Euro falls to nine-year low as investors eye ECB policy January 5, 2015 The euro tumbled to a nine-year low against the dollar this morning after the European Central Bank (ECB) hinted quantitative easing could be on the way and disputed reports Germany was preparing for a so-called "Grexit." The common currency slid to $1.1860 in pre-market trade, its lowest level since March 2006. It also pushed the [...]
David Cameron’s absence from Labour spending review launch is a subtle but clever political trap – Bottom Line January 4, 2015 David Cameron’s decision not to attend the launch of a key spending review into Labour’s election pledges this morning speaks volumes about the type of campaign he plans to run. Up until now commentators have predicted that the Tories will use the Prime Minister at every given opportunity, safe in the knowledge that Ed Miliband’s [...]
Tesco braces for era of pain as Dave Lewis restructures group January 4, 2015 Troubled retail giant Tesco is preparing to give investors a poor set of financial results this Thursday – which is likely to include losses in its core supermarket operations. New boss Dave Lewis has warned shareholders that he is willing to take short-term pain for long-term gain. He is not going to reveal any comprehensive [...]
Cameron refuses to rule out coalition with Ukip and Nigel Farage January 4, 2015 Was this morning the time we saw the first tentative, flirting moves towards a Conservative/Ukip coalition? Appearing on the Andrew Marr show Cameron faced questions about an allegiance between the two parties and declined to deny it, whilst also avoiding any overtly negative comments about Nigel Farage’s party. The most negative thing Cameron [...]
Doveish Mario Draghi sends Euro tumbling to lowest level since 2010, as dollar rises January 2, 2015 The dollar index rose 0.6 per cent to 90.84 this morning, its highest level since 2006. The index, which measures how the dollar is performing against its trading partners, was nudged up as comments from European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi pushed the euro to a four-year low. Draghi hinted this morning [...]
George Osborne takes a swipe at Vince Cable on Twitter January 2, 2015 As we approach the general election expect the rift between the Conservatives and their Lib Dem coalition partners to widen ever further as they prepare to tear each other to shreds over the coming months. Rarely a week goes by without a Lib Dem MP or minister warning the nation of the dire prospect of [...]
Tesla founder Elon Musk divorces his British wife – for the second time January 2, 2015 It can't be easy living with a multi-billionaire with so many ideas that he has to offer some of them to other people because he doesn't have time to take advantage of them all. But you'd have thought that's a lesson Tesla founder Elon Musk's soon-to-be ex-wife, British actress Talulah Riley, might have learned the [...]
Thomas Piketty rejects France’s Legion of Honour award January 1, 2015 France's rock star economist Thomas Piketty has turned down France's highest state honour because, in his view, it is not the role of the government to dispense these kinds of awards. The economist made waves in 2014 and topped the Amazon bestseller list with his book Capital in the 21st Century, which postulated that inequality [...]
New year’s resolutions to make you think more like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg December 31, 2014 As if running a $221bn (£142bn) company isn't enough, Mark Zuckerberg is known for his commitment to keeping new year's resolutions. Every year, the Facebook founder sets himself a new challenge – a process which, he told an audience last week, forces him to "do other things outside of [work]". But Zuckerberg doesn't just go for [...]
ECB official Peter Praet hints at quantitative easing amid falling oil prices December 31, 2014 The European Central Bank's (ECB) chief economist has hinted quantitative easing could be on the way, as plunging oil prices threaten to derail price expectations in the embattled eurozone. Peter Praet told German Newspaper Boersen-Zeitung the glut in global oil supply meant inflation rates were likely to remain negative throughout "a substantial part of 2015", something [...]
