Financial news

• Kier's rights issue flopped, but why? The answer is Brexit

  20-12-2018 21:07 via theguardian.com
  Brexit chaos has weighed heavily since Kier announced its plans to raise £264m 21 days agoWell played, Kier Group. It is one of the few companies that can say it got value for money from the banks and brokers who underwrote its rights issue.Put another way, the construction firm’s £264m fundraising was a spectacular flop. Only 38% of shareholders wanted to buy the new shares, and most of those investors were on the hook, morally speaking, after promising to cough up at the end
  
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• Consumer confidence hits five-year low as Brexit uncertainty bites

  20-12-2018 20:12 via theguardian.com
  GfK index shows most of fall fuelled by fears for economy rather than personal financeConsumer confidence has slumped to a five-year low as Brexit uncertainty left shoppers fearing for the stability of the UK economy in the months ahead.The GfK index, which is used by the European commission to judge consumer confidence, fell to -14 in December, down from -13 in the previous month and -10 in October. Continue reading...
  
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• Disabled woman evicted before Christmas … for highlighting the damp

  20-12-2018 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Plight of Surrey resident who never missed a rent payment in 12 years puts focus on lack of tenant securityIt is two weeks before Christmas and boxes are strewn across the living room of an apartment in Weybridge, an affluent town in the chancellor Philip Hammond’s leafy Surrey constituency.Despite the time of year, this is not a festive gift-wrapping session. Instead, the packages contain the possessions of a 63-year-old woman, moving out of her home at a far from ideal time of year. Cont
  
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• What are my rights if my flight from Gatwick is cancelled?

  20-12-2018 19:03 via theguardian.com
  From free food to a hotel room, here’s what you are entitled to if drones have affected your tripFlights resume as Gatwick reopens after drone chaos – liveAll airlines are required to offer a refund, a promise to put the passenger on the next available flight or alternative routing. But, as most flights are extremely heavily booked at this time of the year, travellers may find that the next flight available is several days away. Compensation is not payable in this instance because th
  
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• KANO COMPUTER KIT TOUCH: Discover the wonders of coding the DIY way

  20-12-2018 15:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  Entrepreneurs, families, young and old - make a flying start to 2019 by getting on top of your technology and learning one of today’s essential skills - how to code.
  
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• Pound rate DROP: Weaker sterling making London an ATTRACTIVE destination

  20-12-2018 15:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE Pound plunged to a 20-month low of $1.251 against the dollar at the start of the month following the decision by Prime Minister Theresa May to delay her Brexit vote – but one business boss has said the weaker pound is making London a more “attractive” place.
  
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• Oil price NOSEDIVES to lowest level in more than a YEAR after falling more than 4 percent

  20-12-2018 14:58 via feedproxy.google.com
  OIL prices nosedived to their lowest level in more than a year today on fears of an oversupply and a drop in global stocks after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates.
  
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• Bitcoin could be overseen by UK's financial regulator

  20-12-2018 13:38 via theguardian.com
  Treasury presses for FCA to regulate cryptocurrencies to protect consumersThe UK government has said it stands ready to empower Britain’s financial regulator to oversee all cryptocurrency assets, after a warning from MPs that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were “wild west” assets that exposed consumers to a host of risks.While some crypto-assets are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), many others, such as bitcoin, are not, the Treasury noted in its response
  
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• Brexit WARNING: Bank of England DOWNGRADES growth forecast – interest rates held

  20-12-2018 13:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE Bank of England has trimmed UK growth forecasts as it warned of “further intensification of Brexit uncertainties” having a negative impact on the economy.
  
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• Bitcoin WARNING: UK braced to CRACK DOWN on tax-dodging BTC investors

  20-12-2018 12:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE UK is gearing up to come down hard on tax-dodging bitcoin investors.
  
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• Pound euro exchange rate: GBP dips as Italy populists cave in to EU pressure over budget

  20-12-2018 12:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE pound to euro exchange rate is down today, and is currently trading at €1.1082 as the Bank of England gets set to hold interest rates at 0.75 per cent at today’s policy meeting.
  
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• Pound US dollar exchange rate: GBP rallies as strong UK retail sales offset Fed rate hike

  20-12-2018 12:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE pound US dollar exchange rate is currently trading at $1.269, rising roughly 0.5 per cent this morning and gaining around half a cent.
  
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• BOOST FOR BRITAIN: UK retail sales rise more than expected after Black Friday lift

  20-12-2018 11:43 via feedproxy.google.com
  UK retail sales rose more than expected in November as Black Friday promotions helped boost growth.
  
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• FTSE 100 PLUMMETS to 28-MONTH LOW - UK market headed for WORST year since financial crisis

  20-12-2018 10:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE FTSE 100 nosedived to a new 28-month low after losing more than 100 points in the open as global markets are left rattled by the Federal Reserve.
  
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• Pound LIVE: GBP Sterling trading lower as Bank of England issues Brexit WARNING

  20-12-2018 09:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE pound is trading lower against the euro this afternoon as the Bank of England held interest rates while issuing a warning over the impact Brexit could have on the UK economy.
  
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• We had trouble with a holiday car hire we didn’t Budget for

  20-12-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  I feared I would be charged with theft after a vehicle mix-upWe booked a car rental online with Holiday Autos for our visit to Rome. The confirmation stated that our provider was Payless and that we should collect the car at the Maggiore desk at the airport. We refused all extras as we had our own insurance. When we returned the car the rep checked the vehicle, but didn’t give us any paperwork. We then received two messages on our home phone from Avis, asking us to return the vehicle and l
  
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• Christmas on the breadline: 'There's always someone worse off'

  20-12-2018 02:51 via theguardian.com
  Our six Life on the Breadline writers share their expectations, hopes and dreams for their Christmas DayAbout this series
  This year, should I be wishing for a place to call home? What about meaningful paid employment? What about some roast vegetables and mint peas? I will probably get nothing, but I don’t care – I am grateful for what I do have and for having made it this far through the tests I have faced in 2018. Continue reading...
  
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• Uber loses appeal over driver employment rights

  20-12-2018 01:47 via theguardian.com
  Drivers should be classed as workers with access to paid holidays and minimum wageJudges have dismissed Uber’s appeal against a landmark employment tribunal ruling that its drivers should be classed as workers with access to the minimum wage and paid holidays.Master of the rolls, Sir Terence Etherton, along with Lord Justice Bean, backed an October 2016 employment tribunal ruling that could affect tens of thousands of workers in the gig economy. A third judge, Lord Justice Underhill, disse
  
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