FTSE 100 rises and gilts recover but Reeves isn’t out of the woods just yet January 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves was dealt some welcome good news after a surprise drop in inflation that saw gilt yields fall at the fastest pace in over a year on Wednesday, but some economists fear the development represents a temporary reprieve with inflation at risk of rebounding in the coming months. New figures from the Office [...]
US inflation rises slightly but core prices weaker than expected January 15, 2025 US inflation rose at a slightly weaker pace than expected last month, but it is unlikely to be enough to prompt the Federal Reserve into cutting interest rates in the near future. The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the headline rate picked up to 2.9 per cent in December, up [...]
The secrets behind the Kylie Minogue wine brand’s meteoric success January 15, 2025 When Kylie Minogue went to the ProWein industry fair in Düsseldorf, hospitality professionals were stunned to find her on the sales floor rather than in some backstage dressing room. Minogue was fitting in up to 18 meetings per day, sitting down with distributors to discuss deals for her Kylie Wine range. The relentlessness of her [...]
Lloyds Banking Group to shut major office impacting 500 staff January 15, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group will shut its office in Liverpool later this year, in a move set to impact the site’s 500 staff. The group said its decision to close its Speke location is part of broader plans to run “fewer, better-equipped” offices amid efforts to cut costs. In a statement, Lloyds said it has not [...]
Royal Mail IDS owner to return to profit as Kretinsky takes reins January 15, 2025 The owner of Royal Mail is set to return to profit just as its long drawn out sale to Daniel Kretinsky nears completion thanks to a welcome uplift in the number of parcels it delivered over Christmas. International Distribution Services (IDS) said Royal Mail’s “successful Christmas period” saw it process 188m tracked parcels, a 19 [...]
AI can slash government red tape – unless red tape gets in its way January 15, 2025 The Prime Minister has said he wants to “go for it” with AI, so let’s get these tools into the hands of frontline workers, get them out from behind their desks and save taxpayers money, says Alex Stephany The Prime Minister was right to give a stark warning on AI to the public sector this [...]
UK gilt auction fails to roll back yield spike January 15, 2025 A closely watched sale of UK government debt failed to roll back the alarming rise in yields after the £4bn auction did not drum up significant interest for gilts. The Debt Management Office (DMO) reported that the 2034 gilts were sold at a yield of 4.808 per cent, compared with 4.332 per cent in the last [...]
Microsoft and FTSE firm Pearson tie up AI deal after UK action plan January 15, 2025 Microsoft and London-listed education giant Pearson have announced a multiyear partnership to address the global skills gap in artificial intelligence, as the UK prioritises AI. This collaboration will combine Microsoft’s cloud and AI technologies with Pearson’s learning and assessment expertise to provide AI tools. It will also offer tailored learning and certifications for workers and [...]
Asos to close US distribution centre with customers served from Barnsley instead January 15, 2025 Online fashion retailer Asos will close its distribution centre in Georgia, USA, in another effort to boost profitability and streamline operations. From late this year, US customers will be served from Asos’ automated UK fulfilment centre in Barnsley, and through a “smaller, more flexible local US site”, the company said. The Atlanta warehouse will be [...]
Can your employer force you back to the office? January 15, 2025 Headlines have been blowing up this week with several big businesses forcing its workforce back into the office. A topic that often results in a heated debate