Jobs growth in US slows in line with forecasts
The pace of hiring by US employers eased off slightly in December as the recovery continues to struggle to build momentum, latest figures showed yesterday.The number of jobs outside the farming sector...
View ArticleBusiness briefs: Reader’s Digest | Interfac | Costain
The owner of Reader’s Digest UK has laid off 95 people following a slump in demand at its direct marketing arm, which sells books, CDs and DVDs.Private equity firm Better Capita, which bought the...
View ArticleShares hit high on further QE hopes
Around £10.8 billion was added to the value of UK blue chips yesterday as London’s FTSE 100 Index leapt to its highest level for nearly two years.US job figures published during the afternoon session...
View ArticleFLS gives fillip to home loans
Mortgage approvals climbed to a ten-month high in November in a further sign that an £80 billion scheme to boost lending is beginning to make progress.Bank of England figures showed there were 54,036...
View ArticleServices slowdown stokes recession fear
BRITAIN’S economy is likely to have slipped into reverse, experts warned yesterday, after the powerhouse services sector shrank last month for the first time in two years.Economists said the slump,...
View ArticleOrganic losing its glamour says Watson
Declining organic food sales mean organic production has lost its glamour for farmers, according to the grower behind the UK’s largest organic box scheme.Guy Watson, founder of Riverford Organics, said...
View ArticleJudge clears way for more compensation claims
Investors who have received compensation after taking a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) could now be free to seek further redress, following a surprise court ruling.The High Court in...
View ArticlePrivate rents keep on rising with Edinburgh top of pile
Tenants in Edinburgh are paying the highest private rents in Scotland after strong demand sent costs in the capital soaring.Edinburgh has now overtaken Aberdeen for the first time in more than a year...
View ArticleTaxman still failing to clamp down on the multi-nationals
The tax office has come under fresh attack for failing to tackle multi-national tax avoidance while clamping down increasingly aggressively on individual taxpayers.The coming months will see HM Revenue...
View ArticleKay Blair: 2013 must be a year of clearer financial advice for consumers
SO WHAT’S in store for consumers of financial services this year? Hopefully, 2013 heralds better treatment, whether in the insurance, savings or investment world.With a new conduct regulator, the...
View ArticleCash Clinic: Power of attorney is ideal if you are living abroad for long time
Q: I work for an international company and my job means I’m often working overseas for long periods of time. I own quite a few properties and often need to delay any given purchase or sale because I am...
View ArticleTop Ten Tips: Child benefit changes loom
HUNDREDS of thousands of families face losing child benefit payments under new rules coming into force on 7 January that will see some parents handed surprise tax penalties. The new high income child...
View ArticleTake control for a financially worry-free retirement
Major upheavals in the coming year will have a big impact on pensions, says Alison FlemingFrom the “granny tax” to automatic enrolment into workplace pensions, the retirement income plans of millions...
View ArticleAndrew Hagger: Beat telephone credit card crooks – never tell anyone your PIN...
Elderly and vulnerable bank customers are increasingly being targeted by a new scam involving debit and credit cards, according to a shocking report by the UK Cards Association.The premeditated fraud...
View ArticleAlan Steel: My message for the New Year is keep a close eye on equities
Phew, looks like we made it. We survived the Mayan do-dah after all and the 500-ton asteroid a couple of weeks back that apparently missed us by a whisker.A whisker in this case being 140,000 miles....
View ArticleShops count cost as wet summer plays havoc with sales
Double whammy of flood damage and changes in consumer buying patterns add to retailers’ woes, reports Fiona MacGregorPERSISTENT wet weather in 2012 had a major impact on consumer spending patterns,...
View ArticleMen surf the net for more than 42 days a year, claims survey
WOMEN use the internet for Facebook and shopping while men surf for news, sport and pornography, it emerged yesterday.A study of 2,000 adults found men clock up more than 19 hours a week online – the...
View ArticleLesley Howells: Helping cancer patients get back to their work
People with cancer make a substantial contribution to Scotland’s economy, but there are many more who want to work but are held back by a lack of support.In the UK, someone is diagnosed with cancer...
View ArticleGet physically fit as well as financially healthy in 2013
Kickstart your fitness in 2013 with this ten-point action plan to get you working. Tracy Griffen runs a wee fitness studio in Leith and is the author of the Healthy Living Yearbook. Get yours...
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