Eurozone inflation edges up to 0.4 per cent but is still way off the European Central Bank’s target January 29, 2016 Eurozone inflation crept up slightly to 0.4 per cent in January, but remains far from the European Central Bank’s target of just under two per cent. Consumer prices grew from a rate of 0.2 per cent in December, according to official figures from Eurostat. The services sector picked up in January, coming in at 1.2 [...]
Forget a tech bubble: This is the start of 50-year Digital Revolution January 29, 2016 The possibility that we are in a “tech bubble” is a hot and much contended issue in both Europe and the US. So why all the concern? Many market analysts and experts, drawing on comparisons with the dot-com crash, are warning of a similar trend in the current tech industry, characterised by inflated company valuations [...]
Blockchain technology is useful – just not for everything January 20, 2016 You may have heard of blockchains and Bitcoin as exciting new innovations but you’d be forgiven if you’re confused about what they are or their relationship to each other. Blockchains provide a way to store information so that many people can see it, keep a copy of it, and add to it. Once added, it [...]
US inflation rate climbs to highest since 2014 January 20, 2016 US inflation climbed to a rate of 0.7 per cent in December from 0.5 per cent the month before, according to figures released today. The US Bureau of Labor Statisitcs said inflation – as measured by the year-on-year change in the consumer price index – said average food prices had climbed 0.8 per cent while energy prices had [...]
Sterling’s gains wiped as Bank of England governor Mark Carney says now is not the time for an interest rate hike January 19, 2016 The pound lost over half a cent against the dollar today, erasing earlier gains, as Bank of England governor Mark Carney said now is not the time to raise rates. Last summer Carney said the decision on whether to raise interest rates from record lows "would likely come into sharper relief around the turn of the year." "Well [...]
Eurozone inflation climbs to highest rate since July January 19, 2016 Annual inflation in the Eurozone rose to 0.2 per cent in December, according to figures released this morning. December's inflation rate is the highest since July with November's inflation rate revised down to 0.1 per cent from 0.2 per cent. The figures from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, confirm an earlier estimate of [...]
Inflation nudges up to 0.2 per cent as air fares rise – but cheap food and alcohol push CPI down January 19, 2016 Inflation rose 0.2 per cent in December – the first month in almost a year – although still far from the UK's target of two per cent. This is the first month since January 2015 that the rate has been higher than 0.1 per cent. The Consumer Price Index was nudged up by transport costs, particularly [...]
Holland & Barrett tells suppliers to foot the bill for company’s investment programme by reducing costs January 18, 2016 Healthfood retailer Holland and Barrett has urged its suppliers to slim down their costs by five per cent to help fund the company's pension scheme. In addition to the price cuts, the group wants its suppliers to foot the bill for its investment in security by paying for £3m-worth of security tags and high definition CCTV in the [...]
Davos 2016: What the global elites will be talking about at this year’s World Economic Forum January 18, 2016 More than 2,500 of the world’s top business leaders, politicians, economists and celebrities from over 100 countries will descend on Davos this week, taking over the Swiss ski resort for the World Economic Forum’s 46th annual meeting. While the four-day meeting’s official theme is “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution” – WEF’s way of describing the [...]
Low inflation in 2015 battered businesses as consumers rejoiced January 18, 2016 Businesses lost out to the tune of £16.8bn last year due to low inflation, new research given to City A.M. shows. Prices were only 0.1 per cent higher in November than a year ago, well below the Bank of England’s two per cent inflation target, and hovered around zero per cent for most of 2015. [...]