Cobra strikes to create first curved screen for video simulators
TECHNOLOGY normally found inside satellites and telescopes has been used by a Scottish company to create what it believes is the world’s first curved display.Livingston-based Cobra Simulation, which...
View ArticleGeorge Kerevan: George Osborne likely to face up to tough challenges
Despite November’s improved unexpected improvement in consumer confidence, the omens don’t look good for the Chancellor’s autumn statement next week.According to the Institute for Financial Studies...
View ArticleMarkets: FTSE slips as fiscal cliff looms again
Concerns that crucial budget talks in the US have stalled saw early gains erased in London as trading drew to a close, marking a subdued end to an otherwise positive month. The FTSE 100 index closed...
View ArticleSmart Metering boss sells shares in £9.5m deal
THE chief executive of one of Scotland’s most successful Aim flotations has banked more than £9.5 million after selling part of his stake.Alan Foy sold around 4.4 million shares in Smart Metering...
View ArticleWaste group Biffa agrees debt for equity swap with lenders group
Waste collection company Biffa has agreed a deal that will see its lenders seize control of the debt-laden firm.In return for a majority stake, lenders Angelo Gordon, Avenue Capital, Babson Capital...
View ArticleScottish investors pouring money into gold and oil
SCOTTISH INVESTORS are going for gold and aiming for oil as disintegrating confidence in the UK economic outlook drives more money into commodities, a report out today reveals.More than half of Scots...
View ArticlePensions in George Osborne’s sights ahead of Autumn Statement
THE ODDS are shortening on the Chancellor targeting pensions in next week’s Autumn Statement as he seeks to balance benefit cuts with measures targeting middle and high income earners. The government...
View ArticleHousehold money worries soar
THE NUMBER of Scots with money worries has risen sharply over the past 12 months as household financial circumstances have taken a turn for the worse.Almost eight in ten Scots are worrying about money,...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Pay-day lenders must be kept in check to avoid crippling debts
MORE THAN 250 firms provide them, more than a million people use them every month and the number of Scots taking them out has soared threefold in just three years.They’re now considered perhaps the...
View ArticlePeter Bickley: Think twice before believing the hype about enhancing your...
FOR THE first time since the 1950s, UK pension funds now own more government securities (gilts) than they do equities. Everyone knows that equities are nasty, risky things that can go down with a bump...
View ArticlePlanning is essential in order to the challenge of working for yourself
DEBT difficulties are mounting among the growing army of Scots that have taken the self- employment route in the wake of the financial crisis.The self-employed are more likely than other workers to be...
View ArticleOver 50s key group responsible for rise in self-employment numbers
OVER 50s made redundant during the financial crisis and unable to afford early retirement are the biggest driver behind a sharp rise in self-employment, new figures show. Yet while self-employment is a...
View ArticleDIY route to investment may end up costing more in the long run
RADICAL REFORMS to financial advice coming into force in a month’s time are set to leave more people without access to advice and exposed to unsuitable investments.Thousands of investors in Scotland...
View ArticleTen money saving tips: Savings and investments
DEMAND for savings and investments that produce a regular income has rarely been greater. With cash savings falling short of inflation, gilt and some corporate bond yields thinning and declining...
View ArticleAlan Dick: In financial planning, a problem shared is a problem halved
WE SCOTS can be a cynical bunch at times and this is especially true when it comes to seeking financial advice. Many people view financial planning with a level of scepticism and even distrust, asking...
View ArticleAlternative gifts to keep the taxman at bay
Christmas is not far away and we’re starting to think about what to give to our family as presents. Here are a few alternative, tax-friendly festive gift suggestions that will both delight them and...
View ArticleIan Crowder: Care needed not to flood land with new homes
ONE HEADLINE seems to be making an all-too-unwelcome appearance in the media: “More homes devastated by floods.” While insurers are counting the £20 million-and-rising cost of claims by washed-out...
View ArticleHow to keep it real when buying goods online
WITH more people shopping online than ever before and lots of sites offering bargains, it is easy to be tempted into buying things that are not quite as they seem.According to research from MarkMonitor...
View ArticleEnergy Bill fuels concerns over pricing and protection for the vulnerable
CAMPAIGNERS have said the Energy Bill introduced in the UK parliament this week does not do enough to protect vulnerable customers As much a £100 a year could be added to the average household energy...
View ArticleSupermarkets agree on code for bargain offers
EIGHT supermarkets have agreed to a voluntary code, which will set new rules for special offers on food and drink.It has been adopted by Aldi, Co-op, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s,...
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