Manufacturing industry still stagnant, but does the latest CBI survey point to a recovery on the horizon? April 25, 2016 The manufacturing industry had a mixed start to the year, though the latest CBI industrial trends survey, out today, showed tentative signs of a pick-up over the next few months and provided some grounds for optimism. Manufacturers reported output was stable over the first three months of 2016, while orders dipped slightly but employment picked up. [...]
Stable oil prices and a stock market surge mean the global economy is a little less likely to fall into recession April 25, 2016 The world is no longer teetering on the brink of a full-blown recession thanks to a rally in global stock markets and surging commodity prices, according to a new report out today. Researchers at Oxford Economics said that there are slightly fewer alarm bells ringing over the health of the economy today than there were [...]
Week ahead: Brexit expected to knock GDP and earnings April 25, 2016 Concerns over Britain leaving the European Union are expected to have weighed on gross domestic product (GDP) over the first quarter of 2016. Economists are expecting to see growth cooled to 0.4 per cent in the last three months, when the latest numbers are released on Wednesday. In the fourth quarter of last year the [...]
Chinese consumers are changing their habits rapidly as luxury has suffered a slow death and online takes off April 24, 2016 Beijing is awash with restaurants, but locals Cherry and Andy Ho haven’t bothered going out to eat for months. The proliferation of Groupon-style coupons and deals means it’s easier to have food delivered. It’s half the cost, with no delivery charge – great for consumers, but not so good for some traditional businesses. Indeed, this was among [...]
Creative industries hiring from abroad as record employment creates skills shortage April 23, 2016 Britain's record employment rate has led to skills shortages in manufacturing, construction and financial services, but now it is taking its toll on the creative industries. Firms in animation, game design and visual effects – most of which are based in London – are turning to foreign graduates to plug skills gaps in the sector, [...]
Accountants warn that UK households are suffering from “massive over-indebtedness” April 22, 2016 Britain’s accountants have sounded the alarm bells over what they see as dangerously high levels of debt across Britain. In a new report, launched today, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), said a “growing amount of evidence indicated [there was] a massive over-indebtedness by vulnerable groups in UK society”. Unsurprisingly, students, the self-employed and [...]
Grexit: Europe tells Greece there will be no discussion about writing off any of its bailout debt April 22, 2016 The European Commission has told Greece it is not considering writing off any of the €86bn (£67.5bn) handed over during the Greek bailout crisis, as it aims to have a new package of reforms wrapped up within the next week. Finance chiefs from Eurozone countries gathered in Amsterdam this morning to discuss the latest progress on the Greek bailout, [...]
London Marathon 2016 mapped: The rise of property prices along the route from the Blackheath starting line to the Mall finish April 22, 2016 It's not just a slog for runners around the London Marathon route this weekend. Anyone angling to jump on the London property ladder or looking to climb it faces a steep ascent with plenty of pain, arguably tougher than a 26 mile run around the capital – emotionally and psychologically at least. Runner's eyes won't [...]
Mark Carney wants more green bonds, Bitcoin technology and mobile banking to help deliver on United Nations’ climate change goals April 21, 2016 Mark Carney has said the expansion of environmentally-friendly finance products will help the world economy fight climate change and enhance economic stability around the planet. The governor of the Bank of England said that innovative ideas such as "green bonds", which are used to fund projects that have a positive impact on the environment, along [...]
Super Mario comes out fighting to defend European Central Bank (ECB) against German attacks, negative interest rates and misfiring bazookas April 21, 2016 Mario Draghi has hit back against critics of the European Central Bank (ECB), reiterating that nothing has been ruled out in its fight to stave off deflation in the Eurozone and wading into the Brexit debate in a defiant public appearance this afternoon. There was no change in the announcements from the ECB on interest rates and its bond-buying quantitative easing programme, [...]
