The new school of cool April 16, 2014 From Nomos Glashütte’s Berlin to Shinola’s Detroit, we’re experiencing a fresh wave of watchmaking that combines metropolitan sophistication, crisp, contemporary design, and hip-to-the-game urban credentials (without a hint of irony) LET'S GET one thing straight: Shinola do not make “hipster” watches. Nor do they make vintage-inspired “hipster” bicycles, and nor are the baristas in plaid [...]
How much does a house in the UK really cost? April 15, 2014 Buying a home in the UK will set you back £235,000 on average, according to the latest figures published this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). “But hold on a minute,” I hear the news-hounds among you say. “Yesterday I read that it was much higher than that.” And indeed you may have. [...]
How much does a house in the UK really cost? April 15, 2014 Buying a home in the UK will set you back £235,000 on average, according to the latest figures published this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). “But hold on a minute,” I hear the news-hounds among you say. “Yesterday I read that it was much higher than that.” And indeed you may have. [...]
Why the Lib Dems’ new mansion tax-lite is just as ugly April 14, 2014 SOME Liberal Democrats seem to have finally conceded that their “mansion tax” pet project is a bad idea. Chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has gone off the proposal to levy a 1 per cent charge on the value of properties above £2m, preferring higher council tax bands for expensive properties instead. But given [...]
How Peugeot hopes to sell more by offering less April 14, 2014 Peugeot Citroen has decided to offer drivers less, in the hope that fewer, better models will help to boost its sales. The loss-making French car company is slashing the number of models it makes from 45 down to 26 as part of its recovery plan set out today. The turnaround plan has been dubbed Back [...]
Icahn pulls out of Ebay battle over PayPal April 10, 2014 ACTIVIST investor Carl Icahn has backed down from his second corporate fight in as many months, with his decision yesterday to cease his crusade for Ebay to spinoff its fast-growing PayPal unit. In February Icahn abandoned his push for Apple to return $50bn (£29.8bn) to investors via a share buyback. Ebay yesterday said Icahn had [...]
What you need to know before the US open April 10, 2014 US stock futures haven’t altered much today, following the S&P 500 reaching its largest gain in more than a month. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit for the first time in the US has dropped to a May 2007 low of 300,000 – much lower than expected. Over here, the Bank of England’s decided [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 10 April 2014 April 9, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Firms in the dark over pension charges Employers running final-salary pension schemes can be charged 10 times more than more efficient competitors, according to a new regulatory study that exposes a further lack of transparency in Britain’s investment industry. Research by The Pensions Regulator has also found that nearly a quarter of the [...]
Four business tips from Alex Ferguson April 9, 2014 Ruthlessness and a focus on young talent may pay off, but be careful not to linger after quitting WITH 38 trophies in 26 years at Manchester United, including 13 of the 21 Premier League titles he contested, Sir Alex Ferguson can stake a strong claim as the most successful sports manager in a generation. This [...]
HTC’s losses widen as flagship smartphone attracts slim sales April 7, 2014 TAIWANESE smartphone firm HTC reported a wider than expected first-quarter loss as its flagship smartphones continue to attract modest sales. Despite the rave reviews that HTC’s recent devices have received, the company posted a 22.6 per cent drop in revenues to 33.12bn Taiwanese dollars (£659m). “The company expects to see positive trajectory of its revenue [...]