UK economy: the low-interest rate era is far from over
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney may hope otherwise but it’s a safe bet that rockbottom rates will stay rockbottom this year and next It’s a safe bet that Britain’s rock-bottom interest rates are going to stay at rock bottom, this year and next. That is the message from the global economy, where all the […]
Glencore’s investors want it to stop digging
The mining and trading giant is suffering as the oil price falls and Chinese economy slows down. Now it’s promising to draw in its horns It’s all happening in Zug, the former Swiss fishing village that now hosts one of the world’s largest concentrations of millionaires. Zug is home to more registered companies than people, […]
Europe has taken charge of Greece like a television nanny
The publication last week of the debt deal signed by Alexis Tsipras has laid bare an alarming programme of social revolution and pervasive oversight On Channel 4’s The Three Day Nanny, modern-day Mary Poppins Kathryn Mewes arrives in a household of tantrum-prone tots and has just 72 hours to transform them with tough love and […]
Michelle Mone: lingerie queen becomes the startup tsar | Observer profile
The entrepreneur, best known for her Ultimo brand, is David Cameron’s latest business adviser. Critics may say she is more glamour than substance, but she is being tipped for a peerage In January 2014, David Cameron hosted a lunch at 10 Downing Street for 15 Scottish executives to discuss the forthcoming referendum. He might not […]
From Alphabet to Warren Buffett: how the conglomerate was reborn
Google’s radical restructuring seems inspired by the veteran investor’s Berkshire Hathaway empire. Suddenly, the most unfashionable of corporate models is back Conglomerates have been distinctly unfashionable among investors for decades. But that may be about to change. Just as Warren Buffett put the final touches to a $37.2bn deal to add a nuts-and-bolts maker to […]
Big deal: takeover fever returns as memories of the crash recede
Warren Buffett’s largest ever buyout is just the latest example of a resurgence in the merger market that might break records set before the financial crisis Legendary investor Warren Buffett likes to think of his keynote deals as elephants. The one he unveiled last week, a $37.2bn (£23.8bn) takeover of Precision Castparts, a supplier of […]
Businesses delivering the most coveted perk: a better commute
Everyone hates a rough commute. So why aren’t more companies helping their employees come up with better alternatives to driving? • Send us your tips, tales and secrets from the front lines of sustainable business Imagine that, starting tomorrow, half your company’s employees stopped driving to work. The benefits would start accruing almost immediately: less […]
Greece secures third bailout after Germany backs down on opposition
Jean-Claude Juncker claims Greece will ‘irreversibly’ remain part of the eurozone, after vote by Greek MPs committed to radical economic and fiscal reforms Greece clinched a three-year bailout worth €86bn (£60bn) after parliamentarians in Athens backed the deal, and Germany backed down on its opposition to the third rescue of the bankrupt country in five […]
Sainsbury's cuts short British Athletics sponsorship deal
July’s Anniversary Games will be the last to carry supermarket’s branding as it ends four year deal that was due to run until 2017, citing drive to save money Sainsbury’s has cut short its multimillion-pound, four-year deal to sponsor British Athletics, the supermarket group revealed on Friday. The news came as Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mo […]
Oxfam faces tough new test in the era of Lidl, Aldi and Primark
Oxfam hopes to adapt its shops to changing shopping habits and boost its flagging sales. Not everyone on the high street is happy at such a prospect At 17 Broad Street in Oxford, in the heart of the city’s university district, there is a blue plaque on the wall to commemorate the “entrepreneur and philanthropist” […]