These are the seven deadly sins of the workplace February 17, 2017 Perhaps it was inevitable that someone would try to rebrand the seven deadly sins. After all, it’s 1,700 years since monk Evagrius Ponticus came up with the eight evil thoughts generally credited with the concept. These were whittled down to seven by Pope Gregory I in AD590 – vainglory was the one to go. Now [...]
Confidence in UK business prospects reaches 10-month high but economic optimism falls 20 per cent November 30, 2016 Confidence in business prospects has risen to a 10-month high for UK businesses, despite a big rise in concerns over the country’s economic health, according to a new survey. Over half of companies said that they expected business prospects to improve in the next year, and only five per cent said they expected their business [...]
City Moves for 14 January 2016 | Who’s switching jobs January 14, 2016 Capital Access Group Investor engagement adviser Capital Access Group has announced that Bruce Packard has joined its investor analytics team. Bruce has 15 years’ experience in the City and has been part of several highly ranked banks’ teams. Having covered the UK banking sector since 2000 at Credit Suisse, ING, Societe Generale, Evolution and Seymour [...]
FTSE 100 history: how the index has changed over 33 years July 3, 2017 The FTSE 100 index has just seen one of its quarterly changes with security firm G4S and real estate investment trust Segro promoted to the top 100. Although perhaps small in themselves, these regular events have changed the face of the UK’s leading index since it was formed in 1984. For the many investors whose [...]
Why is M&A rising? The bigger the company, the more likely it is to survive February 20, 2017 Investor sentiment is still skyrocketing as Donald Trump continues his victory lap and investors revel in the fanfare. The markets are behaving as though the White House’s as-yet-undetailed economic policies will cure all ills, from the simmering uncertainty around French, Dutch and German elections to the biggest pain for chief executives – technology disruption. The [...]
Businesses give thumbs up to fourth quarter so far November 14, 2016 Businesses across the country have reported a strong October, as they enter the final stretch of a somewhat unpredictable year. The Lloyds Bank Regional Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) survey, which was released today, found the UK's PMI had reached a nine-month high of 54.8, up from 53.9 in September, as demand floods in from overseas buyers looking [...]
The City of London’s newest skyscraper has just confirmed its first commercial tenant October 28, 2016 Times, they are a-changing: once, the Lloyd's Building was the City's tallest (and most recognisable) tower – now the Square Mile's skyline is rising faster than Donald Trump's legal bill. The latest addition to the City's skyscraper family is the Scalpel, aka 52 Lime Street. Although it isn't due to be completed until December next [...]
UK banks get ready to report third quarter results, with forecasts of non-core dragging on profits at Barclays and pension problems predicted at Lloyds October 23, 2016 All eyes will be on the banking sector this week, as big players get set to reveal their third quarter results. Lloyds will be reporting on Wednesday, followed by Barclays on Thursday and Royal Bank of Scotland on Friday. Analysts have predicted Barclays will announce profits before tax for the group of £1.3bn, compared with [...]
Inflation: How far will UK consumer prices rise this year? February 14, 2017 Inflation has already hit a 31-month high, but economists are almost universally predicted a steep rise in consumer prices over the coming year. The Bank of England (BoE) expects consumer prices to rise to 2.7 per cent by the end of this year, but other economists think that might be at the more conservative end [...]
Premier shares dip as lender exit fears rise November 8, 2016 Shares in struggling oil explorer Premier dipped yesterday amid fears lenders were backing out of the company's syndicated loans. Despite attempts by Premier to calm the market, investors sent shares in the company 11 per cent lower by the London close. Selling was sparked by media reports yesterday that said Lloyds Bank was selling out of [...]