Financial news

• Homeowners count the cost as floods force prices to plummet

  02-01-2016 23:00
  
  As anger over the state of flood defences grows, some fear their houses will be unsellablePeople trying to sell their properties in flood-hit parts of north-west England have begun dramatically dropping their prices amid fears that houses in some roads have become virtually unsellable.Large homes in and around the Warwick Road area of Carlisle, which in December 2015 experienced its second major flooding episode in a decade, have started to appear on the market for only 60% of their November val
  
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• Next and M&S first victims of retail's toughest year

  02-01-2016 20:50 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Next and Marks & Spencer will be the first retailers to report on a tough Christmas trading season
  
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• Holland & Barrett gears up for £1bn sale

  02-01-2016 20:45 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Health food and vitamins chain is gearing up for a sale this year after six years of ownership by private equity firm Carlyle
  
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• Scunthorpe steelworkers facing an overhaul of pensions and pay

  02-01-2016 20:20 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Sale of Tata's underperforming long products unit, that could save thousands of steel jobs, may hinge on workers accepting new pensions deal and pay reforms
  
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• Jaeger sell-off pulled as bids fail to match asking price

  02-01-2016 20:20 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Offers for Jaeger were less than owner Better Capital was prepared to acccept, and the fashion firm will stay under Better's control
  
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• Investor halves BG Group stake as doubts grow over Shell deal

  02-01-2016 20:05 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  One of the world's largest investors more than halved its stake in BG last month, fuelling speculation about shareholders' attitude towards the takeover by Shell
  
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• Radisson to push into emerging markets after Mali attack

  02-01-2016 19:35 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The boss of Rezidor, the company behind the Radisson hotel chain, said November's terrorist attack had not changed its expansion plans
  
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• New Sports Direct property boss is ex-nightclub promoter

  02-01-2016 19:20 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Michael Murray, the boyfriend of Mike Ashley's daugher Anna, also owns a £10.7m property in Belgravia, of which Mr Ashley is the lender
  
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• Britain to share more electricity with France and Ireland under new City scheme

  02-01-2016 19:20 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Edmund Truell hopes to follow planned Icelandic cable with several more underwater power links
  
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• Hedge funds short troubled outsourcing firm G4S as shares drop

  02-01-2016 19:10 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Two London firms have taken contrary views while other hedge funds exit their short positions
  
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• Five more facing insider dealing charges after nine-year inquiry

  02-01-2016 18:50 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  A group of men are due to appear in court in January over allegations of insider trading as part of the financial watchdog's Operation Tabernula
  
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• US jobs growth clears course for Fed to raise interest rates again

  02-01-2016 18:45 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Data to confirm that the US central bank can safely continue increasing interest rates in early 2016
  
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• 100,000 British firms owed £16bn they may never recoup

  02-01-2016 18:25 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Bad debts are leaving small and medium-sized companies out of pocket
  
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• Ex-Sainsbury's boss backs his own members' club

  02-01-2016 18:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The Clubhouse, which boasts Justin King as a longstanding member, has raised £750,000 to fund new sites
  
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• L&G considers selling its Dutch retail unit

  02-01-2016 17:55 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Sale would mark the latest retreat from Europe as the big insurers revamp their businesses
  
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• Don't expect any swift rebound in the oil price

  02-01-2016 17:55 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  One reason is that a recovery in prices does not really suit Saudi Arabia's strategy
  
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• Meet the nine billion-dollar companies turning a profit from sustainability

  02-01-2016 17:01
  
  So-called green giants like Tesla, Chipotle, IKEA, Nike and Whole Foods have succeeded in doing what few thought possible – making sustainability profitableOver the nine years I’ve spent trying to persuade business leaders to embrace sustainability, the question I’ve most often been asked is, “What’s the business case for sustainability?” This question is always delivered in a skeptical tone, carrying the unspoken suggestion that there is no business case, or
  
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• UK dividend fears are overdone

  02-01-2016 17:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Concerns about UK dividends are mounting. Are these worries justified?
  
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• TTIP: the key to freer trade, or corporate greed?

  02-01-2016 17:00
  
  Some say the US/EU trade deal that could be agreed this year will open up markets and promote UK growth. Others fear it will drive down wages and promote privatisationCheap American olive oil could, in a few years’ time, be sitting on supermarket shelves next to the Tuscan single estate varieties loved by British foodies. At present a prohibitive tariff on US imports effectively prices them out of contention.But a groundbreaking trade deal could lower the $1,680-a-tonne tariff on US olive
  
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• A year of challenging fixtures for BT’s Gavin Patterson - on the field and off

  02-01-2016 17:00
  
  After successes in TV sports and drama, BT’s chief executive must now face Ofcom over OpenreachOn the day Jose Mourinho was ousted as manager of Chelsea football club, the only televised interview with him ran on BT Sport, BT’s pay-TV channel. The interview was pre-recorded, and had been filmed before Mourinho knew about his sacking, but its exclusivity was a feather in BT’s cap and delighted its chief executive, Gavin Patterson. “That was a significant moment,” he
  
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• Fund management industry's credibility on show in planned BG-Shell merger

  02-01-2016 16:35 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Shell bid for BG in April last year, after the oil price had halved. What will happen next?
  
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• Radisson boss undeterred by Mali tragedy

  02-01-2016 16:30 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The boss of the Radisson hotel chain said the company will press on with its emerging market expansion plans in the wake of November's terrorist attack
  
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• Another Lehman collapse is the biggest threat we face

  02-01-2016 16:02 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Our big banks, still largely unreformed since the financial crisis in 2008, remain too-big-to-fail
  
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• Mapped: how a demographic time bomb will transform the global economy

  02-01-2016 16:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Advanced economies risk sleepwalking into a new reality of permanently lower growth and higher debt unless policymakers tackle ageing populations
  
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• Holland & Barrett is 'a trusted brand, but not quite loved', says boss

  02-01-2016 15:30 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The head of Holland & Barrett speaks about turning mainstream, the glories of snail gel, and retail's key community role
  
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• Could Apple conquer the living room in 2016?

  02-01-2016 15:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  This year will see media and technology companies step up efforts to bundle services together
  
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• Anti-ISIS group claims cyber-attack on BBC, says was only a test

  02-01-2016 14:58
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - A group of computer hackers that wants to target Islamic State has claimed it was behind a cyber attack on the BBC which it intended as a test of its own capabilities, according to messages sent to a reporter at the broadcaster on Saturday.
  
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• Foreign firms dash to get in on Iran 'gold rush' – but US companies left out in cold

  02-01-2016 13:21
  
  With Washington’s economic sanctions against Tehran set to continue even after implementation of the nuclear deal, investment in what many believe is the world’s last great emerging economy may prove too risky for US firmsAmerican companies risk missing out on a “gold rush” in Iran if sanctions are lifted as expected next year under the controversial nuclear deal, experts have warned.Companies from Asia and Europe are already flocking to do business in the emerging econom
  
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• 'House of Morgan': a Chinese mogul, an anti-capitalist artist and an icon of Wall St

  02-01-2016 13:00
  
  A luxurious building conceived by the financier JP Morgan is now a temporary art space and its ownership tied to a shadowy jet-setter with intelligence linksThrough 1913 and into 1914, J Pierpoint Morgan spared no expense in the construction of an imposing headquarters that might suitably represent his reputation as the era’s pre-eminent financial baron – a lair for the capitalist’s capitalist smack in the heart of Wall Street.He imported blocks of pink Knoxville marble weighin
  
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• Oyster card glitch fixed meaning free travel for Londoners ends

  02-01-2016 12:23
  
  Smartcard readers failed across capital’s transport network, meaning Transport for London was unable to charge fares
  A technical glitch in Transport for London’s Oyster card system has been resolved after thousands of passengers in the capital were able to travel for free on Saturday morning. Oyster card readers are now back in service, customers are now able to touch in and out. We apologise for the disruption earlier. Continue reading...
  
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• Prince Philip praises engineers as 'second only to God'

  02-01-2016 11:18 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Prince Philip says engineers perform such as essential function that it is hard to imagine the life without them
  
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• Work-life balance: flexible working can make you ill, experts say

  02-01-2016 10:39
  
  Practices such as working from home could do more harm than good, research finds, as many employees never ‘switch off’ Flexible working practices can do more harm than good to workers because they encourage an “always on” culture that can have a heavy psychological toll, experts have warned.Working away from the office or part-time can isolate employees from social networks and career opportunities while fostering a “grazing” instinct that keeps dangerous stre
  
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• 'We only get one life, don't spend it all at work': in praise of the four-day week

  02-01-2016 10:00
  
  Making Thursday the new Friday would make us healthier, create more jobs and boost the economy. The only downside is that Monday would still be Monday I love the bit in those 1970s nostalgia shows when we get to 1974. It’s always the same footage: slightly bedraggled people looking like they are wearing someone else’s trousers, cars that appear to have been imported from east Germany, a raucous soundtrack from Bowie and T Rex. Ted Heath standing in the middle of it all looking sudden
  
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• Unwanted Christmas gifts? You can do better than eBay

  02-01-2016 09:21 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  If you're having a post-Christmas clearout there are easier and cheaper alternatives to eBay
  
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• Mapped: the world's cheapest stock markets to buy for 2016

  02-01-2016 09:16 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The year begins with investors facing a choice between highly-priced developed markets, and challenged emerging ones
  
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• The best and worst performing stock markets in 2015

  02-01-2016 09:03 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Telegraph Money runs through the big stock market winners and losers in 2015
  
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• No change for the collection tin? Just touch and go

  02-01-2016 09:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  No more excuses as contactless collection tins set to boost charity giving in a cashless economy
  
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• Small business in the spotlight … HomeTouch

  02-01-2016 08:55
  
  Jamie Wilson, a dementia physician, launched a digital service that allows older people to chose their own carersWe are an online service that helps families find high quality, affordable care for their loved ones, or themselves in some cases – it’s the bread and butter, if you like, of elderly care.Continue reading...
  
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• The 21 best money quotes of 2015

  02-01-2016 08:32 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Here is our round-up of the most memorable money quotes of this year
  
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• Take care, FSCS changes mean your savings aren’t as protected as they were

  02-01-2016 08:00
  
  EU limits mean the compensation you receive if your bank crashes has been cut by £10,000. You can take steps, but it’s not that simpleIf you are fortunate enough to have quite a lot of cash stashed away in savings, your number one new year’s resolution should be to check whether you are affected by a change to the protection that kicks in if a bank goes bust.New rules took effect yesterday, and the bottom line is that if you have more than £75,000 tied up with one financi
  
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• Searching Skyscanner was the easy bit, trying to sort a problem … impossible!

  02-01-2016 08:00
  
  A booking was made twice in error but now we are told all the tickets are non-refundableMy daughter and her cousin went online to book return flights to Australia, using the Skyscanner website to find the best prices. It directed them to an online agent called Travel Trolley and they went through the booking process. However, they had an onscreen message “booking unsuccessful” so they started the process again.The second attempt led them to a second agent, Omega Travel, and they made
  
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• Rising interest rates will be the big finance story of 2016

  02-01-2016 08:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Ben Wright explains how the rise in interest rates will impact the global economy in 2016
  
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• Questor share tips for 2016

  02-01-2016 08:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  A focus on value shares in British companies has beaten the market two years running
  
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• Is it possible to try skiing without spending a fortune?

  02-01-2016 08:00
  
  We’ve heard Bulgaria is good value, but want help from those who know more than we doEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.This week’s question: Continue reading...
  
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• Contactless card transactions top 120m

  02-01-2016 08:00
  
  ‘Wave and pay’ revolution starts to gather pace, although millions of people remain locked outOne in every 10 card payments we make is now contactless, suggesting that the “wave and pay” revolution is gathering pace, it emerged this week.Contactless payment cards were introduced in the UK in 2007, and after a slow start tap-and-go is beginning to take off. In October, 10.3% of all card transactions were made using contactless technology, the first time the 10% milestone w
  
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• Bye bye buy-to-let … but where next for your money?

  02-01-2016 08:00
  
  After 20 years, tax changes mean buy-to-let will no longer deliver the returns it did. We look at the potential gains – and the risks – in a range of alternatives to being a landlordInvesting in buy-to-let has been the easy way to make money for two decades. But from this year a raft of tax changes will make it far less profitable. Are there alternatives that could make similar sums for investors in the years ahead?We took the typical amount of money that an average buy-to-let invest
  
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• Picture this: being charged extra to send emoji texts

  02-01-2016 07:59
  
  You may have been delighted to get that smartphone for Christmas, but using it to send a smiley face will not make you happy when your bill arrivesIf you received a smartphone, and particularly an iPhone, for Christmas, be careful how you send any future text messages, because you may well find yourself facing an unexpected bill for picture messages – even though you haven’t sent any.It’s a little known fact that, depending on your handset and network, adding an emoji – a
  
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• How Halifax penalises its insurance customers for their loyalty

  02-01-2016 07:59
  
  When an elderly woman found her building insurance premiums too steep to pay, Halifax simply reopened her former mortgage accountHow much should the buildings insurance be on a £250,000 terrace house in Redcar, north-east England? It probably wouldn’t be difficult to find quotes for less than £200. Yet what the son of the elderly woman living alone in the house found after going through her papers following her death in 2010 brings shame on one of our biggest financial institut
  
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• Train fares in Britain to rise by average of 1.1%

  02-01-2016 01:01
  
  Campaigners say passengers will be ‘amazed’ at fare rises due to poor running of services in parts of the country
  Train fares in Britain are rising by an average of 1.1%, the smallest annual increase since 2010. But campaigners have warned that the quality of some services might leave passengers “amazed there are any fare rises at all”.The average rise for regulated fares, which includes about half of all tickets and annual passes, was limited to no more than 1% because i
  
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• Big boost for economy as house prices set to rise 6%

  02-01-2016 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  HOUSE prices will go from strength to strength across the country this year in a further boost to the recovering economy, according to experts.
  
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