Financial news

• B&Q owner Kingfisher won't let its European DIY firms do their own thing | Nils Pratley

  20-09-2017 20:21 via theguardian.com
  Kingfisher’s acronym-heavy financial results cannot disguise a unification policy that has meant stock shortagesIf you find B&Q’s stores to be labyrinths for the unwary, stay away from the acronym-heavy financial statements of the parent company, Kingfisher. The group even has to provide a glossary, presumably for the benefit of readers whose concentration weakens at the umpteenth mention of the CPR , COGS and GNFR wonders being brought about by the ONE programme.ONE, oddly, does
  
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• French Connection shrinks losses by 30 per cent: Losses down to £5.7million

  20-09-2017 14:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  FRENCH CONNECTION says it has made “significant steps” in returning to profit after strong wholesale operations helped half-year losses to shrink by nearly 30 per cent.
  
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• Jobless and £35,000 in debt: 'I got to the point where I didn’t want to live'

  20-09-2017 13:49 via theguardian.com
  When an NHS worker lost her job, she turned to payday loans and lost her house – but has managed to pay back her debtsWhen the Birmingham substance misuse service was handed from the local NHS trust to a charity, Carol Rice lost her job amid cost-cutting, just as she was facing deeper debt problems.The 59-year-old single mother of three had been helping recovering drug addicts and had a second job to try to make ends meet.Continue reading...
  
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• Tough calls: on the debt crisis frontline with charity StepChange

  20-09-2017 13:48 via theguardian.com
  The Guardian speaks to helpline advisers dealing with issues such as credit card debt, high-interest loans and bankruptcy There is a pause, a moment’s silence and then a deep exhalation before the words finally come.The caller has only been asked her name but it is a big moment, almost like a confession when she finally speaks. Debt is an exhausting secret to keep, but telling a stranger about a problem you can hardly bear to face yourself takes courage.Continue reading...
  
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• Young people worst affected by debt crisis, say charities

  20-09-2017 13:47 via theguardian.com
  Rent arrears, benefit changes and insecure work contributing to rise in number of young people seeking adviceDebt charities have reported a jump in the number of young people seeking help with bad debts as growing numbers of under-30s struggle to pay household bills, interest on bank overdrafts and rent arrears.Citizens Advice said that the failure to cope with payday loans and other forms of high cost credit was one of the main reasons for the influx of distressed young people seeking advice.Co
  
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• Banks are 'afraid' of the 'volatile' digital currency Bitcoin, says wealth advisor

  20-09-2017 12:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  CEOs of US banks are 'very afraid' of Bitcoin, a wealth advisor has revealed.
  
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• UK stocks edge higher as Fed decision looms - Financial News (subscription)

  20-09-2017 10:35
  UK stocks edge higher as Fed decision looms
  Financial News (subscription)
  UK stocks edged higher Wednesday as retail shares gained ahead of a monthly sales update, with investors focused on the US Federal Reserve policy decision due later, MarketWatch reports. The FTSE 100 index trudged up 0.1% to 7,282.85, with the ...en meer »
  
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• Why you should check your finances before getting married in later life

  20-09-2017 10:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE growing number of people who marry in later life have been warned to plan carefully or risk getting tied in financial knots.
  
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• UK's most famous fund manager Neil Woodford's star status under threat

  20-09-2017 10:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  NEIL WOODFORD is the UK’s most famous fund manager, but his star status is under threat after a disastrous year.
  
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• POUND LIVE: Pound RISES ahead of Theresa May's Brexit Florence speech- could go higher

  20-09-2017 09:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE pound has lifted ahead of Theresa May's Brexit speech in Florence this week, and could surge higher depending on the Prime Minister's comments, experts predicted.
  
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• Water company complaints top 2m as progress 'stalls'

  20-09-2017 08:58 via theguardian.com
  Southern Water named the worst water provider, while Cambridge Water and Thames Water also face scrutiny
  Water customers had to make more than 2m calls to resolve problems last year as progress by companies on service “stalled”, figures show.The number of customers who had to phone their water company to resolve an issue increased by more than 40,000 to 2.14 million, the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) said. Continue reading...
  
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• Virgin East Coast to auction empty first-class seats to standard ticket buyers

  20-09-2017 08:35 via theguardian.com
  Passengers can now bid for an upgrade shortly before departure using a smartphone app, with prices from £5Rail passengers unhappy at the prospect of a journey in standard class can now bid for an upgrade.Empty first-class seats on selected Virgin Trains East Coast services are being auctioned through a smartphone app shortly before departure. Continue reading...
  
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• IMF and World Bank members must stop rise of economic non-order | Mohamed El-Erian

  20-09-2017 08:20 via theguardian.com
  Forthcoming meetings offer critical opportunity to start serious discussion on rebuilding global consensusNext month, when finance ministers and central bank governors from more than 180 countries gather in Washington DC for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, they will confront a global economic order under increasing strain. Having failed to deliver the inclusive economic prosperity of which it is capable, that order is subject to growing doubts – a
  
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• John Lewis helped itself to my money and I just can’t get it back

  20-09-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Partnership card took close to £500 from my account in error, but doesn’t seem bothered about returning itI have a John Lewis Partnership MasterCard and on my June/July statement I found £465.37 had been debited by the company as an “adjustment” to my account. I queried this and was advised that someone from customer service would get back to me. They didn’t, so I made a complaint via the website.Continue reading...
  
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• Homes near national borders – in pictures

  20-09-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  All these homes are bordering on magnificent as well as other countries Continue reading...
  
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• Donated by Swedes to Coles Mede – in pictures

  20-09-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  This brick and timber kit house in a village in Winchester was donated after the second world war, and is still going strong Continue reading...
  
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• Businesses on the couch: the co-founders in couples' therapy

  20-09-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Boardroom bust-ups can put friendships on the line. Business partners reveal why they get professional help to resolve their issuesThere are plenty of good reasons to set up a business with a co-founder rather than go it alone. A co-founder is another committed financial partner and someone who is likely to bring a vitally different skillset and will be a source of support when the going gets tough. Research by the Kauffman Foundation in the US suggests that co-founder teams can attract 30% more
  
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• PENSION SCAM WARNING: 'Vulnerable' pensioners robbed of £40m by new breed of fraudsters

  20-09-2017 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  VULNERABLE pensioners have been robbed of more than £40million by a new breed of crooks exploiting new pension freedoms.
  
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• KPMG cleared of wrongdoing after watchdog probe into HBOS audit

  20-09-2017 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  KPMG has been cleared by the accounting watchdog over its auditing of HBOS in the run-up to the lender's near collapse in the 2008 financial crisis.
  
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• GBP v USD: Strong UK retail sales growth boosts GBP/USD ahead of FOMC announcements

  20-09-2017 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  ABOVE-FORECAST retail data for August has given the pound a boost against the US dollar today.
  
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• GBP v EUR: Sterling jumps as UK reports surge in retail sales

  20-09-2017 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  STERLING surged by around half a cent against the euro this morning after investors were pleasantly surprised by an uptick in the UK's latest retail sales figures.
  
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• Every Lidl helps as German supermarket is Britain's fastest grower

  20-09-2017 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  GERMAN discounter Lidl is once again the UK's fastest-growing supermarket, with a record market share of 5.3 per cent, figures show.
  
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