Full employment in Britain has lowered productivity instead of increasing wages September 20, 2017 The UK jobs market is booming, as the latest ONS figures show. Unemployment is at its lowest for over 40 years. A record 32.1m people are in employment, a rise of over three million since the financial crisis. Apart from in a few scattered pockets, Britain is at full employment. Usually in such circumstances, wages [...]
Swedish fintech startup iZettle lands €30m to fund artificial intelligence research from European Investment Bank | City A.M. September 19, 2017 iZettle, one of Europe’s most successful fintech startups, is ramping up its research and development efforts and will focus on the potential applications of artificial intelligence with fresh funding from the EU’s lending arm. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is funding a round of debt to the tune of €30m for the payments firm, which [...]
Do rising interest rates reduce returns on income investments? September 18, 2017 Many will remember to their cost the infamous “taper tantrum” in June 2013. It was the moment Ben Bernanke, the then Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, indicated that the quantitative easing (QE) would be scaled back, or tapered. The QE programme had fed money into the financial system to stimulate the economy following the [...]
City of London Corporation tells Liberal Democrats to get behind Heathrow expansion amid fresh jitters over delays September 18, 2017 The City has issued a rallying cry to MPs to push ahead with Heathrow airport’s expansion, warning that delays could hamper financial and professional services firms’ ability to do business globally. The City of London Corporation today urged the Liberal Democrats, whose party conference is currently underway, “to not stand in the way of Heathrow [...]
Mother! film review: Darren Aronofsky’s brutal new film is as dark as it is hilarious September 14, 2017 Nobody who’s seen Requiem for a Dream or Black Swan expects an easy ride from Darren Aronofsky, but his latest film still manages to blindside you, setting up what first appears to be a gentle farce before sucker-punching you with some of the most gleefully heinous imagery you’re likely to see this year. It follows [...]
Why India beats Britain for women in tech September 14, 2017 The technology sector is notorious for under-representing women. If asked to name top male industry figures, the likes of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and the late Steve Jobs roll off the tongue with ease. But most people would struggle to name their female counterparts. This doesn’t mean that women aren’t carving themselves out a space [...]
Sadiq Khan on Digital London: How we can remain a capital of innovation September 14, 2017 London is the world’s business capital and the engine of Britain’s economy. Our city has always been an incredible hotbed of innovation and disruption. As Britain prepares to leave the EU, we must embrace our entrepreneurial spirit more than ever, to ensure our economy continues to go from strength to strength over the decades ahead. [...]
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp invests in student tabloid news startup The Tab September 7, 2017 Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has led a $6m (£4.6m) investment round in online student news startup The Tab. Founded as a tabloid news alternative for the students of Cambridge University in 2009, The Tab has now spread to 80 institutions across the UK and US. Now with offices in London and New York, Tab Media [...]
Government discount rate U-turn set to hand insurers £2bn boost September 7, 2017 Ministers today handed Britain’s insurance sector a £2bn boost after deciding to row back on a controversial decision to change the way personal injury claims are calculated. Lord Chancellor David Lidington unveiled a number of changes to the Ogden discount rate, which determines how much is paid to claimants. Included in the government proposals is [...]
SMEs spend an average of £1m on their businesses every year, and London-based firms spend the most September 7, 2017 Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK spend an average of £1m each on business expenditures every year, and Londoners splashed the most cash of any region, new research suggests. Larger SME firms, or those with about 50 employees or more, spent an average of £3m every year on buying goods and services [...]