Search: raise

Oil prices tumbled to $32.62 a barrel this week as a result of rising US energy stockpiles and China's weakening currency. The price of oil fell more than 2 per cent in early trading on Wednesday as oil becomes so oversupplied globally that countries are running out of storage.

New research has found that more than one in four adults in Scotland who are responsible for paying rent or a mortgage are worried about covering the cost of their housing in 2016. The research, carried out online by YouGov on behalf of Shelter Scotland, found that 28 per cent of adults in Scotland

The number of completed first-time UK buyer transactions climbed to 31,300 in November, according to the latest First-time Buyer Tracker from Your Move & Reeds Rains. The figure represents an annual increase of 23.7 per cent – or 6,000 additional transactions – compared to November 2014, whe

Chief executive of Oil & Gas UK Deirdre Michie has welcomed the first increase in production on the UK continental shelf for over 15 years as it was revealed that oil and gas production has increased by 7 per cent over the past twelve months. The news was also welcomed by SNP Energy Spokesperson

Scottish business confidence for the next six months has declined as companies forecast weaker UK demand in 2016, according to the latest Business in Britain report from Bank of Scotland. The report, now in its 24th year, gathers the views of over 100 Scottish companies, predominantly small to mediu

There are now more female solicitors working in Scotland than male, according to the latest statistics from the Law Society of Scotland. For the first time, 51 per cent of Scotland’s 11,000+ practising solicitors are female following an influx of women entering the profession in recent years.

David Menzies The Scottish Budget for 2016-17, announced by John Swinney, contains a cut of a third in the Accountant in Bankruptcy budget.

Will Banham Rural land and property experts have issued a warning about a hidden potential time bomb for Scotland in John Swinney’s budget announcement.

New figures published by the Office of National Statistics show a new record output from the Scottish construction industry over the 12 months to September this year, rising to over £14 billion. This compares to a previous record output of more than £13 billion over the 12 months to June. Commenti

Perth-based transport giant Stagecoach has cited spooked passengers in the wake of recent terrorist attacks as reason for “modestly” cutting its forecasts for the year running to the end of April. Shares slid 14 per cent on the news with the company saying that travellers have become wary of tra

Latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and accountants KPMG have provided bad news for UK retailers after revealing Black Friday sales failed to boost turnover at UK stores during November. Sales in November at stores open for more than a year fell 0.4 per cent from the same month in 2

A leading economic forecaster has revised down its forecast for economic growth in Scotland over the past year from 2.2 per cent to 1.9 per cent. The EY Scottish Item Club also warned that it expected growth in 2016 to be even lower at 1.8 per cent.

Aberdeen Asset Management has seen its assets under management fall 13 per cent from £324.4bn in 2014 to £283.7bn on the back of outflows from the group’s flagship emerging markets equity funds. AAM was the top faller in the FTSE 100 Index, with the shares sliding 4.6 per cent on the news to 319

The number of first-time buyer loans in Scotland rose 4 per cent up on the previous quarter and 16 per cent up on Q3 2014, according to latest figures from the Council for Mortgage Lenders. First-time buyers totalling 8,500 in the period borrowed £920 million - up 2 per cent on the previous quarter

Union Street, Aberdeen. The downturn in the North Sea energy industry has hit Aberdeen’s hotel sector for another month, according to latest data.