Financial news

• John Lewis: the winning streak may be over, but it's not a crisis | Nils Pratley

  07-03-2019 19:38
  The retailer has just unveiled its worst profits for a decade but it’s still a solid businessIt’s usually best to take a long view of the John Lewis Partnership, since that is how the employee-owned retailer tries to manage itself.The verdict on the department store side, as opposed to Waitrose supermarkets, is not pretty: the latest operating profits of £115m represent their worst outcome for more than a decade. Continue reading...
  
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• Life expectancy falls by six months in biggest drop in UK forecasts

  07-03-2019 19:29 via theguardian.com
  Decline in longevity in England and Wales ‘a trend as opposed to a blip’, experts sayBritish adults’ life expectancy has been cut by six months in the biggest reduction in official longevity forecasts.The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, which calculates life expectancy on behalf of the UK pension industry, declined to speculate on why longevity is deteriorating for men and women in England and Wales. Some analysts, however, blame austerity and cuts in NHS spending, others p
  
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• UK house prices make surprise 5.9% rise in February, Halifax says

  07-03-2019 13:19
  Experts question reliability of figures that show biggest monthly increase since 1983UK house prices have defied the Brexit gloom by racking up their biggest monthly increase since records began in 1983, adding more than £13,000 to the value of a typical home in only 28 days, according to the Halifax.However, the scale of the reported increase – 5.9% in February – confounded many commentators, as it appears to contradict the widely held view that the UK’s property market
  
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• Going contactless is convenient – for all the wrong people | Peter Ormerod

  07-03-2019 09:00 via theguardian.com
  The dash from cash doesn’t just contribute to social exclusion, it plays into the hands of unaccountable corporationsHow convenient. The decline of cash and the rise of electronic payments makes life so much simpler: no more rooting around in purses and wallets for slippery notes and clunky coins, no awkward change bulking out our pockets. These days, whether by card or app or phone, the once-grubby business of money changing hands is all so clean and neat and quick and easy.How convenient
  
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• Working from home and doing childcare is a recipe for disaster

  07-03-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  New research confirms that women simply end up ‘double burdened’, as I know all too well. The only answer is a proper jobResearch from Germany has catapulted me into a state of almost hallucinogenic reminiscence. It found that working from home, the modern stamp of the perfect work-life balance, is not that great for parents. Men do OK, increasing their childcare scarcely at all, but putting in between two and four hours of extra work. Women face a “double-burden” of doin
  
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• Waiting for money to be wired from overseas caused me stress

  07-03-2019 08:00
  Barclays’ lack of communication made things worse after the death of my motherMy mother died recently and a substantial sum was wired from her estate in the Caribbean to my Barclays account. A month later it has yet to arrive. My local branch has tried to be helpful but feels it can do no more and over a week after posting a written complaint, it’s still not been handed to an investigative team.Continue reading...
  
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• Eight in 10 Britons rely on cash for everyday payments, report finds

  07-03-2019 07:00
  Study says 97% of population carry coins or notes after report warned of cash’s demiseCash is still king across large parts of the UK economy, with more than 80% of people in Britain saying they pay taxi drivers, newspaper sellers, window cleaners and gardeners with notes and coins, according to a major report.The Access to Cash Review also found that despite the runaway growth of contactless payments, more than two-thirds of people say they still pay for items such as a lunchtime sandwich
  
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• Almost 90% of UK shoppers use Amazon, research reveals

  07-03-2019 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Study by Mintel also finds that more than 25% of British adults are signed up to PrimeAlmost 90% of UK shoppers use Amazon and 40% have access to its Prime subscription service, according to research that lays bare the challenge for high street retailers.Most Amazon shoppers visit the online retailer at least once a month and just under a fifth once a week, underlining the retail dominance Amazon has gained. Its core categories of books, DVDs and video games are still the most popular purchases,
  
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