Economic map of Britain set to be transformed
29 May 2009 [0 Comments | 221 views]
Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and Brighton are set to emerge as supercities, and the economic map of Great Britain is set to be transformed as centres for gaming, wind farms and robotics replace factories, power stations and livestock. Or so says a new report from HSBC.
It really is a fascinating study, and one that coincides quite closely with the view expressed here often enough, that the credit crunch can be a force for positive change, if we let it.
House prices see May lift
29 May 2009 [1 Comment | 264 views]
"When April comes with its sweet showers ... then people long to go on pilgrimages." Well, that’s the gist of the first few lines of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
It seems that today one can take a different slant and say, once that April's showers give rise to May’s sun, folks long to go on that great pilgrimage to the local estate agent.
House prices jumped in May, according to the Nationwide. This follows a mere 0.3 per cent fall in the previous month and a
Microsoft lays down the challenge to Google
29 May 2009 [0 Comments | 240 views]
At last we may be seeing some serious competition for Google.
Yesterday, Microsoft unveiled its latest attempt to start clawing back market share from the seemingly unbeatable Google. This time it’s a new search engine, and this time Microsoft seems to think it has found something special.
It will be a long, hot summer for graduates and school-leavers, but jobs are there for those who can market themselves
29 May 2009 [0 Comments | 174 views]
If you are set to leave school shortly, or graduate from university, here is some advice: start another course.
According to KPMG, the latest CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook report highlights a job market sure to strike fear into school-leavers and graduates taking first steps into the job market.
Cheer up: by this time in 2011 you may be a millionaire
29 May 2009 [0 Comments | 152 views]
There’s bad news for millionaires. There’s fewer of you around now.
If you have been relegated from the millionaire class, cheer up though, you probably didn’t even realize you were a millionaire in the first place.
According to the Centre of Economics and Business Research
Supermarkets continue to grab market share
29 May 2009 [0 Comments | 292 views]
Here’s your question for the day. There’s a recession on, and yet food sales are rising. Okay, we have all got to eat, so you can understand why food sales may stay static, but why should food sales go up? For that matter, how has Waitrose managed to enjoy 4 per cent growth over the last year?
Yesterday saw the latest report from TNS Worldpanel, indicating market share for the various supermarkets. Meanwhile, Nielsen released some interesting findings about shopping patterns.
But first let’s answer that initial question: why are food sales doing well in a recession?
Markets celebrate over mixed data
27 May 2009 [0 Comments | 182 views]
There was a hint of euphoria in the air yesterday. The Dow Jones soared, rising 196 points; more evidence emerged, it seems, to suggest the US economy has begun the slow climb out of recession.
And yet, take a another look at the data, and one can’t help but feel that the euphoria seemed to be down more to faith than reason.
Why the battle to save British jobs at Vauxhall, is really about something different
27 May 2009 [0 Comments | 201 views]
The Germans and the French are at it, and therefore, goes the argument, so should we. France has long been busy building new Maginot lines of business. As for Germany, right now it seems that only Angela Merkel can decide the fate of Opel.
Meanwhile, the British government is getting a slating. It is not doing enough. It has to save Vauxhall. It has to safeguard British jobs. The truth is, this is a sorry tale, and surely illustrates all that is wrong with the economy.
British banking trio to see name changed to Santander
27 May 2009 [0 Comments | 196 views]
Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley are all to be subject to a major brand change.
UK’s credit rating was “inexplicable”, says OECD, but are they shooting at the messenger?
26 May 2009 [1 Comment | 207 views]
When the credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's put the UK long-term rating on its sovereign debt on a negative outlook, most expected the UK's critics to come out in droves and say “I told you so.”
Instead, it seems the critics have been slamming Standard & Poor's, and in the process a right can of worms has been opened.
