Finally some good news: Chinese exports unexpectedly rise as concerns over a slowdown in the world’s second largest economy linger January 13, 2016 While fears over the state of the Chinese economy persist, some good news was delivered this morning, after Chinese exports defied expectations in December to rise. Chinese exports rose 2.3 per cent in December from a year ago in yuan-denominated terms, against forecasts of a 4.1 per cent fall. A weakening currency is thought to have [...]
Treating death as taboo is leaving many Londoners poorly prepared, and capital dwellers are more likely to think they don’t want or need a will January 13, 2016 Londoners' taboos about mortality have left them inadequately prepared for the financial impact of death. According to a report released today by Aviva, six out of ten of London adults said that they felt death was still a taboo subject and just less than half (49 per cent) said that they do not want to [...]
Retailers sound alarm bells after one of toughest Christmas periods on record January 13, 2016 UK retailers have suffered one of their worst Christmas trading periods on record, according to new research showing a surge in the number of companies struggling to make ends meet. Turnaround specialist Begbies Traynor said 26,013 UK retailers entered the year in significant financial distress – nearly double the amount recorded in the fourth quarter [...]
Court told General Motors hid ignition switch defect that led to recall of millions of vehicles January 12, 2016 General Motors should be made to pay for hiding a defect with ignition switches that has been linked to nearly 400 injuries and deaths, a lawyer told a New York jury today. "This case is not just about an accident that occurred in Oklahoma in 2014," said Robert Hilliard, who is representing Robert Scheuer, an Oklahoma man injured [...]
Tensions brew over Yorkshire bridge as Samuel Smiths bars government plans for temporary crossing January 12, 2016 A fight has broken out over government plans to put in place a temporary footbridge to replace a flood-hit crossing in Yorkshire. Land owner Samuel Smiths Brewery has blocked plans to put a temporary bridge over the River Wharfe in Tadcaster and criticised the local authority for not maintain the old listed bridge. "In our opinion the [...]
Shareholders expect banking giant HSBC to keep its headquarters in London January 12, 2016 Major investors in HSBC think the bank is more likely to remain headquartered in London following changes to the political and regulatory landscape since the bank announced a review nine months ago. Richard Buxton, chief executive of HSBC shareholder Old Mutual Global Investors, told City PM: “I do think the mood music changed materially after the [...]
US oil falls below $30 a barrel for first time since 2003 January 12, 2016 Oil prices have fallen below $30 a barrel for the first time since 2003. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped very briefly to $29.97 a barrel before returning to $30 a barrel. It comes after a number of banks cut their forecasts for oil prices. Standard Chartered said it could fall to as low as $10 a [...]
Shares jump as The Gym Group reaches 2015 finishing line in good shape January 12, 2016 The Gym Group has worked up a good sweat since its market debut in November after an upbeat trading update released today by the budget fitness chain sent shares soaring nearly four per cent. The company, which operates 74 low cost gyms, said profits for 2015 are on track to meet market expectations after winning [...]
Proposed national insurance tax rule could be easily dodged, warns Chartered Institute of Taxation January 12, 2016 A representative body for tax professionals today warned that proposed rules designed to tighten up claims for national insurance reductions could be too easy to dodge. The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) cautioned that HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC) plans to stop limited companies where the director is the sole employee from claiming Employment Allowance [...]
Alphabet/Google share price target raised to $900 by Credit Suisse citing YouTube Red subscriber revenue January 12, 2016 Credit Suisse has lifted its price target for Google – now known as Alphabet – to $900 per share citing YouTube Red revenue as the catalyst. The adjustment of subscriber number projections to the ad-free subscription service which launched in October with a $9.99 per month price tag spurred the increase from $850 per share, remaining outperform. "While the initial [...]
