Financial news

• Stock market WARNING as Wall Street's 'fear index' plunges to lowest level in decades

  14-05-2017 17:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  WALL Street's so-called 'fear index' has dropped to its lowest level in more than 20 years which could be a sign that stock market bubbles are about to burst, experts have warned.
  
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• Pension warning: Savers lose RECORD amounts to scams as fraudsters rinse pots

  14-05-2017 17:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  INNOCENT savers were conned out of record amounts of cash in March, as fraudsters exploit pension reforms to trick victims out of nest eggs.
  
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• Gold price prediction: Metal set to sink lower as fears of euro break-up fall

  14-05-2017 17:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  GOLD prices experienced a small bounce in recent days but values are set to head down over the longer term, as US interest rates rise and as political fears subside, according to expert forecasts.
  
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• How to get ahead without hard work: golf, drinking, nepotism and dumb luck | Arwa Mahdawi

  14-05-2017 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  We’re constantly told that our productive hustle will pay off. But there are easier ways to find success ...Working hard is often a waste of time. In fact, if I could go back and give my younger self some career advice, it would be to spend less time in the office and more time in the pub.We are constantly told that hard work pays off. If you roll up your sleeves, put your head down and go the extra mile, you can achieve whatever you want, no matter your circumstances. And we are regularly
  
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• How to get ahead without hard work: golf, drinking, nepotism and dumb luck

  14-05-2017 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  We’re constantly told that our productive hustle will pay off. But there are easier ways to find success ...Working hard is often a waste of time. In fact, if I could go back and give my younger self some career advice, it would be to spend less time in the office and more time in the pub.We are constantly told that hard work pays off. If you roll up your sleeves, put your head down and go the extra mile, you can achieve whatever you want, no matter your circumstances. And we are regularly
  
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• Final taxpayer shares in Lloyds Banking Group to be sold off

  14-05-2017 16:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Government plans to sell last remaining shares this week eight years after pumping in £20bn to prevent bank’s collapseThe government is expected to sell off its remaining shares in Lloyds Banking Group in the coming week, marking a watershed moment for the sector after the financial crisis.Eight years after pumping in £20bn to prevent the bank from collapsing, taxpayers will no longer own any shares in an institution that was created in the depths of the financial crisis when L
  
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• April cold weather could cause a shortage of British fruit, say farmers

  14-05-2017 16:19 via theguardian.com
  
  National Farmers’ Union warns of ‘waiting game’ on apples, pears and plums after last month’s Arctic blastCold weather in April could lead to a shortage of British apples, pears and plums, farmers have warned.Alison Capper, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union horticulture board, said she feared her own apple harvest, which includes varieties such as Gala, Braeburn and Red Windsor apples, could drop by 70-80% as a result of the cold snap. Continue reading...
  
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• Best savings rates: How to make your money work harder

  14-05-2017 14:43 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  BRITISH savers face an apparent nemesis of low interest rates and high inflation, but there are still risk-free ways to grow money if you know where to look.
  
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• Foxtons meets to put its house in order

  14-05-2017 14:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The swish estate agency has a list of tricky issues to negotiate at its annual meeting - not least its falling share price. Oh, and a stagnant property marketSocial media frequently appears to be a modern popularity contest, but at least that gives us an indication of the reputations of some of our best-known companies.Take the official Twitter account of the irksome estate agency Foxtons, for instance, which possesses a mighty 400 followers and drones on about the major housing topics de nos jo
  
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• Revealed: Rarest coins of 2016 – see if YOUR change is worth a fortune

  14-05-2017 13:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  BRITONS should keep a keen eye on their change and hold on to select £2 and 50p coins that could end up being worth a fortune, after the Royal Mint revealed the rarest coins released into circulation last year.
  
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• Labour calls for UK financial transaction tax - Financial Times

  14-05-2017 13:43
  Financial Times
  Labour calls for UK financial transaction tax
  Financial Times
  The Labour party has said it would raise at least £4.7bn a year through a financial transaction tax, adopting a policy that the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called “madness”. Sample the FT's top stories for a week. You select the topic, we deliver ...
  
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• Is Labour's manifesto living in fantasy land? Quite the opposite | Larry Elliott

  14-05-2017 13:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Imperfect it may be, but Labour’s manifesto recognises the economic status quo can’t be kept going for much longerTen years ago this month, Britain was on the cusp of change. Two things were about to happen, one planned and one unexpected.The change everybody knew about was that Tony Blair was going to stand down as prime minister after 10 years in the job, during which time he had won three elections on the trot. Continue reading...
  
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• Philip Hammond calls China a 'natural partner' as he seeks post-Brexit trade deals

  14-05-2017 09:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Chancellor tells summit Beijing’s vast $990bn infrastructure plan is an ‘opportunity to strengthen ties’ with ChinaChina lays out $900bn Silk Road vision amid empire-building claimsThe chancellor, Philip Hammond, has called for closer economic ties with China as Britain enters a new, post-Brexit era. Speaking at the start of a summit in Beijing celebrating President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road initiative”, Hammond heaped praise on his hosts and said Britain wa
  
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• How real books have trumped ebooks

  14-05-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The digital revolution was expected to kill traditional publishing. But print books are ever more beautifully designed and lovingly cherishedBooks have always had a fetishistic quality to them, with their dusty secretiveness. Now, though, it feels like we’re living through a special moment in the history of book design and beautiful books are everywhere.Take George Saunders’s Lincoln in the Bardo with its marmoreal endpapers or Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Roads, with its cover i
  
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• We wouldn’t need price caps if the Tories hadn’t cut energy-saving schemes

  14-05-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Restricting charges, no matter how desirable, is a temporary measure. The lost opportunities for insulation and renewal would have been permanentHow much should people pay for the essential service of heating and powering their homes? Last week, politicians tried to outbid one another with how much they would save you. Up to £100 off for two thirds of people, said the Tories. We’ll raise you, with a £1,000 ceiling for everyone, said Labour.Vested interests across the energy wor
  
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• Lloyds has lost my US dollar cheque, jeopardising a property purchase

  14-05-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  I wanted to use the inheritance money towards a shop but now the seller may withdrawI have been trying to cash a US cheque for just over $100,000 (£77,300), left to me in America by my late father but Lloyds bank has lost it, and now I fear a shop I was hoping to buy with this money will also be lost. Lloyds was to open a dollar account for me, and we agreed I would go to my local branch with ID and pay in the cheque at the same time. I did this in late February and, luckily, asked fo
  
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• How to build your grand design for a humble price

  14-05-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A pioneering project in Cornwall is laying the foundations for a revolution in the way British homes are bought and builtBuilding your own home is a bit like making a cake – you either start from scratch or use a ready-made mix. “The customer gets to design the cake, but then gives it to a chef to cook it,” says Chris Brown, executive chairman of custom build developer igloo Regeneration. This analogy neatly sums up the difference between self-build and “custom build&rdqu
  
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• Fake news or not, the future belongs to Facebook

  14-05-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Imagine the forecasters are right, and that print will die and social media rises to domination. What would the 2042 general election be like then?It was the week when the fake news furore went legacy-viral. Facebook bought full-page print ads in national dailies featuring 10 tips for spotting “false news”. (Tip 9: “Is the story a joke?”) And the BBC produced an early evening Panorama full of grisly warnings. Facebook, it reported, had been a game-changer for both Brexit
  
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• China's Xi lays out $900bn Silk Road vision amid claims of empire-building

  14-05-2017 07:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Global leaders attend ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure summit to praise plan Xi Jinping says will bring a new ‘golden age’ of globalisationWorld’s biggest project aims to make China great againChinese president Xi Jinping has kicked off a two-day showcase of what some call the most ambitious development project ever by comparing his country to a peace-loving explorer set on transforming the world with treasure-laden galleys not warships, guns or swords.Speaking at the
  
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• ‘It’s two hit songs then off’ – artists fight festivals’ shorter sets

  14-05-2017 01:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Insiders say ‘stack ’em high’ formula of packing as many bands in as possible is driving performers awayMusic festivals are facing an “enormous backlash” as the emerging trend to cram in more bands playing shorter sets is infuriating some musicians, industry experts warn.In the past, what seemed like a nation of fans would tune into Radio 1 to hear festival lineups announced and there was a panicked scramble when tickets went on sale. Now with sets as short as 20 mi
  
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• How to invest in the best British companies

  14-05-2017 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  THESE are exciting times for Britain, with an election under way, Brexit around the corner and on Friday the stock market closed at a record high of 7,435.39.
  
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• Government bodies and organisations cannot afford to skimp on IT systems and security

  14-05-2017 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Businesses around the world got a huge wake-up call on Friday about the need to invest in and protect their IT systems after the cyber attack that crippled the NHS.
  
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• Five-minute guide to Tory's manifesto pledge on fuel

  14-05-2017 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  AS GAS and electricity bills go through the roof, Prime Minister Theresa May’s election pledge to introduce an energy price cap seems like a red-hot vote winner.
  
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• Energy profits will add fuel to the fire - But SSE slams price capping as anti-competitive

  14-05-2017 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  ENERGY giant SSE will intensify the row over Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to implement price caps this week, when it is expected to unveil soaring profits and shareholder payouts.
  
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• Business rates cuts a must for new government

  14-05-2017 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  BUSINESS rates need to be tackled by the next government to boost small firms, according to two of Britain’s best-known entrepreneurs, Sir Richard Branson and Theo Paphitis.
  
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• Gasp! Budget finally admits 'revenue problem', but attacks on welfare are the same old spin

  14-05-2017 00:23 via theguardian.com
  
  After years of denial Scott Morrison finally fessed up to there being an issue with revenue, but the cuts to welfare are little more than a media stuntThe budget has destroyed one of the biggest lies told by the Coalition over the past three years and in the time it was in opposition – that there was no revenue problem. But the budget papers themselves reveal another lie that also deserves to be consigned to the bin – the one that suggests those on welfare are bludgers deserving to b
  
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