenience arm has become a lesson for the industry August 26, 2015 It was a cold day in February 2013 when Morrisons’ former chief executive Dalton Philips was faced with a tough decision. Film rental chain Blockbuster had just collapsed and Morrisons was one of several suitors circling a portfolio of 50 stores administrators had put up for sale. Read more: It's a deal – Morrisons [...]
Summer break inspires City slickers to switch careers for a job in the sun August 25, 2015 Two weeks in a tropical paradise is seemingly enough to tempt even the richest City slickers into packing it all in to become a surf instructor, as apparently over 50 per cent of UK workers seriously consider a career change immediately after the summer holidays. After returning from a summer break, one in two workers [...]
Supermarket wars: Big Four in big trouble as Tesco, Asda and Morrisons register more declines August 25, 2015 Tesco is still struggling to shrug off competition from the discount supermarkets, as data released this morning reveals yet more declines. While consumer spend within the grocery sector rose 0.9 per cent for the 12 weeks to 16 August, at Tesco it dropped by the same proportion. The price of a comparable basket of [...]
Santa Claus is facing bankruptcy as back taxes pile up for Dianordia in Finnish Rovaniemi August 24, 2015 Father Christmas has just seven days to pay his back taxes – or he’ll be declared bankrupt. Finnish tax authorities are locking horns with Dianordia, the company that offers children and other starry-eyed Christmas lovers from across the world a chance to meet the real Santa in his workshop. The company owes €200,000 to the [...]
CBI upgrades UK economic forecast to 2.6 per cent GDP growth in 2015 August 24, 2015 A rise in household spending along with robust investment growth will help fuel faster “twin engine” growth in the UK economy, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which expects an interest rate rise in early 2016. In their latest economic forecast, the CBI upgraded its expectation to 2.6 per cent GDP growth for [...]
Birthdays off, team lunches and free gym membership: Here’s how to be the perfect boss August 21, 2015 Thought being a good boss was about good communication and nurturing talent? Put away those management books, people. It turns out your team is far more fickle than that… That's according to research by gambling review site Mobileslots.com, which quizzed a group of office workers about the attributes of their dream boss – and discovered [...]
Fat Face plots first US store despite profit fall August 21, 2015 FAT FACE is gearing up for expansion overseas after revealing plans yesterday to open its first two stores in the US before Christmas. The casual clothing chain, which has 216 shops in the UK and Ireland has invested a record £9m over the past year on improving its IT and distribution network as well as [...]