NEW With around an hour of trading to go in London, the FTSE 100 index was 21.3 points, or 0.3 per cent lower at 6,781.6, well above the session low of 6,731.13. In Europe, Germany's Dax 30 index rallied 0.5 per cent higher, while France's CAC 40 index advanced 0.8 per cent, and Greece's Athens Composite jumped 2 per cent. In early trade on Wall Street, the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average added 89.1 points at 17,979.4, while the broader S&P; 500 gained 2.6 points at 2,104.9, but the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite shed 5.2 points at 5,105.7.
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Coining it for the Queen: How the £11bn Crown Estate makes a mint for the nation
The landlord and developer, which dates back to 1066, returns all profits to the Treasury which then dispenses 15 per cent of them to the monarchy through the Sovereign Grant. So a 6.7 per cent rise in annual profits to a record £285.1m for 2014-15 means the Royal Family will get a cut of £42.8m in 2016-17 - up £2.7m on the previous year.
Retail sales cool in June after reaching record highs in May, says CBI survey, as grocery sales fall
MARKETS COMMENT & ANALYSIS
Coining it for the Queen: How the £11bn Crown Estate makes a mint for the nation
The landlord and developer, which dates back to 1066, returns all profits to the Treasury which then dispenses 15 per cent of them to the monarchy through the Sovereign Grant. So a 6.7 per cent rise in annual profits to a record £285.1m for 2014-15 means the Royal Family will get a cut of £42.8m in 2016-17 - up £2.7m on the previous year.
ALEX BRUMMER: 'As the jobless rate has fallen, why interest rates may rise'
For much of this year all the talk has been of deflation and the prospect of an interest rate rise retreated after six years at 0.5 per cent. As the jobless rate has come down, the labour market has tightened and increases in pay settlements and inflation-adjusted wages finally are coming through. Unemployment zipped down to 5.5 per cent of the workforce surprisingly rapidly though you might not have known it judging from the weekend march in London addressed by pop singer-cum-economic guru Charlotte Church (pictured).
CITY INTERVIEW: Taking the tech titan from barn to behemoth, Simon Segars was shot in the ARM for UK's tech industry
When Simon Segars arrived for his first day at work at ARM, he was greeted by the site of a computer being soldered together for him to use. In the quarter century since, it has gone from barn to behemoth. The processor he helped design - the Arm7 - still accounts for a decent proportion of the company's sales.
Lloyds' history retold: New book's fresh look at the ruinous HBOS deal
A new book, Black Horse Ride, by former Sunday Times business editor Ivan Fallon, seeks to correct that picture. It strives to justify the deal on commercial grounds, arguing it was just the kind of transaction that Lloyds had been looking for, having abandoned its ambition to forge a cross-border European takeover.
Thorntons gobbled up: Italian confectionary giant Ferrero Rocher unwraps bid for struggling chocolatier
Ferrero Rocher is set to buy troubled Thorntons - one of the last remaining British chocolate brands - for a price tag of £112million. But buried in the small print of the recommended cash deal it suggests up to 2,000 staff are at risk across Thorntons' 242 stores and 158 franchised outlets, which will put Ferrero at loggerheads with unions and politicians.
EDF ENERGY BOSS: Why we must power on with energy reform and create a low carbon economy
The CMA is focused on whether the market is competitive, but it would be a missed opportunity if it didn't look at how the market is tackling climate change. The CMA's provisional findings will not be the end of this process. There will be further consultation on the remedies proposed for any market failings they see, and I am determined that we will be part of the solution in creating the thriving low carbon economy the country needs.
Latest reports from News
- Ministers accused of burying bad news on HS2 as fears of spiralling costs are laid bare in previously hidden official reports
- Lloyds bonuses under attack after state-backed lender pays ten senior executives £1.05m in shares
- Amazon stokes row over internet giants' tax bills as it pays £11.9m in tax on £5.3bn worth of UK sales
- Bundesbank president hits out at Greek banks using emergency funds to pay savers scrambling to empty their accounts
- British families are £18 a week better off than a year ago thanks to wage increases and falls in food and petrol prices
- Minister promises swift action on a new controversial runway at Heathrow or Gatwick as decision expected within weeks
- Equitable Life claims wait STILL going on: 136,000 policyholders have not yet received compensation
- Neighbourhood Watch launches scheme to warn over dangers of phone scams as crooks snatch £23m a year
- David Cameron urged to champion British exports as factory orders drop at weakest level for nearly two years
- Greek banks thrown fresh lifeline as ECB extends emergency support for the fourth time in a week
- Top bankers could see bonuses clawed back after 10 years under new rules from City watchdog
- How to send a parcel easily and for less: From brokers to couriers and avoiding those ghastly post office queues
- Britain's productivity set to improve along with wages as spare labour supply runs out, says Bank of England deputy
- The real victims of the supermarket price war! Seven out of ten suppliers feel mis-treated by Britain's big grocers
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The Big Four‘We look at the biggest accountancy firms and the lack of competition in the market’
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