Boxing Day sales kick off early online at Amazon, John Lewis, Currys, Harrods, Next and Debenhams December 24, 2014 Amazon is kicking off its Boxing Day sale on Christmas Day. That’s right, you can start hunting for deals if Santa didn’t bring what you wanted before you’ve even had time to digest Christmas dinner. But there are also a host of retailers waiting to open their doors to sale shoppers on Boxing Day that [...]
Christmas shopping will help high street spending hit record highs December 24, 2014 Spending on the UK's high streets is expected to smash records this year as shoppers splurged over the Christmas period setting tills ringing. Retail sales are expected to reach an all-time high of £342bn this year, a rise of £48bn compared to 2010, government figures suggest. Spending is also expected to break records tomorrow as [...]
How long would it take you to earn as much as these nine top CEOs? December 24, 2014 Now the Christmas shopping is out of the way, maybe you're looking toward fulfilling those career ambitions in the new year. Whether you're eyeing a new project in your current job or a new challenge entirely, the prospect of a pay rise would be a welcome treat for most workers as wage growth lags behind [...]
Christmas shopping in London: Where to go if you’re buying everything last-minute December 24, 2014 Have you still not got round to doing most of your Christmas shopping? Join thousands of other Londoners who will be rushing around the shops today and tomorrow in search of last-minute inspiration. But for everyone that's fallen behind this festive season, there's no room for getting it wrong – it's a race to [...]
City A.M.’s Quiz of the Year – how well do you remember 2014? December 24, 2014 Did Russell Brand (and/or Nigel Farage) really say that? Was Tesco's profit overstatement really that big? Did North Korea actually start dictating the films that Hollywood releases? Surely the Scottish referendum wasn't that close… It's been quite a year and, after all the highs and lows, we're about ready for some festive fun. But before you [...]
Dow Jones stock exchange closes at highest level ever following rise in US economic growth December 23, 2014 The Dow Jones stock exchange in the US closed at its highest level ever today, as investors felt encouraged by a rise in economic growth. During the third quarter the US economy grew at its fastest rate in 11 years, with an annual growth rate of five per cent. Previous estimates had placed the [...]
North Korea and Sony Pictures hack: The Interview will be screened on Christmas Day, after all December 23, 2014 The Interview, a film depicting the fictional assassination of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, will be screened in cinemas the day after tomorrow. Last week Sony Pictures decided not to go ahead and show its new comedy film on Christmas Day, following anonymous threats made against cinema-goers in the US. The US then [...]
Dow Jones hits 18,000 as US growth is revised to its highest in a more than a decade December 23, 2014 Here's a nice early Christmas present for Barack Obama: the Dow Jones Industrial Average smashed past 18,000 for the first time ever today, as third-quarter US growth was revised up to five per cent – the country's fastest pace of growth in 11 years. The Dow jumped 0.3 per cent to 18000.24 in early trading, [...]
Christmas trends: Turkey sales up 163 per cent but wine loses its sparkle December 23, 2014 The economic downturn had many effects on the UK, but it didn’t manage to curb Christmas gluttony. And this isn’t just any gluttony, it’s an increased need for kilograms of fresh, whole turkeys.Last year we spent £38m on Christmas bird, an increase of 163 per cent over 2008’s figure of £14.4m. Even adjusting for inflation, [...]
Sterling has hit a 16-month low agains the US dollar, as the City gives its verdict on today’s data. December 23, 2014 The pound is down almost 0.5%, or 0.7 of a cent, at $1.552, its lowest since September 2013. That’s partly because the dollar is rallying against most currencies; the euro has hit a 28-month low against the greenback. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today confirmed growth at 0.7 per cent between the second [...]