Students look to investors for tinnitus treatment
ANYONE who has attended a loud live event such as a rock concert will be familiar with the problem of “ringing in the ears”, better known as temporary tinnitus.The high-pitched sound is caused when...
View ArticleScottish Enterprise in ‘space medicine’ plan
SCOTLAND’S life sciences companies are being urged to “boldly go” where few businesses have gone before by developing medical devices for use in space.Scottish Enterprise is working to bring a “space...
View ArticleGluten-free products boost Nairn’s sales by 9.6%
A GROWING demand for gluten-free snacks has boosted sales at Nairn’s, the Scottish oatcakes maker. The company said sales of its growing range of strictly wheat-free products have “exceeded all...
View ArticleHit series push STV towards dividend-paying list
STV could return to the dividend-paying list next year despite analysts questioning the benefits of winning licences to run local television stations in Edinburgh and Glasgow.The Glasgow-based...
View ArticleSee the light and eclipse inflation’s grip
HARD-PRESSED investors often do not realise the different ways the government offers tax carrots. An experienced independent financial adviser can review a portfolio and make recommendations not only...
View ArticlePremier Foods to reveal impact of Hovis
HOVIS owner Premier Foods will serve up its full-year results on Thursday as it grapples with a major restructure of its bread business.In November the group said it would close two bakeries and cut...
View ArticleGraeme Leckie: Finding equity in an unequal world
IT IS not just first-time buyers who are feeling the pinch from the credit crunch. You have a guaranteed pension income and substantial equity in your house. You have been a home owner for decades but,...
View ArticleComment: Osborne must put banks back into private hands
IT LOOKS like George Osborne wants to wash his hands of the troublesome bailed-out banks and is considering how to offload the government’s shares.An exit strategy from the banks in some form has...
View ArticleComs chiefs buying by the millions
INTERNET telephony service provider Coms recently announced it had secured a contract with Vonage UK to provide phone services to UK small businesses.The deal will enable Vonage to sell telephone...
View ArticleBAE faces shipyard questions
BAE Systems will face a fresh grilling this week on which of its three UK shipyards, including two on the Clyde, will be shut down.The defence giant, whose merger plan with Franco-German rival EADS...
View ArticleFusion to turn church building into events venue
ONE of Scotland’s best-loved church buildings is being resurrected as a restaurant and conference venue by holiday park and mansion house operator Fusion Group.Scottish Churches House in Dunblane was...
View ArticleWe Are Snook launches local business scheme
A COMPANY run by two 26-year-old women aims to save Scotland’s high streets with a “collaborative” approach to filling empty shops. We Are Snook, a Glasgow-based service design agency, has piloted a...
View Article‘Confidence’ in energy market
THE resurgent North Sea oil industry and the need to update Britain’s power infrastructure should keep deal activity in the energy market buoyant this year following a recent surge in...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Pensions ‘lifeline’ is recipe for hardship
THERE’S nothing quite like desperation to create opportunities for exploitation.Payday lenders are perhaps the most visible example of firms taking advantage of financial hardship, but pension...
View ArticleBase rate stuck in a rut but equities solid
EQUITY income funds were solid performers during 2012 and should still be attractive to investors this year, which is good news for those using their investments to top up their pension income at a...
View ArticleScott Mackintosh: Pensions merit attention
WHILE not exciting to the masses, pensions are vitally important; not just to the employees who benefit from them but also to the employers who offer them. Companies constantly benchmark their salaries...
View ArticlePoll shows small firms ‘want to stay part of UK’
MORE than two-thirds of Scotland’s small business owners are opposed to independence, according to a new survey that provides a rare insight into the mind-set of the country’s dominant SME sector.As...
View ArticleBusiness angel lending ‘returns to normal’
ONE of Scotland’s newest business angel networks has completed its fourth investment in as many months as liquidity slowly begins to return to the private investment market.Security software specialist...
View ArticleMax Horne: Make your retirement fund work harder
Expected pension incomes have fallen to their lowest level in six years, according to Prudential.Its survey reveals average retirement income estimates have dropped by more than 18 per cent since 2008...
View ArticleStock market investment helps in children’s future
FINANCIAL planning can start at the cradle.Even new-borns can see benefits from saving with appealing tax incentives. The clear message is to join the investment ladder as soon as possible. A start can...
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