Financial news

• Developer Nick Candy considers takeover of Capital & Counties

  21-10-2019 20:48 via theguardian.com
  Candy’s investment vehicle may buy all of £2.3bn owner of Earl’s Court and Covent Garden sitesMultimillionaire property developer Nick Candy is considering a takeover bid for Capital & Counties (Capco), the FTSE-250 real estate company that owns much of Earl’s Court and Covent Garden in London.Candy, 46, who developed the luxury One Hyde Park residential and retail complex in Knightsbridge with his brother, Christian, said his investment vehicle Candy Ventures was in
  
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• Smith & Nephew's $7m package didn't meet CEO's lofty expectations

  21-10-2019 20:24 via theguardian.com
  UK notions of acceptable avarice may have eluded departing Namal Nawana It was “an honour” to become chief executive of Smith & Nephew, “a company I greatly admire”, gushed Namal Nawana when he got the job last year. What he failed to mention, it turns out, is that these warm feelings were dependent on the willingness of his new employer to whack up his pay at the first opportunity. Eighteen months later, Nawana has quit because a package of up to $7m (£5.4m) a
  
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• Up to 12,000 Asda workers could lose jobs amid contract row

  21-10-2019 19:32 via theguardian.com
  Labour MP lambasts ‘shameful’ new deal, which union says will leave many staff worse offUp to 12,000 Asda workers could lose their jobs next week, according to union officials, if they refuse to sign up to a new contract that will hit pay and benefits for thousands of workers.The deal increases basic hourly pay but ends paid breaks, cuts premium pay on most bank holidays and reduces the number of hours rated as better-paid night shifts. Continue reading...
  
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• Don't scare the horses but the economy is already in downturn | Greg Jericho

  21-10-2019 19:00 via theguardian.com
  The government is pinning its hopes on interest rate cuts to lift us out of the doldrums. It’s not very convincingThe desire for good economic news has the government and sections of the business community clinging to any meagre drop of hope. But while for the moment the suggestion of extreme monetary policy looks to be receding, the economy remains extremely weak – as weak as it has been since the last recession in 1990.Over the weekend came the news that the governor of the Reserve
  
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• Google released research on what makes a good boss – do you agree?

  21-10-2019 18:51 via theguardian.com
  Let us know what you think about what qualities and flaws the best and worst bosses haveSome say the best kind of boss is one who leaves you alone – and new research released by Google shows that it’s kind of true.For over a decade, researchers at the tech giant have been examining the behaviors of their highest-rated managers, as well as feedback from employee satisfaction surveys, to compile a list of the the things that the best bosses do. Google then uses its research to train it
  
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• China overtakes US in rankings of world's richest people

  21-10-2019 18:26 via theguardian.com
  Credit Suisse survey shows Brexit effect has reduced number of UK millionaires by 27,000 The number of wealthy Chinese people has overtaken the number of rich Americans for the first time, according to a report by Credit Suisse.The bank’s annual wealth survey found there were 100 million Chinese people among the world’s top 10% of richest people, compared with 99 million in the US. Continue reading...
  
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• How to save: Martin Lewis’s four top tips for putting money away

  21-10-2019 17:52
  As incomes are squeezed and millions of Britons put nothing aside, the savings expert explains how best to build a healthy bank accountAccording to NatWest, which looked at the data of 750,000 anonymised customers, around half are not saving any money each month. Household finances are under pressure – earlier this year the Resolution Foundation thinktank described it as “an unprecedented income squeeze over the past decade”. Martin Lewis, founder of Money Saving Expert, agrees
  
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• Mark Zuckerberg's plea for the billionaire class is deeply anti-democratic | Kate Aronoff

  21-10-2019 16:30 via theguardian.com
  In his defense against Bernie Sanders’ call to abolish billionaires, Mark Zuckerberg makes claims that are elitist and wrongHitting back against presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s assertion that billionaires should not exist – and his calls to tax their wealth at much higher rates – Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, worth $70bn, took to Fox News to defend his beleaguered class. Billionaires, he argued, should not exist in a “cosmic sense,” but in re
  
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• Kickstarter's employees want a union. Will the company continue to oppose them? | Nathan Robinson

  21-10-2019 16:02 via theguardian.com
  If Kickstarter became a union company, it would be the first of the major tech companies to do so. The company has a chance to show which side it’s really onThe majority of workers at crowdfunding site Kickstarter have now asked their company to voluntarily recognize a union. Kickstarter has previously made it clear that it opposes unionization and will actively fight against it. A flurry of negative responses from Kickstarter’s users, including me, have made it clear that the compan
  
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• ‘Van homes’ aren’t romantic – they are proof of our horrifying housing crisis

  21-10-2019 15:11
  More than 21,000 people applied to convert their vehicles into dwellings in the past year. This is why we need 21st-century council housingFinally, an ingenious solution to a housing crisis that is sapping the quality of life of an entire generation: the humble van. More than 21,000 Britons applied to the DVLA in the past year – a rise of almost two-thirds in two years – to convert their van into a home. These can be furnished to include a shower, a bed, cooking facilities and a seat
  
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• Pacer train passengers deserve fare cuts, say northern England leaders

  21-10-2019 11:38
  Northern Rail urged to compensate people forced to use outdated ‘buses-on-rails’Leading politicians in northern England have demanded a cut in fares on routes that still use the much-derided Pacer trains.In a letter to Northern Rail, they say passengers deserve financial compensation for having to use the “buses-on-rails” that were due to be retired by the end of the year. Continue reading...
  
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• Who can claim Universal Credit? You may be eligible to get help each month

  21-10-2019 08:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  UNIVERSAL CREDIT is a payment which is replacing six types of benefits, which are known as legacy benefits. Who can get Universal Credit? There are some criteria to fulfil in order to be eligible to claim.
  
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• Will I have to pay the higher rate stamp duty on new property?

  21-10-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  I’m buying the house with a new partner, but I am still named on a previous mortgageQ Shortly before my ex-wife and I separated, we bought a house together. We are now divorced and both have new partners. I am still named on the mortgage and until recently was a joint tenant on the property with my now ex-wife.I have just signed the paperwork to sever the joint tenancy and will become tenants in common. I also have no beneficial interest in the property since the date of our separation. My
  
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• Amazon seller offered ‘bribe’ to leave great review for product

  21-10-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The wall stud finder cost just £13.60 but I was offered £15.60 to highly rate itI thought your readers might be interested in my recent experience of buying from Amazon – and what looks like a $20 (£15.60) bribe to leave a great review for what I thought was a poor product.Wanting to buy a wall stud finder, I chose a £13.60 Homder – mostly on the basis it was an “Amazon’s choice”, with excellent reviews and positive feedback. Continue reading
  
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• Seaside residents dominate personal debt league in England and Wales

  21-10-2019 07:01 via theguardian.com
  Stoke-on-Trent tops list but coastal towns such as Scarborough and Blackpool dominateSeaside towns and cities dominate the list of areas with the highest numbers of people getting into serious difficulties with debt, according to new figures.Scarborough, the largest resort on the Yorkshire coast, ranked second out of 347 local authorities in England and Wales for personal insolvencies, while Torbay in Devon – which includes the town of Torquay – came third, said the accountancy firm
  
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• Text scam warning: HMRC reveals simple way to spot a bogus tax refund message

  21-10-2019 05:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  TEXT messages are sent and received daily, and while many will be genuine, there are some which exist which could contain a scam. HM Revenue and Customs has revealed the simple way in which a person may be able to decipher whether a scammer is behind a tax refund message.
  
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• Lowest October rise in UK house prices since 2008 financial crisis

  21-10-2019 01:01
  Rightmove says sluggish market and Brexit uncertainty are putting potential sellers offUK house prices have registered their lowest October rise since the 2008 financial crisis as Brexit uncertainty continues to take its toll, according to the property website Rightmove.Its data also showed that some parts of London are continuing to see asking prices fall, in some cases by £15,000 or more in a month. Continue reading...
  
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