Shale to boost jobs across the supply chain April 21, 2014 THE UK’S burgeoning shale gas industry will create tens of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds worth of investment across the supply chain, according to a new report set to be published this week. The study, commissioned by the UK Onshore Operators Group and undertaken by EY, is expected to warn that the country [...]
Wages to overtake prices this year as squeeze on Brits eases April 14, 2014 PAY WILL finally rise faster than inflation this year, at last ending the long squeeze on British incomes, an influential group of economists has predicted today. Wages will rise by 1.7 per cent over the year while prices will increase by 1.6 per cent, the EY Item Club forecasts. As a result the UK’s economic [...]
Bottom Line: Britain is proving ready for Asia’s century April 14, 2014 IT’S a welcome reminder of Britain’s world-class commercial creativity. Two firms whose brands we might think of only as local icons, House of Fraser and Cath Kidston, are attracting fierce interest from Asian buyers. In the case of House of Fraser, the deal is done, China’s San Power now has an 89 per cent stake [...]
Letters to the Editor – 11/04 – Thatcher’s children, Problem with MBAs, Best of Twitter April 10, 2014 Thatcher’s children [Re: Why Sajid Javid could soon become the Tories’ great hope, yesterday] If the Conservative party wishes to win the 2015 election, it desperately needs a new leader and a change of political direction that encompasses the views of the electorate. Javid may be the only person who could pull off this dramatic [...]
Networking: It’s time to go offline April 2, 2014 In the age of hyperconnectivity, don’t forget the importance of face-to-face relationships RESEARCHERS at MIT may have developed an algorithm that digitally transforms faces to be more memorable, but research from EY this week suggests that no conference call or email will ever capture the effect of meeting someone in person. Behavioural scientists have long [...]
Letters to the Editor – 01/04 – European debate, Globalisation fears, Best of Twitter March 31, 2014 European debate [Re: Why both sides of the debate must up their game on Europe, Friday] Of course politicians are throwing around dodgy statistics. Why? Because both sides of the EU debate lack any comprehensive vision for what Britain’s global position will look like in the future. The Outers want either an expanded Commonwealth, a [...]
CNBC Comment: Why ECB currency concerns won’t last March 31, 2014 IT MAY be 1 April, but there’ll be no joking at the European Central Bank (ECB). It meets again this week, and the pressure is on. The latest inflation print showed an annual rate of just 0.5 per cent in March, below forecasts and the lowest rate since 2009. Almost instantaneously, the head of the [...]
UK leads the way with a surge in private equity dealmaking March 31, 2014 BRITAIN led the private equity dealmaking pack across Europe in the last quarter, with 40 per cent of buyout values coming from UK buyers, a study out today claims. The UK’s market share is eight per cent higher than it was last year, underscoring the growing strength and stronger sentiment of the British economy. In [...]
EU lenders cut back to boost performance in stress tests March 31, 2014 BANK lending will not rise as fast as hoped this year as cautious European institutions cut back in risky lending, EY forecast today. The Eurozone lenders, facing an asset quality review (AQR) and stress test, are being careful with their lending to make sure their balance sheets appear in good shape. EY expects lending will [...]
Three things you didn’t know about… March 31, 2014 EY partner Maryam Hussain 1 She had a narrow escape when travelling from Madrid to Tehran in 1980. Her pilot landed 20 minutes early, meaning she was safely watching from the airport building as minutes later, the plane was bombed and destroyed in an Iraqi air force attack. 2 Three years ago, she took up [...]