UK Business News
Fed maintains pace of asset purchase
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:41:07 GMT
The Federal Reserve maintains its $85bn-a-month (£54bn) asset purchase programme, and Fed chairman Ben Bernanke says the bank could begin scaling back the programme later this year.
Jail reckless bankers, report urges
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:48:51 GMT
Measures including criminal sanctions to make bankers responsible for their own failings, are called for in a new report.
Lloyds to return to private hands
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:45:44 GMT
George Osborne has used his annual Mansion House speech to the City to announce the government is preparing to sell its stake in Lloyds Bank back to private investors.
Dolce and Gabbana sentenced to jail
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:35:27 GMT
Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are sentenced to jail in Italy for tax evasion but have appealed the verdict.
BT complains about Sky Sports supply
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:47:00 GMT
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom is to launch an investigation into BSkyB over the supply of its sports channels to rival broadcasters.
Drug firms fined for blocking rivals
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:18:37 GMT
Nine drug companies are fined for delaying cheaper generic drugs coming to market.
Home-buyers 'need 14 years to save'
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:34:23 GMT
The average single person in their twenties will now have to save for over 14 years before they can buy a home, says the housing charity Shelter.
Postal workers reject privatisation
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:39:42 GMT
Royal Mail workers vote strongly against the government's proposals to privatise the postal group.
IMF: Spain making strong progress
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:20:43 GMT
The IMF says Spain has made strong progress on its economy, but the outlook remains "difficult" and more action is needed to boost job creation.
China's Wanda to buy UK yacht maker
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:43:06 GMT
Dalian Wanda Group, a Chinese property developer, says it will spend £1bn ($1.6bn) to buy a British yacht maker and property in London.
BT's Livingston to be trade minister
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:03:57 GMT
BT chief executive Ian Livingston is to leave the company to join the government as a trade minister, David Cameron announces.
BoE votes 6-3 against stimulus move
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:25:27 GMT
The Bank of England governor was outvoted again at his final monetary policy committee meeting, with the body voting 6-3 against more stimulus measures.
Cyprus leader attacks bailout terms
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:01:50 GMT
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades urges eurozone leaders to help his country's biggest bank and sharply criticises the bailout agreed in March.
Japan exports up by most since 2010
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:00:24 GMT
Japanese exports rose in May at the fastest annual rate since 2010 as the yen weakened, providing a boost to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to revive the economy.
Food labels system to be rolled out
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:10:55 GMT
A new consistent system of front-of-pack food labelling is to be introduced in the UK, the government says.
London Market Report
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:19:40 GMT
Shares in London fall back, with investors expected to remain cautious ahead of comments from the US Federal Reserve.
Dish abandons bid for Sprint Nextel
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:59:13 GMT
US satellite TV operator Dish Network says it will not submit a revised bid for Sprint Nextel, leaving the way open for a rival bid from Japan's Softbank.
House price 'bubble' warning
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:32:34 GMT
Building Societies are warning the government about a future house price bubble, unless it plans how to end its Help to Buy programme.
Families 'less gloomy over finances'
Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:41:32 GMT
UK household finances are improving, a survey suggests, although most people still believe their financial circumstances are deteriorating.
Lloyds 'aware of' Co-op's black hole
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:42:21 GMT
The bosses of the Lloyds Banking Group tell MPs that they knew there was a black hole in the accounts of the Co-op Bank, four months before a vital deal with them collapsed.
G8 leaders agree deal on tax evasion
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:48:09 GMT
Leaders of the G8 major economies agree plan to clamp down on money launderers, illegal tax evaders and corporate tax avoiders.
EU car sales hit 20-year low for May
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:22:19 GMT
New car sales across Europe fell to their lowest level in two decades in May as the deepening recession hurt demand.
UK inflation rate rises to 2.7%
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:27:52 GMT
The rate of consumer price index (CPI) inflation increased to 2.7% in May, up from 2.4% in April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says.
Organise a concert by your favourite band
Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:10:56 GMT
If you ever fancied organising a concert by your favourite band, UK technology company Songkick could have the answer.
Small brewers with big passion to succeed
Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:21:41 GMT
The BBC’s Jill Martin visits a former nun and a beer nut in the US state of Georgia to discover why passion is seen as the vital ingredient in brewing a successful US small business.
Cookery classes relying on angels
Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:07:04 GMT
Before the financial crisis, Jean-Christophe Menz could just walk into a bank and ask for money - not any more.
Hearts placed into administration
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:19:49 GMT
Hearts' administrators say they are aware of the need to find a resolution to the club's problems so close to the new season.
WRU wants to discuss Lions profits
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:32:41 GMT
Welsh rugby chief Roger Lewis calls for a home nations rethink of how profits generated by British and Irish Lions tours are split.
Maradona in China compensation win
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:05:44 GMT
Diego Maradona wins compensation from two Chinese firms for using his name in an online game, Hot-Blooded Soccer, without his consent.
VIDEO: High hopes for Bombardier C-series
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:16:54 GMT
The chief of Canadian Bombardier, Pierre Beaudoin, has said the company's new C-series of regional jets could boost revenues by as much as a quarter.
VIDEO: Testing out battle kit of the future
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:12:02 GMT
It is not just planes and helicopter on display at the Paris Air Show, as the BBC's Theo Leggett found out when he tried on some of US defence firm Raytheon's new kit.
VIDEO: 'Made in Peru' World Cup shirts
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:42:43 GMT
Clothing manufacturers in Peru expect to make bumper profits next year by making football shirts for global fans descending on Brazil for the World Cup.
VIDEO: When might US Fed ease stimulus?
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:04:36 GMT
Investors want to know when the US Federal Reserve will begin scaling back its help for the economy - that is, buying $85bn a month in bonds and keeping interest rates low.
VIDEO: Sunseeker jobs in UK 'safe'
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:04:09 GMT
Chinese property developer Dalian Wanda Group has said it will spend more than £1bn ($1.6bn) to buy a British yacht maker and develop a hotel in London.
AUDIO: Today business round-up
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:03:21 GMT
The Today programme's business news with Simon Jack.
AUDIO: Banking report 'will change little'
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:02:21 GMT
Lord Myners, the former Labour city minister, says "very little will change for several years as a result of the Tyrie report" on banking standards.
VIDEO: Singapore economy suffers from smoke
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:05:50 GMT
Singapore's economy is being impacted by the huge cloud of smoke that drifts in from Sumatran wood fires every year.
VIDEO: The global middle class revolution
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:13:08 GMT
Where is the middle class growing around the world?
BT boss goes in to bat for Britain
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:44:27 GMT
BT boss goes in to bat for Britain
When will banking ever change?
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:00:11 GMT
Are there no new big banks because we are too lazy?
Will the Boeing and Airbus duopoly crack?
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:27:00 GMT
Will the Airbus/Boeing duopoly ever be broken?
IMF entering university market
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:13:56 GMT
The IMF offers free online university courses
Glimmers of hope in Detroit
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:14:22 GMT
Is down-at-heel Detroit on the brink of a comeback?
How do you prepare for a lifetime of renting?
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:35:57 GMT
How do you prepare for a lifetime of renting?