Business and Economics

British fishermen are enjoying a 'black gold rush' as demand for cuttlefish hits all time high thanks to soaring demand from abroad - while it is virtually ignored as 'too ugly' to eat here. Fishermen from across the UK are flocking to the South West to land the inky mollusc - which is related to the squid - in record numbers. They are taking advantage of the lack of quotas with 100 tonnes being landed by just five or six...

New analysis published today has revealed it will take 45 years to stamp out the epidemic of zero hours contracts if the current trend continues. The latest ONS figures, released this week, show a drop in the number of workers on zero hours contracts of 20,000 compared to last year – from 903,000 workers to 883,000. At that rate of change, the number of people on zero hours wouldn't disappear until 2061. Ireland looks to be the next country call...

Moodys have downgraded UK debt to AA2, the lowest ever credit rating for UK citing "Brexit challenges" as the main reason for the drop. The UK lost its remaining AAA rating (S&P) four days after Brexit vote - but this is the first ever time a major credit rating agency has cut the country to third rank. Further "loss of economic strength" was cited as the main reason for the cut with growth expected to halve this year. The business also...

The OECD has published its Interim Economic Outlook showing the world economy is picking up momentum - except for the UK. The pace of expansion is projected to be faster this year than in 2016, with a further uptick expected in 2018. The US is projected to grow by 2.4 per cent in 2018 and Germany, France, Italy and the general Euro area are also forecast to post strong results. Conversely, the previously identified growth slowdown in the United Kingdom is...

Climate change is a divisive issue. The US’ stance on the Paris Agreement of 2015 is just one example of that. And while disagreements over the extent of the threat posed by climate change are all too common, the world’s countries are even more divided on how best to address that threat. From reforestation to electric cars, the potential solutions are many and diverse in nature. One mooted remedy is altering the surface albedo of the earth. For the unfamiliar,...

The Office for National Statistics today released new zero hours contracts data. The data shows that women and young people are most affected by the contracts that do not guarantee any hours in a given week Women make up 58 per cent of those on zero hours contracts and 34 per cent of workers with no guaranteed hours are aged 16 to 24 – the largest age group However, the number of people on zero-hours contracts in the UK has fallen...

Project managers are critical for the success of any project and being a great project manager can ensure that your endeavour garners the best results possible. As you embark on your first project as a team leader, it is important that you have in your mind the ways which you will lead your team effectively and successfully. As project manager, you will be the difference between a job well done and a complete failure. And many agencies rely on them...

Currency is known to be one of the most volatile assets in the world, and many businesses must deal with the fluctuations of various exchange rates on a daily basis. These fluctuations can be significant, making it very difficult to predict how any given currency pairing will behave on any given day. Whilst those trading forex seek to take advantage of these fluctuations, they can present a variety of risks/challenges to businesses of all types, especially those which have dealings...

Staying up to date on the latest anti money laundering laws and processes is extremely important for any Finance or Banking professional. Anti Money Laundering Training can provide a cost effective and informative way of becoming an expert in these laws. Avoiding being involved in money laundering can save a business time, money, as well as any legal action. Learn From Industry Experts While the information for anti money laundering techniques does exist online, it can be very technical and...