Business and Economics

We have all seen the films, Blade Runner, The Matrix, The Terminator, and more recently Westworld.  Does employment in the future look bleak for humans? More and more factory jobs are already being replaced with robotic workers, and a day doesn’t go by when robots aren’t in the headlines. A.I. is coming and that will be a true game changer. With driverless vehicles on the horizon and robots taking over continually advanced roles, millions of traditional jobs will be threatened....

The EU have created a blacklist of tax havens, which contain 17 names. Crucially for the UK, the main list excludes a number of British Overseas Territories such as the Cayman Island and Bermuda that were on a previous EU blacklist from June 2015. There is also a “grey” list of a further 47 countries who do not meet the EU tax standards but have pledged to change their rules to improve their tax arrangements. Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the...

Train companies have announced largest ticket increase for five years, signalling a depressing start to the new year for struggling commuters. Fares for all journeys in 2018 show an average rise slightly below the 3.6% set by the government in August for regulated fares, which include season tickets. Rail operators said it showed the industry was attempting to keep down the cost of travel. It is unlikely that many passengers, dealing with the creaking rail service, will agree with their...

Here is an obscene fact for you: Bitcoin uses more electricity than 159 of the planet's countries. The cryptocurrency worth under $1 in 2011 hit a new record this week, making headlines as it soared above $11,000 on Wednesday morning, after which its value has been going up and down like a rollercoaster.   But the other record that Bitcoin is breaking is as the world's most obscenely energy-guzzling currency. Bitcoin is the world's first payment network that's completely decentralized,...

There are many critical steps that are involved in the selling of a business. Information has to go round between parties before any decision is made. Virtual storing of data is a good way for business and individuals to exchange information, especially when they are thousands of miles apart. Some of the advantages of this virtual data technology include easy and fast sharing of information and less paperwork to go through for legal teams during mergers and acquisitions. There is...

Heartbroken workers at the last ever iron foundry at Ironbridge hung their boots and masks on the gates yesterday after it closed for the final time. The Coalbrookdale Aga Rangemaster foundry has been in production in the Shropshire town since 1946 and was the last symbol of the industrial revolution. Ironbridge was the birthplace of ironworks after Abraham Darby I first smelted iron ore using coke instead of charcoal in 1709. The process, which was far more efficient than traditional...

Shocking new analysis by the Resolution Foundation has revealed pay in real terms won’t be back to 2007 level until 2025. According to the research average annual pay peaked in the autumn of 2007 at £31,644 (in 2016 prices). Once inflation is taken into account, average pay will not be back at those levels until the start of 2025 - some 17 years since the financial crash struck. The Resolution Foundation's report, Freshly Squeezed, warns that Britain is on course for the...

The chancellor has announced stamp duty will be scrapped for first time buyers on homes up to £300,000 and up to £500,000 in high price areas. The move will affect roughly 80 per cent of first time buyers, and will come as a huge relief for people who are struggling to get on to the property ladder. Philip Hammond was under pressure to deliver a game-changing Budget today, and after a string of concerning economic data he saved the eye-catching announcement...

A new study has revealed a fascinating inter-generational divide over trust on the economy. Despite both parties being neck-and-neck overall, the Sky Data poll found huge splits between young and old. Of 18 to 34-year-olds, 62 per cent want Labour in charge of the nation's finances, versus 28 per cent for the Tories. Jeremy Corbyn's party also scrapes a narrow win among 35 to 54-year-olds, who favour it 41 per cent to the Conservatives' 39 per cent. But among those...