Bargain carmaker Dacia captures drivers' imagination as Britons snap up 300 a week and European sales soar 21%

Britons are snapping up more than 300 cars a week from bargain motor manufacturer Dacia, which has seen sales surge by 21.1 per cent across Europe in 2013.
The manufacturer – owned by Renault – sold 260,000 motors this year in the EU compared to 215,000 in 2012, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association showed.
Of this figure, 15,099 were sold in Britain according to recent Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders data – this represents roughly six per cent of Dacia sales across Europe. Considering Dacia only launched models on these shores in January, this figure shows that British drivers have been tempted in by the lure of bargain motoring.

Racing ahead: Dacia has seen a large growth in sales across Europe - and managed to shift more than 15,000 motors in Britain after launching here this year

Impressively, last month, Dacia saw sales up 31.1 per cent compared to November 2012 indicating popularity of the bargain manufacturer continues to grow. This is a trend that shows no signs of

We turned Lovestruck into a £6m hit - but we had to ditch our original lunchtime dating plan to do it

Gone are the days when meeting online was considered a dirty little secret, best kept behind closed doors.
Lovestruck founders Brett Harding and Laurence Holloway managed to strike at just the right time, and have seen their business grow as the internet dating industry was catapulted into one of the country's most popular revenue makers.
Since an initial investment of £285,000 in 2000, the site has had more than 21.5 million visits, 320 million page impressions, generated £5.7 million revenue and attracted users in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. It is also in the midst of rolling out new projects across the UK.

Online dating: Meeting on the internet has become increasingly popular

But growing a business is not all fun and games.
'Scaling a start-up is like

Returns from plush property outshine gold as prices of London's top homes grew by 7.5% over past year

The prices of London’s most swish homes have grown by 7.5 per cent, in the past year, according to Knight Frank.
The upmarket estate agent, which sells homes to the international super-rich, said investors would have done far better if they had bought bricks and mortar in prime parts of the capital than if they had invested in gold, normally classed as the ultimate safe haven asset.
The precious metal has fallen by around a quarter since the start of 2013. But the gravity-defying surge in the prices of top-notch London houses, which have been attracted wealthy buyers from around the world, may be on the wane.

Plush: Areas such as the City, Islington and Marylebone are overtaking traditional Mayfair and Knightsbridge

In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced that overseas buyers will pay capital gains tax on residential property from 2015.
Knight Frank reckons the

Revealed: The top 50 most desirable places to live in Britain with Hart in Hampshire topping the list for third year in a row

Hart in Hampshire has been crowned the most desirable place to live in Britain for the third year in succession in a quality of life survey.
The annual Halifax data takes into account a wide range of factors including health and life expectancy, crime rates, weather, employment and the performance of local schools.
Nowhere in Wales or Northern Ireland made the top 50 list, but Scotland scraped in with the Orkney Islands placed at number 50. Just one area of London was included, with the City of London in 38th position.

Best of Britain: Areas of Essex, Hampshire and Northamptonshire are some of the best places to live according to the data

Nestled in the North East corner of Hampshire, residents of Hart were found to be the healthiest in the UK, with 97.4 per cent of residents reported to be

What will move the gold price in 2014? Metal had its worst year since 1981 in 2013 but gold can still shine despite the recovery

Gold is traditionally seen as a safe asset in volatile times but, despite flirting with the $2,000 barrier in 2011, it has since dropped to $1,200 off the back of economic revivals in developed markets.
But according to online gold trading website BullionVault, there are still reasons to hold on to the asset. Adrian Ash of BullionVault outlines the prospects for gold in 2014.
Dropping more than 24 per cent this year against the US dollar, gold suffered its worst year since 1981, when it was down 32 per cent, and little better than 1975, when it dropped 25 per cent.
 

Gold: There are still reasons to hold gold in 2014

But perverse as it sounds, 2013 proved gold's role as financial insurance.
For UK investors, gold priced in sterling has lagged the

Where should you invest next year? Six fund ideas for 2014 whether you are cautious, contrarian, or adventurous

Developed markets have been the winners of 2013 as economic recovery appears to haven taken hold this year giving a boost to equities, but will that continue into the New Year?
The FTSE 100 has knocked on the door of its all-time high while the Dow Jones reached a record breaking level, giving investors a boost in their investment portfolios, but that doesn't mean you should ignore emerging and Asian markets.
Investment management firm Psigma predicts 2014 could be the year for Asian equity, particularly in Japan and China, where positive sentiment has eased concerns about economic growth and inflation that previously deterred investors.
 

Rising sun: 2014 may be a good year for investing in Japan

Thomas Becket, chief investment officer for Psigma, predicts a continuation of Japan's recent stock market renaissance and a return to favour in 'emerging' Asian equities in 2014.
He said big companies in the UK could also

They make us all 'proud' to be British! This is Money presents the Alternative Finance Awards 2013

We've seen Royal Mail sold for a pittance, energy providers throwing down a 'heat or eat' gauntlet, and new additions to the depressingly gigantic list of mis-sold financial products.
Yes, 2013 was another year that stretched the credulity of consumers who'd barely stopped shaking their heads at the Bob Diamonds, tax avoiders and Eurozone crises of 2012.
This is Money's team has taken a (very tongue-in-cheek) look at those who emerged from this year's ridiculousness as true winners.
The 3-2-1 Award for best use of a bin
Winner: Halifax
 

Well done Halifax: This is Money's Richard Browning was impressed by Halifax's use of office furniture.

Richard Browning says: It’s easy to criticise banks over the theft of PPI payments from customers’ accounts, foreclosing thriving businesses and destroying the Western economy but when a