When to invest in passive vehicles October 29, 2013 The rising popularity of tracker funds partly reflects their flexibility, says Annabel Palmer INVESTORS are increasingly turning to passive funds. In the four years to June 2013, the assets held in passive investments have more than doubled in the US. And according to the Investment Management Association, tracker funds’ share of total funds under management [...]
Big six quizzed by MPs on energy prices, profit and green levies October 29, 2013 Bosses from the big six energy companies are being grilled by MPs this afternoon. First on the agenda was why prices have gone up by an average nine per cent when wholesale costs of energy has increased by only 1.7 per cent. A row has already erupted over the Ofgem data that claims the 1.7 [...]
US producer price index decreases slightly in September owing to falling food costs October 29, 2013 The US producer price index fell 0.1 per cent in September, following analyst expectations it would rise by 0.2 per cent, and August's increase of 0.3 per cent. Year-on-year, the index continued to point to soft inflation, up by 0.3 per cent. Prices for finished consumer foods fell 1.0 per cent – the largest decline [...]
Big six suppliers dispute Ofgem wholesale data October 28, 2013 A NEW energy row has erupted over data from industry regulator Ofgem, which claims that wholesale gas and electricity costs have been almost flat over the past year, rising by only 1.7 per cent. Alongside government policies, the big six energy suppliers have attributed rising wholesale prices as a key driver for raising consumers’ bills. [...]
City analysts say carbon tax should be scrapped October 28, 2013 THE CARBON tax should be scrapped before it makes domestic energy supplies more expensive than imports, city analysts at Macquarie warned over the weekend. The UK government’s levy on coal and gas, which is called the carbon price floor, was implemented earlier this year and encourages firms to invest in low-carbon energy production. It adds [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 28 October 2013 October 28, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Big Six face challenge over bills Britain’s energy regulator is on course to clash with the “Big Six” power companies this week over the importance of wholesale gas and electricity prices in rising customer bills. Data from energy regulator Ofgem show wholesale prices have been almost flat over the past year, rising by [...]
Defective regulations are pushing up energy prices as competition suffers October 27, 2013 ENERGY prices keep rising. Prime Ministers and energy ministers, past and present, all propose their own solutions, although there is little agreement on the cause of the problem. The latest proposal is an annual competition audit by energy regulator Ofgem, with input invited from the Office of Fair Trading. It will look at prices, profits [...]
Letters to the Editor – 28/10 – Energy innovation, Best of Twitter October 27, 2013 Energy innovation [Re: The global economy sinks under its debts as the real cost of energy rises, Thursday] Tim Morgan’s vision of low EROEI (Energy Return On Energy Invested) constraining living standards is overly pessimistic. Though his EROEI data may be true, the economy-as-an-energy-system argument requires two additional premises, which are not. First, the argument [...]
The global economy sinks under its debts as the real cost of energy rises | City A.M. October 25, 2013 ALTHOUGH the economy is improving, this is turning out to be “a recovery, but not as we know it”. Britain may be getting better off, but people keep getting poorer, as the costs of essentials continue to grow much more rapidly than incomes. Yet far from being a uniquely British problem, this is a worldwide [...]
Scottish Power hikes bills as green tax debate rages October 24, 2013 SCOTTISH Power yesterday became the fourth of the big six suppliers to raise its energy prices, adding £113 – or 8.6 per cent – on to the average annual dual fuel bill. Like many of its peers, Scottish Power maintains that high profit margins are not to blame for the bill increase, instead blaming wholesale [...]