Incredible shrinking toilet paper: The six products you’re getting less of, but are not getting cheaper April 20, 2016 When you're spending a penny, you're being short changed, it turns out. One brands' toilet rolls have been quietly shortened, but you're still paying the same price, and it's just one of several products where you're now getting less bang for your buck – and may even pay more for less – according to research from consumer [...]
CEBR: Brexit but staying in the Single Market could leave UK GDP higher by 2030 April 20, 2016 A leading think tank has said Britain leaving the EU but staying in the single market could result in its GDP being higher by 2030. It comes amid rising furore over the Treasury's prediction that each UK household would be £4,300 worse off if the UK leaves the EU. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said [...]
UK retailers hit by drop in Chinese shoppers April 20, 2016 UK retailers are suffering as new European visa rules deter Chinese shoppers. Global Blue, the tax-free shopping services company, said the number of Chinese shoppers in British stores slumped 30 per cent last month, leading to an overall decline of 21 per cent in the first three months of 2016. Read more: Online retail sales growth rate doubles [...]
Mark Carney dismisses helicopter money as a “compounding ponzi scheme” April 19, 2016 The governor of the Bank of England has written off the idea of the experimental monetary policy idea known as helicopter drops as a "compounding ponzi scheme". Mark Carney told the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee this afternoon that he was "not a believer" in the concept of helicopter drops saying the policy would erode faith in [...]
Vix volatility index hits 2016 low as markets find their feet April 19, 2016 The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) Vix index, a measure of implied option volatility cost on the US S&P 500, has sunk to lows for 2016 after wild market swings earlier in the year sent the index soaring. Last night the Vix closed at 13.09, its lowest finish to a session since 17 August after China's 50 per cent stock market crash [...]
Mark Carney comes out fighting over Bank of England’s role in the Brexit referendum April 19, 2016 Mark Carney has told Lords that the Bank of England will continue to talk about how the EU referendum affects the UK economy in the run-up to the vote, that he broadly agrees with the Treasury's analysis of the impact of Brexit and warned that London could lose its status as a "pre-eminent" financial centre. [...]
“Fantastic Four” prepare to face off against the tax avoiders in new multinational initiative – so we don’t have to April 19, 2016 Four of the world’s foremost international bodies are to team up to launch a fresh fight against tax avoidance in the wake of the Panama Papers. The revelations have claimed the scalp of one global leader so far, embroiled hundreds of others and left a trail of metaphorical destruction in their path. Now, the multinational [...]
Why has business confidence fallen to its lowest level since 2012? Brexit, of course April 19, 2016 The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has become the latest organisation to warn that the prospect of Brexit has put UK businesses on the back foot, in a new report out this morning. In its global economic outlook, ACCA said that confidence among UK businesses sank from minus 5.7 at the end of 2015 [...]
Brexit and China fears weigh on German investors as confidence edges back up April 19, 2016 German investors are feeling a little more cheerful than they were this time last month, according to the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) indicator of economic sentiment, which climbed for the second month in a row. The barometer, widely watched by financial markets, came in at a reading of 11.2, up from 4.3 in March, where [...]
What to expect Mark Carney to be grilled about by the House of Lords today – from Brexit to current account, inflation and Panama Papers April 19, 2016 The most watched man in Threadneedle Street will trundle over to SW1 today to face his annual grilling from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. That’s right, the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, will be up against 13 of the Lords’ sharpest minds, all desperate to peer into the soul of [...]
