Countdown to Christmas: From Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and Ed Ball’s surprise defeat at the General Election to the Paris terror attacks, these are the most surprising news stories of 2015 December 20, 2015 Some news you register with perhaps a shrug of the shoulder, while other stories might prompt an arched eyebrow. There are some events, however, that make you sit up and pay attention. This year was not without a few of those key moments – good and bad – that gripped us. Here are the most [...]
Panic Saturday is here: 12.6m Britons hit the shops for busiest day of Christmas shopping as sales start early at M&S, Sports Direct, H&M, Argos and Sainsbury’s December 19, 2015 Brace yourselves, Panic Saturday is here. If you still haven’t bought your Christmas presents, be prepared for crowds. A stampede of last minute Christmas shoppers are bearing down on UK retailers today, making it the busiest day of this year’s Christmas shopping. 12.6 million Britons are forecast to hit the shops, spending over £1.1bn on [...]
From Star Wars and the Fed rate rise and UK housing crisis to Chelsea’s crisis and Sports Direct’s working practices: Here’s what got us talking this week December 19, 2015 There were some outrageous predictions for 2016. Our homes got a bit smarter. And somewhere, floating over our heads, there was a British man in space. Here's what got us talking this week 1) We learned where you can buy a home And for those on less than £43,000, London is out of bounds. And things are [...]
Rangers £5m loan from Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct on verge of being repaid December 18, 2015 Rangers are in the final stages of paying back an outstanding £5m loan to Mike Ashley's Sports Direct retail company, director Paul Murray has confirmed. Ashley made a £5m loan to the club in January when his associates Derek Llambias and Barry Leach were on the board. Initially, the new board opted not to repay [...]
Sports Direct breaks silence on working practices, says Mike Ashley will carry out review of terms and conditions in new year December 18, 2015 Sports Direct has issued an unprecedented statement, rebutting claims made about its working practices as putting forward "an unfair portrayal" and said it will carry out a review of staff terms and conditions. The retailer, which has come under fire for many months because of its widespread use of zero-hour contracts, has issued a lengthy statement to [...]
Hold onto your hat: It’s Saxo Bank’s outrageous predictions for 2016 including the oil price, the US presidential campaign, euros vs dollars, Brazil, Russia and the end of the luxury sector December 16, 2015 Bored by predictions for 2016 that tentatively forecast interest rate rises and a slight dampening of the property market? Want something that will really make you prepare for the worst (or best) case scenarios out there? Well hold onto your hat, because it's Saxo Bank's annual outrageous predictions for the year ahead, and they are just [...]
Are consumers about to give Sports Direct the boot? December 16, 2015 Sports Direct has been occupying a lot of newspaper inches recently – and not for good reasons. It has also been the subject of a debate in parliament. An investigation into its working practices at its warehouses found employees saying it was like working in a “gulag”. The brand was also described by Simon Walker of the Institute [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 index closes down on Old Mutual, miners and oil companies December 11, 2015 The FTSE 100 index closed sharply lower, ending the week below the 6,000 mark and rounding off a poor week. The UK's top blue-chip index closed 2.22 per cent lower at 5,952 points, the lowest late September, led lower by miners, oil companies and Old Mutual. Old Mutual led the index lower, closing 10.62 per cent down at 155.7p per [...]
International Personal Finance’s share price in freefall after warning on Slovakian legislation December 11, 2015 International Personal Finance's (IPF) share price tanked this morning, leading the FTSE 250 lower, after warning that it could be hurt by new legislation in Slovakia. Shares slid 22.36 per cent to 250.5p in mid-morning trading, while the index was down 0.79 per cent to 16,945 points. Read more: FTSE 100 opens down on Sports Direct and Old Mutual [...]
FTSE 100 index opens down as Sports Direct and Old Mutual share price woes continue December 11, 2015 The FTSE 100 index opened down this morning as Sports Direct and Old Mutual extended losses, the day after both companies shed over 10 per cent of their share prices. The UK's top blue-chip index was down 0.18 per cent at 6,076 points. Sports Direct's share price was down 2.5 per cent as the market opened, falling to 577.75p per share, [...]