Greek debt crisis: European markets robust after referendum “no” vote July 7, 2015 European markets were relatively sanguine yesterday in the wake of Sunday’s referendum result in Greece, which many viewed as increasing the chances of a crash out of the Eurozone. Some feared that if Greece defaulted on its debt and left the euro it might have big impacts on other European economies. Read [...]
July Budget 2015: George Osborne increased welfare in coalition by £28bn. Where is it spent? July 7, 2015 Welfare is one of the big topics of the upcoming July Budget, and so it’s probably important to know where the vast sums of money go. The UK government spent £251bn on welfare payments during the financial year 2013-14, representing 37 per cent of all government spending, data released by the Office of National Statistics [...]
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker: Greek referendum was “irrelevant circus” July 7, 2015 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has dismissed the country's referendum result as an "irrelevant circus" because it was based on an illegitimate question. "We are told we must respect the Greek people's vote," he told MEPs. "The people of Greece have spoken and I would like to understand what they have said." Juncker [...]
World’s third richest man Warren Buffett donates $2.84bn to five charities July 7, 2015 Warren Buffett has donated $2.8bn (£1.8bn) of shares in Berkshire Hathaway to five charities, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Read more: Warren Buffett sings Coca-Cola song, plays ukelele to shareholders The billionaire investor has made his 10th annual donation to the charities, taking his overall contribution over $21bn. Buffett, the world's third-richest person [...]
July Budget 2015: As inheritance tax system is set to change where will house prices drop below new threshold? July 7, 2015 Tomorrow, George Osborne is expected to announce changes to the inheritance tax system (IHT) meaning a couple can hand a £1m estate on to their children without being taxed for the privilege. Currently, a couple has a tax-free allowance of £325,000 a person (£650,000 a couple). Although IHT is applied to an entire estate, soaring [...]
Greek debt crisis: Mario Draghi turns up the heat on banks July 6, 2015 The Eurozone’s central bank piled more pressure on Greece ahead of today’s crucial summits, by making it harder for the country’s struggling banks to access emergency loans. The move, revealed yesterday, is not expected to push any Greek banks to the brink, but was widely seen as a turning of the screws on Greece that [...]
Oil price drops to three-month low on worries over Eurozone July 6, 2015 Oil prices fell below $60 a barrel yesterday, as the shockwaves from the Greek “no” vote pushed prices further down. Yesterday marked the first time since April that internationally traded Brent crude fell so low, at one point dipping to as little as $56.50 a barrel. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was also trading at [...]
George Osborne to overhaul Sunday trading hours in biggest shakeup for 20 years July 6, 2015 Shops and supermarkets could be allowed to open for longer on Sundays in one of the biggest shakeup of trading laws in 20 years. Chancellor George Osborne will use tomorrow’s Budget to unveil plans to devolve powers to mayors or councils to decide for themselves what the rule over trading hours should be in their [...]
George Osborne: Greek crisis could go from bad to worse July 6, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne has warned that the economic crisis in Greece has reached a “critical moment” with far-reaching consequences for the UK economy. “No-one should be under any illusions,” Osborne said yesterday in the House of Commons. “The situation risks going from bad to worse,” he added. “Britain will be affected the longer the Greek crisis [...]
Business group shocked by new weaker manufacturing figures July 6, 2015 A leading business group has said that it is surprised by new figures out today showing a sharp slowdown in UK manufacturing. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) quarterly economic survey (QES), based on responses from nearly 7,500 firms, recorded drops in all the key manufacturing balances in the second quarter, with most balances lower than [...]