Is your business ready to cheat Stephen Hawking’s AI prediction? January 5, 2017 Scientist Stephen Hawking: Artificial intelligence research crucial to the human race. Maybe so, but not this year. We are, however, going to witness another step change in the way we do business. Artificial intelligence (AI), big data and the internet of things will move along the hype curve and become everyday life. Game-changing bots will [...]
Make 2017 a year of celebration – not the suffocation of London’s Night Time Economy January 5, 2017 We live in interesting times. This term, actually a Chinese curse, reflects all the hope, possibility and opportunity of a period – as well as the worst that we can imagine from it. What has been “interesting” recently is the overwhelming cultural and political view that the British public is a nasty species that requires [...]
Trading house Vitol nabs $1bn pre-finance oil deal with National Iranian Oil Company January 4, 2017 Vitol, the world's largest oil trader, is understood to have sealed a $1bn (£814m) pre-financing deal with Iran's national oil company. It has agreed to loan the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) $1bn equivalent in euros, guaranteed by future exports of refined oil products, sources told Reuters. The deal is the first major contract signed between Iran and [...]
Former EU ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers “couldn’t be trusted” by ministers says Iain Duncan Smith January 4, 2017 Senior Conservative Iain Duncan Smith has branded Britain's former ambassador to the EU "untrustworthy", a day after his sensational resignation. Sir Ivan Rogers quit yesterday, writing an email to staff which accused the government of “muddled thinking” on Brexit. Speaking on the Today programme this morning, Duncan Smith linked that leaked email to previous reports of Rogers warning [...]
Germany’s inflation soars to highest since 2013 while France posts steady increase January 3, 2017 Inflation in Germany more than doubled in December 2016 while France also posted an increase, in a sign of further economic recovery in the Eurozone which will be welcomed by the European Central Bank (ECB). German consumer prices soared by 0.7 per cent compared to November, bringing the annual rate of increase to 1.7 per [...]
British exporters look to Middle East and Asia-Pacific to avoid Brexit uncertainty January 3, 2017 British exporters are turning their gaze to the Middle East and Asia as they look to avoid economic uncertainty and the uncertain trading relationship with Europe, a new survey says. The Asia-Pacific region in particular is set to be targeted, with an 18 per cent balance of UK businesses expecting exports to increase over the [...]
With diverging monetary policy and more political uncertainty, should investors expect 2017 to be the year that growth makes a comeback? January 3, 2017 This year is being heralded as a new dawn for markets. The economic malaise which has dogged developed economies since the financial crisis will finally subside; the battle against deflation has been won; fiscal stimulus is firmly on the agenda, and real growth will return. Such optimistic assessments may prove to be on the money. [...]
Axa reveals the cost of Bluefin’s sale to Marsh & McLennan January 2, 2017 Axa will take a €82m (£70m) hit from its £295m sale of UK small business insurance broker Bluefin to US giant Marsh & McLennan. The sale, previously announced in November and referred to by Marsh's boss as "very much a post-Brexit deal", completed today. The move by the French insurer followed the £395m sale of its SunLife [...]
Voters will be asked to show ID at the ballot box as government aims to crackdown on voter fraud December 27, 2016 Voters will be asked to provide proof of identification at polling stations in a government trial scheme to reduce electoral fraud. At local elections in 2018, different local authorities in England will ask voters to provide different forms of ID including driving licences, utility bills or passports. The initiative follows a report into electoral fraud and how to [...]
Resilient British consumers grow more confident about personal finances, but see storm clouds ahead for the UK economy December 22, 2016 British consumers have ended the year on a resilient note, with confidence rising despite gloomy forecasts for the economy, according to a long-running survey. Consumer confidence increased in December by one point, driven higher by a positive attitude towards making major purchases such as furniture or white goods, says the index compiled by market research [...]