UK manufacturing unexpectedly falls in October December 9, 2014 UK manufacturing posted a surprise fall of 0.7 per cent for October, after rising 0.6 per cent the previous month, according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Economists had been expecting an increase of 0.2 per cent in industrial and manufacturing output for October. The slump was driven primarily by a 4.5 [...]
Post Office criticised by MPs for unfairly blaming others over loss of hundreds of thousands of pounds December 9, 2014 More than 140 MPs have withdrawn their support for a mediation scheme set up by the Post Office, following an influx of complaints that the mail service unfairly blamed sub-postmasters for losing hundreds of thousands of pounds of company money. For several years, sub-postmasters across the country have claimed that they are often used [...]
Pod only knows: Great storytelling podcasts, from Sarah Koenig’s Serial to Jonathan Goldstein’s WireTap December 8, 2014 Fearing the end of Serial? Don’t worry, there are plenty other great storytelling podcasts out there Thanks to Sarah Koenig, podcasts are cool again. Her unearthing of a fifteen year old murder case involving three teenagers, a mobile phone and a host of hazy details has proved an unlikely talking point for people all over [...]
ICAP merges its currency and bond trading platforms December 4, 2014 ICAP, the world's largest interdealer broker, has said it will combine its currency trading platform EBS and its bond trading platform BrokerTec. The group has been hit by lower market volatility levels and increased regulation since the 2008 financial crisis, scuppering the flow of business from its banking clients in recent times. It now wants to [...]
Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert cashes in December 4, 2014 Aberdeen Asset Management executive directors including chief executive Martin Gilbert and deputy chief executive Andrew Laing have cashed in on the company's highest share price in six months by selling off just over three million shares. Gilbert's sale of 1.3m shares at 461p netted him just over £6m, although he still holds £24m of shares. [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: George Osborne hits banks to help home buyers December 3, 2014 Chancellor plays Robin Hood by grabbing from the wealthy to fund stamp duty sweetener for those lower down property ladder. THE UK ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ● The UK’s economic growth has outperformed the March forecast of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), giving Britain the fastest growth rate in the G7. ● Unemployment has fallen [...]
Boris Johnson and the Malaysia Airlines mile-high “head butt incident” with drunk passenger December 3, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson may be used to a political dust up, but he was faced with what sounds like a rather more physical session on his flight home last night. Johnson, who has been in Malaysia as part of a tour of Asia, was flying from Kuala Lumpur when a fellow passenger started to [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: George Osborne scraps stamp duty slabs December 3, 2014 George Osborne's Autumn Statement unveiled a raft of measures in an intensely political statement aimed at luring voters back from Ukip during next year's general election. His centrepiece? A complete overhaul of stamp duty which, he said, will create savings for 98 per cent of home buyers. To cheers from the Tory back benches, Osborne [...]
Pork barrel spending and political gimmicks: Autumn Statement 2014 December 1, 2014 ONE HUNDRED and fifty five. That’s the really significant number for those following tomorrow’s Autumn Statement. It’s nothing to do with how much the UK government is borrowing. In fact, it’s the number of days until the general election. If early indications are anything to go by, the Statement will be packed full of small [...]
Ferguson shooting: Darren Wilson resigns from police department November 30, 2014 The police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in the Missouri town of Ferguson has resigned. Darren Wilson’s resignation comes after a grand jury’s decision not to indict him for the killing of Michael Brown sparked protests in the US and beyond. A 126 mile, seven-day march from Ferguson to Missouri [...]