Financial news

• CMA must step up to plate served by Asda-Sainsbury's merger | Nils Pratley

  01-05-2018 20:23 via theguardian.com
  Merged behemoth will have 60% market share – cheering for shareholders, less so for shoppersHow are the share prices of Tesco and little ol’ Morrisons doing as a bigger and fiercer supermarket creation – the two-headed Sainsbury’s/Asda beast – comes into view? Are they collapsing as investors prepare for keener price competition? Are executives also trembling in fear of their bonuses as Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe vows to unleash 10% price cuts?Hardly. While S
  
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• RBS to close 162 branches with loss of 800 jobs

  01-05-2018 19:42 via theguardian.com
  New closures in England and Wales prompt concerns for rural communities and small firmsRoyal Bank of Scotland is to close 162 branches in England and Wales this summer with the loss of nearly 800 jobs, raising fresh concerns that many rural communities will soon be left without access to a bank branch.RBS said the job losses were the result of a deal made with the European Union last year that meant the Edinburgh-based bank would no longer be forced to sell 300 branches. Instead 60% of them will
  
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• The Guardian view on UK tax havens: MPs are right to get tough | Editorial

  01-05-2018 19:32 via theguardian.com
  It is five years since the government promised to force Britain’s overseas tax havens to open up. This week MPs have used their power to make rules that are long overdueIt is fully five years since David Cameron put the crackdown on tax avoidance at the top of his agenda for the 2013 G8 summit. That same year, he and George Osborne promised a register of beneficial ownership of UK-registered companies. That register came into force in 2016. But it did not apply to Britain’s archipela
  
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• Cheltenham tops growth league as £1m+ sales spread across country

  01-05-2018 19:30 via theguardian.com
  High-end sales almost double in some regions with a 6% increase recorded throughout England and WalesSome of the biggest proportional increases in sales of £1m-plus homes happened outside London and its commuter belt last year, with sales almost doubling in Cheltenham and Birmingham.While the capital accounted for 60% of £1m-plus sales, stronger house price growth in the rest of the country and steady demand meant luxury homes were being traded more widely than before – from Yo
  
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• From planking to pizzas: the new rules for a successful meeting

  01-05-2018 18:15 via theguardian.com
  Amazon employees sit in silence – while Tesla boss Elon Musk advocates walking out if you aren’t adding value. But how can you stop wasting your life in pointless meetings? Here’s an expert guideSome human inventions flash into being, get a little polish and then are pretty much left alone, their users generally satisfied, or at least not so dissatisfied that they attempt to come up with an alternative. No one tries to build a better hankie, a more comforting cuddle or a dinner
  
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• Never felt more like singing the blues: Gibson guitar firm files for bankruptcy

  01-05-2018 17:27 via theguardian.com
  The maker of a cherished rock mainstay is seeking bankruptcy protection after diversification led to ‘devastating’ financial fall Related: Not a rock guitar solo to be heard as Grammys embrace women and hip-hop Gibson Brands, the makers of rock’s favourite Les Paul, SG and Flying V guitars, has filed for bankruptcy protection citing a “devastating” financial fall after its investments in consumer electronic brands failed to pay off. Continue reading...
  
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• Bank of England under pressure to shelve interest rate rise

  01-05-2018 14:23 via theguardian.com
  Worse than expected factory orders and weak consumer demand for credit dents prompts sterling sell-offHeavy selling sent the pound tumbling to its lowest level against the US dollar in more than three months after a double dose of economic bad news convinced currency dealers that the Bank of England would ditch plans to raise interest rates next week.A sharper than expected slowdown in manufacturing and signs that hard-pressed consumers have lost their appetite for borrowing added to growing evi
  
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• The A-Z of modern business jargon

  01-05-2018 13:20 via theguardian.com
  At a loss over low-hanging fruit? Befuddled by blue-sky thinking? Think that Hodl was a 1980s’ England footballer? Join Agglomer8’s ‘guru royale’ Connie Taylor as we drill deep down into today’s latest business jargon ... Continue reading...
  
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• Pound v US dollar: Exchange rate drops -0.7 per cent as UK manufacturing slumps

  01-05-2018 12:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  The pound to US dollar exchange rate has posted a -0.7 per cent loss today, making £1 worth around $1.367. This decline leaves Sterling at the lowest GBP/USD exchange rate since mid-January 2018 and comes after news that the UK manufacturing sector slowed in April.
  
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• May 2018 Premium Bonds winning numbers: Have you won £1 million cash prize?

  01-05-2018 11:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  TWO savvy savers have hit the jackpot with their Premium Bonds scooping the £1million May Day prize. But what were the winning numbers and have you won the £1million cash prize?
  
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• Bitcoin price LIVE: $8k BTC sheds $300 as expert claims crypto 'buzz' is now 'dissipating'

  01-05-2018 10:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  BITCOIN has slumped overnight with prices dropping by a near $300 back below $9,000. One City tech company has now claimed that BTC's recovery is stuttering as "the buzz around cryptocurrencies seems to be dissipating."
  
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• Ethereum ‘real winner’ as price rises 76 PERCENT on month in soaring recovery

  01-05-2018 09:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  ETHEREUM is the “real winner” in the cryptocurrency market as the blockchain currency revels in a month of repeated price rises.
  
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• Why don’t some venison products make it clear they contain pork?

  01-05-2018 08:27 via theguardian.com
  The fact the two types of meat are processed together should be made clear on the front – not in tiny type on the backI take issue with the labelling for some of Highland Game’s venison products – sausages, grill steaks and burgers – on sale in my local Lidl (and other retailers). The company claims they mix pork with the venison because the latter is a dry meat, but this does not mean they cannot use appropriate labelling. The word venison is always loud and clear and in
  
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• Italy’s stock market FALLS as Five Star Movement calls for election

  01-05-2018 07:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  ITALY’S stock market the FTSE MIB took a hit yesterday as the anti-establishment Five Star Movement called for early elections in June.
  
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