Financial news

• The supermarket in Wales owned by a small council … in Surrey

  26-01-2019 17:00
  ‘Casino councils’ are spending huge sums on property across the country in a high-stakes bid to balance their booksThe rhythmic bleep at the tills charts a steady trickle of shoppers flowing through the checkout area at Asda in Ystalyfera, south Wales. It is a typical mid-morning at the supermarket in this former industrial town, 12 miles north of Swansea. Young mothers browse the knitwear section at George by Asda; a couple of older men in paint-speckled work overalls scour the sand
  
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• Small energy suppliers get a growth boost as their rivals collapse

  26-01-2019 17:00
  Some surviving challengers are expanding to almost ‘big six’ size by absorbing displaced customersEight small energy suppliers closed their doors last year as rising wholesale costs tipped them over the edge, and the trend has continued into 2019, with the recent insolvency of Economy Energy, followed by Our Power, which failed on Friday. Industry watchers predict there are more failures to come.The string of collapses has shone a spotlight on unsustainable pricing by new entrants an
  
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• Germany agrees to end reliance on coal stations by 2038

  26-01-2019 15:47
  Fossil fuels provide nearly 40% of country’s power as tensions rise on phaseout timetableGermany has agreed to end its reliance on polluting coal power stations by 2038, in a long-awaited decision that will have major ramifications for Europe’s attempts to meet its Paris climate change targets.The country is the last major bastion of coal-burning in north-western Europe and the dirtiest of fossil fuels still provides nearly 40% of Germany’s power, compared with 5% in the UK, wh
  
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• Tax return 2019: a stress-free guide to tackling it

  26-01-2019 09:30
  With just days to go until the HMRC deadline, we take the pain out of the processThe weather may have turned arctic, but frostbitten fingers won’t get you out of doing your tax return. HM Revenue & Customs has issued a list of the most bizarre (and unsuccessful) excuses it received from customers who missed last year’s self-assessment deadline. They included “My boiler had broken and my fingers were too cold to type”.If you have been putting off the day when you have
  
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• Hebden Bridge: how a thriving town lost its last bank

  26-01-2019 09:00
  Residents feel angry and let down as Lloyds departs, but one man has a plan to fill the gapThanks to the creatives who flocked to buy cheap housing half a century ago, Hebden Bridge has long been known for its thriving town centre. But though independent shops, cafes and arts venues are here in abundance, there is one vital lifeline missing – a bank.Last week, the market town’s last surviving bank, a branch of Lloyds, closed its doors for the final time. Now there are no banks within
  
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• The best investment of the past 35 years? Sadly, it was cigarettes

  26-01-2019 08:45
  British American Tobacco has made big gains but RBS has stayed flat, new analysis revealsThis month the FTSE 100 is 35 years old. When it launched in 1984 it was a true barometer of UK commercial and industrial talent, but now only 30 of the original names remain intact. Courtaulds, which in the 1970s was the world’s largest textile manufacturer, was an early casualty. Gone, too, are ICI, Plessey, Ferranti and Pilkington.Other countries have maintained industrial giants and developed techn
  
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• Letting fees ban is good news for tenants – but beware a backlash | Phil Spencer

  26-01-2019 08:45
  Renters could save about £272 on average from June, but agents may seek to claw cash backIt may be a little chilly for dancing in the streets, but those who rent their home have had two things to celebrate in January.The first was official data showing that average rents rose by just 1% in 2018, a fraction of the 2.5% seen in the pre-Brexit days of 2015. Continue reading...
  
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• I'm freezing – which thermal underwear should I buy?

  26-01-2019 08:31
  I’ve heard about products from Uniqlo, M&S and Damart, but I’m not sure which is bestEvery 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.I’ve been freezing all week. I’ve never bought any of that “base layer” or “thermal underwear” stuff, but I’m wondering if it is worth spending on to keep me warm. M&S
  
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• 'I'm growing my reselling business, but I'd like my own brand'

  26-01-2019 08:30
  Dario Hart works 15-hour days buying and selling goods online on sites such as Depop
  Name: Dario Hart
  Age: 21
  Income: About £400-£500 a week
  Occupation: Sells used goods over the internetUntil about six months ago I was living in Bourne near Peterborough and working as a stonemason. I was unhappy. I was hanging out with the wrong type of people for what I was looking for in life. They weren’t bad. It was just all about drinking and chilling. It was like a dead-end place where y
  
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• 'I'm 90 and my car insurance soared to more than £2,000'

  26-01-2019 08:30
  Peter Newton’s premium leaped but, unlike Prince Philip, he hasn’t had a crash. Are older drivers being ripped off?
  Peter Newton is 90, fit and healthy. He drives about 10,000 miles a year, at times criss-crossing the country from Sussex to Scotland. He has a 10-year no-claims record and, last year, passed a voluntary driving assessment with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) with flying colours. So why did his insurer, Saga – a specialist for older drive
  
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• Davos 2019: 10 things we learned at the World Economic Forum

  26-01-2019 08:01
  WEF lacked buzz without Donald Trump as unease over Brexit and global recession dominated the summit
  The first big international gathering of the year is the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Politicians, academics, businessmen and a smattering of billionaires make up the guest list, while campaigners and activists lobby on the fringes. So what have we learned from their week in the snow? Continue reading...
  
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• Orkney rated Britain's best place to live in terms of quality of life

  26-01-2019 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Scotland and north of England dominate top five as measured by housing, crime and schoolsOrkney is the best place to live in the UK, with cheap houses, low crime, good schools and a population who are among the happiest and healthiest in the country, according to the annual Halifax quality of life survey.The survey found that all the top five best places to live in the UK were in Scotland or the north of England. Richmondshire in the north of the Yorkshire Dales came second, while the appropriat
  
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