Financial news

• Donald Trump hints at extension to China trade talks

  15-02-2019 19:47
  President said potential delay was justified as deal ‘must be the biggest in history’President Donald Trump has conceded that he will delay planned increases in import duties on $200bn (£155bn) of Chinese goods if there is progress in trade talks in Washington next week.Appearing to soften his demand for talks to conclude before 1 March, Trump said there could be a 30- or 60-day extension, should negotiators get closer to a deal. He said a delay was justified, based on the scop
  
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• Porsche asks UK buyers to commit to 10% no-deal Brexit surcharge

  15-02-2019 19:04
  Company says move is a precaution in case WTO tariffs apply to EU-UK tradePorsche is asking British customers to sign a contract committing them to pay a surcharge of up to 10% of their vehicles’ purchase price if there is a no-deal Brexit.Cars made in Europe could attract tariffs of 10% if imported to the UK under the terms of the World Trade Organization, the default trading relationship if the UK and the EU are unable to agree a transition period before 29 March. Continue reading...
  
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• Bedford: nicer than you might think – and with hidden depths

  15-02-2019 17:30
  So perfect that the ‘daughter of God’ bought a home in one of the redbrick terracesWhat’s going for it? You might have thought of Bedford, if you’d thought of Bedford at all, as a perfectly respectable place. Good schools. Lovely parks. Smashing Victorian redbrick houses. Great train links. Surprisingly cosmopolitan (one of the most ethnically diverse towns in the country). Ooh, the Cecil Higgins Gallery, with its Edward Bawdens. That lovely waterfront. Great place to bri
  
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• Pret a Manger to add full ingredients list to product labels

  15-02-2019 16:47
  Firm fulfils pledge to improve labelling following death of girl who suffered allergic reaction Pret a Manger plans to introduce full lists of ingredients on its products by the end of the summer as it fulfils a promise to improve labelling after the death of a customer who suffered an allergic reaction to one of its baguettes.The company is investing millions of pounds on label printers for every outlet and training thousands of workers as it revamps its systems amid a government consultation o
  
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• High street discounts boost struggling retailers as Brexit nears

  15-02-2019 16:33
  Clothes shops in particular had rise in sales after launching price reductionsHigh street discounts in the January sales helped drive a strong recovery in UK consumer spending last month in a sign that British consumers shrugged off mounting fears over Brexit.Sales volumes jumped by 1% in January compared with the previous month, providing support to struggling retailers after a slump in the amount of goods sold during the Christmas shopping period. City economists had forecast a more modest rec
  
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• EUROZONE BLOW: Car sales PLUNGE for firth straight quarter - EU alarm bells ringing

  15-02-2019 16:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  EUROPEAN car sales plunged for the fifth successive month in January as concerns stack up the eurozone is heading for a financial crisis.
  
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• EUROZONE CRISIS: Britain grows FASTER than Germany and Italy - EU on red alert

  15-02-2019 15:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  BRITAIN’S economy grew faster than Germany’s and Italy’s at the end of last year, highlighting the increasing crisis engulfing the eurozone.
  
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• Is Bitcoin shaping up for a collapse?

  15-02-2019 13:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  As any amateur astronomer will tell you, something can come from nothing – it’s why the big bang theory exists. Many investors have a similar view of bitcoin. Buy one, then just forget about it until you hear about an almighty explosion. However, the remarkably stagnant nature of BTC over its recent cycle means it really is getting overlooked for lengthy periods.
  
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• Betting firms may be forced to provide free self-exclusion tools

  15-02-2019 13:21
  Regulator to consider use of software to protect vulnerable people and problem gamblers Gambling companies could be forced to provide customers free of charge with software blocking them from betting, under proposals to be considered by the industry regulator.The Gambling Commission has launched a call for evidence looking at ways to better protect vulnerable people and problem gamblers by changing the industry’s code of practice, after identifying weaknesses. Continue reading...
  
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• The Money Saving Expert: how Martin Lewis became the most trusted man in Britain – podcast

  15-02-2019 13:00 via theguardian.com
  He has built a multimillion pound empire, and is driven to help people attain ‘financial justice’. But in an age of predatory capitalism and rampant inequality, can one man’s modest suggestions really make a difference?• Read the text version here Continue reading...
  
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• The Breadmaker: on the frontline of Venezuela's bakery wars – video

  15-02-2019 13:00
  In the midst of Venezuela’s spiralling economic crisis, Natalia and fellow members of a Chavista collective have stepped in to take over production at a local bakery, La Minka. Authorities had suspended operations when the owners were accused of overpricing their loaves and hoarding flour. In March 2017, with the tacit support of the government, the collective began selling affordable bread. This is the story of their fight to safeguard the bakery’s future and keep the Chavista dream
  
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• I swallowed the Brexit lies. Now I regret telling curry house workers to vote leave | Oli Khan

  15-02-2019 12:55
  With Indian restaurants in crisis, Boris Johnson and Priti Patel said we would be able to employ more chefs from south Asia• Oli Khan is the secretary general of the Bangladesh Caterers AssociationOne of the many myths and mysteries of the 2016 referendum campaign is that people from the south-east Asian community backed a leave campaign that was so often linked to bigotry. Related: Who killed the curry house? | Bee WilsonContinue reading...
  
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• RBS warns of Brexit damage despite profits more than doubling

  15-02-2019 12:04
  Figure of £1.6bn means bank records second straight year of profit since 2008 state bailoutRoyal Bank of Scotland has said Brexit uncertainty has “gone on far too long”, despite posting better-than-expected full-year profits and declaring new dividends that will boost government coffers by £1bn.RBS’s chief executive, Ross McEwan, admitted the additional pressure of Brexit risks would affect the bank’s performance over the coming year and it may struggle to mee
  
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• Fired for not smiling enough? US fast-food workers fight unfair dismissals

  15-02-2019 12:00
  New York bill that could apply in other states would give workers stronger protections if they’ve been fired unjustlyIt’s easy to get fired in fast food. According to a recent report, one fast-food worker said she was fired because her nails were too long; another because she said she didn’t smile enough. That might be about to change.In a first-in-the-nation effort, a city council member in New York moved on Wednesday to make the city’s 60,000 fast-food jobs a lot less p
  
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• Pound US dollar exchange rate: GBP/USD climbs as Trump threatens national emergency

  15-02-2019 11:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  The pound gained on the US dollar today, and is currently trading around $1.279, as President Donald Trump prepares to sign a government funding bill that was overwhelmingly approved by Congress. However, Mr Trump’s threat to declare a national emergency is seen as a further affront to Congress, and is proving a drag on the “greenback”.
  
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• Pound euro exchange rate: GBP jumps as UK retail sales reveal shock expansion

  15-02-2019 11:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  This morning, the GBP/EUR exchange rate shot up 0.3 percent, and the pairing is currently trading at a rate of €1.135. Year-on-year growth soared to 4.2 percent, the highest figure since December 2016, buoying Sterling.
  
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• Pound LIVE: GBP Sterling FIGHTS BACK after May suffers latest blow to Brexit deal

  15-02-2019 10:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE pound has staged a strong recovery against the euro and US dollar following early morning slumps as Theresa May continues to fight for her Brexit deal.
  
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• RBS profits more than DOUBLE to £1.6BN as taxpayers net £1BN WINDFALL

  15-02-2019 08:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE Royal Bank of Scotland has reported profits of £1.62billion for 2018 - more than double the £752million profit it revealed for 2017 as it revealed a near £1billion windfall for the taxpayer.
  
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• Anxiety running high about London's future as a financial centre | Barry Eichengreen

  15-02-2019 08:00
  The City isn’t going to lose its status overnight, but can the loss of assets pre-Brexit be reversed?Only now, as we approach the third anniversary of the UK’s referendum on membership in the European Union, are the implications of leaving the bloc finally sinking in. One indication, amusing to those with a taste for black humour, is the marketing success of Brexit survival kits containing a water filter, fire-starting equipment and enough freeze-dried food for 30 days.Another indica
  
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• BBC launches eco-friendly fashion and lifestyle brand

  15-02-2019 07:00
  BBC Planet seeks to capitalise on Attenborough’s warnings about ecological catastropheThe BBC is launching a sustainable fashion and lifestyle brand based on its Blue Planet and Planet Earth series, in an effort to capitalise on viewers inspired by the shows and presenter David Attenborough’s warnings about the effect humankind is having on the world.Eco-friendly clothing, homewares and books are being rolled out under the umbrella of BBC Planet, which will act as a kind of kitemark
  
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• 'Amazon isn't bigger than New York': meet the man who killed the deal

  15-02-2019 07:00
  Michael Gianaris turned his outrage into leverage when he was appointed to an obscure state board – and soon after, the company called the project offAmazon made plenty of enemies with its plans for a new headquarters in New York, but one of those foes played an outsized role in sending the tech giant packing. Related: Amazon cancels plans for New York headquarters after fierce oppositionContinue reading...
  
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• Facebook may face multibillion-dollar US fine over privacy lapses – report

  15-02-2019 01:15
  Company said to be negotiating settlement with FTC after revelations it inappropriately shared 87m users’ informationThe US government and Facebook are negotiating a settlement over the company’s privacy lapses that could require the online social network to pay a multibillion-dollar fine, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.The newspaper said that the US Federal Trade Commission and Facebook had not agreed on an amount, citing two people it said were familiar with the matter. F
  
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• Mews houses for sale – in pictures

  15-02-2019 01:00
  Small but perfectly formed properties, from Cornwall to Gloucestershire Continue reading...
  
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