Low income households ‘could be locked into poverty’
IT WAS one of the essential tenets of Reaganomics – that economic growth in the wider economy would eventually “trickle down” and enrich the population as a whole.In many ways we have not moved on from...
View ArticleTop Ten ways to keep your energy bills down this winter
ALMOST every household these days has central heating – so people never thought we would never go back to the days when the onset of winter meant piling on extra jumpers, putting extra blankets on the...
View ArticleSavers hit by negative returns
Seven in ten savers in Edinburgh and Glasgow have their money in accounts that are failing to keep pace with inflation, new research shows. Most savers in cash accounts are losing money in real terms...
View ArticleTax Matters: Choose low CO2 emission vehicles to avoid some of the taxman’s...
IF YOU drive a company car you’ll probably know how the real value of this perk has been seriously eroded in recent years by tax rule changes. Now it seems the tax issues around company cars may...
View ArticleHR consultants hunt for Central Belt boost through new office
ONE of the key players behind the takeover of Production Services Network (PSN) by Wood Group is opening a base in Edinburgh as he aims to double turnover at his human resources consultancy.Dean...
View ArticleSpotless aims to clean up in England
A SCOTTISH cleaning company that lists Maclay Murray & Spens, Jones Lang LaSalle and Virgin Money among its clients is to expand into the north-west of England and Yorkshire after selling its...
View ArticleWatchdog fears investors at risk from lack of controls on Sipps
REGULATORY scrutiny of self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) is intensifying amid growing concern over the way in which they are sold and used.Pension investors in the UK hold around 825,000 Sipps...
View ArticleMarc Bolland comes under pressure as profits fall at Marks & Spencer
PRESSURE will mount this week on Marks & Spencer chief executive Marc Bolland, with the high-street stalwart tipped to unveil a double-digit fall in profits.Analysts expect second-quarter sales at...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Banks fail to stop worsening stink over PPI
FOR those who can’t find enough sticks with which to beat the banks, the payment protection insurance (PPI) scandal really is the gift that keeps on giving.An eye-watering £12.3 billion has been set...
View ArticleBritish Airways counts costs of Sandy storm
BRITISH Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) will lay bare the cost of super-storm Sandy on its operations during a trading update on Friday.BA was forced to cancel more than 70 flights as...
View ArticleGlasgow’s Cordia poised to grab more private contracts
CORDIA, the catering, cleaning and security company spun out from Glasgow city council, is unveiling plans to capture a bigger slice of work from the private sector after posting a 15 per cent rise in...
View ArticleBid to boost training at Grangemouth
CHEMICALS companies at Grangemouth are considering ways to recreate the central training policies of the big companies as part of efforts to provide more apprentices for Scotland’s second-largest...
View ArticleBill Dobbie’s Cupid diversifies from dating into property
CUPID, the internet dating firm launched by serial technology entrepreneur Bill Dobbie, is diversifying from its “Be Naughty” and “Flirt” brands by moving into the property market.The Edinburgh-based...
View ArticleBill Jamieson: Battle to make bankers behave
CAN banks reform, and if so how? Or are they condemned to being socially useless? The past week brought important contributions to a debate that continues to concern the business community and the...
View ArticleBank of England expected to hold fire on further quantitative easing
BANK of England policymakers are likely to hold back from providing the economy with additional stimulus this week although a key snapshot of Britain’s powerhouse services sector could provide an...
View ArticleUS Presidential result has dire UK financial implications
INVESTING for the long-term is all about keeping your eyes on the prize, as any good independent financial adviser (IFA) will tell you. There will be nervous moments, they always advise clients, but if...
View ArticleCautious portfolio changes reflect geopolitical uncertainties
AS VICTOR plans to retire in nine years, I will do as I would for any client with medium to long-term goals, although, since this competition lasts just one year, I will be more active with tactical...
View ArticleMarket Watch: Consumer spending in focus as retailers report on trading
RETAILERS will take centre stage this week as Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) and supermarket chain Morrisons shine a light on the high street’s health.Morrisons, which issues a...
View ArticleDobson opens bank’s eye to investment
ONE of Edinburgh’s best-known art galleries has changed hands in a deal backed by Clydesdale Bank.Jilly Dobson has bought the Open Eye Gallery – which stocks works by artists including John Bellany,...
View ArticleDirector Dealings: Dividend hike in store after profits rise
INVESTORS in self-storage group Lok’nStore were rewarded with a significant increase in dividend payments after a solid year of trading.The company saw operating profits rise by 36 per cent to £2.14...
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