The data toolkit: What small and medium-sized firms need to know May 28, 2014 BIG DATA has moved beyond the technology hype cycle, and is now a cornerstone of digital economies across the world. As we approach 30 per cent of humanity connected to the web, big data has become relevant to companies of all sizes. Although we have a large number of SMEs in the UK relative to [...]
Moyes axe could spark tug of war for Van Gaal April 21, 2014 TOTTENHAM could face a fight for Holland coach Louis van Gaal after David Moyes’s short and unhappy spell in charge of Manchester United neared its end yesterday. Moyes’s dismissal is expected to be confirmed this week, following a day of fevered speculation that United have lost faith in the Scot less than 12 months into [...]
Bottom Line: Insurers and premiums both driven down April 9, 2014 WHO’D be a car insurer? With regulators lining up to tell the sector what to do and technology busily disrupting established business models, firms like Direct Line, Admiral and Esure are enjoying a rough ride. The latest news on plunging UK car insurance premiums promptly sent share prices for all three screeching downhill. Rightly so. [...]
City & Gild: Time to get back on track April 25, 2014 So, as I was dozing-off watching another lack-lustre F1 race this past weekend (Bernie is right, it’s missing the awe and thunder), I was briefly awakened by the exchange between Red Bull’s lead driver – Sebastian Vettel, and his team. For those of you who were also asleep, the world champion was asked to let [...]
Best of the Brokers for 22 January 2014 January 21, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ADMIRAL Berenberg rates the insurer a sell with a price target of 1,080p. The broker thinks the motor insurance sector is not likely to see a rise in premiums soon, and that Admiral will not enjoy a boost from an eventual rise in [...]
Hotels converted into townhouses in west London April 24, 2014 Michael Jackson’s favourite London hotel has been revived as The Hempel Collection TWO HOTELS that were worlds apart in style, concept and clientele have been brought together under one roof as part of a period conversion in west London. The Hempel Collection, a luxury development of 12 apartments and three bespoke townhouses in Bayswater, bears [...]
Rogue Libyan oil tanker seized by US Seals March 17, 2014 Before dawn this morning, US Navy commandos boarded and took control of a North Korean-flagged tanker loaded with crude oil smuggled out of Libya, the Pentagon has confirmed. The move foils attempts by a breakaway Libyan militia to sell the cargo, which is owned by the Libyan government’s National Oil Company, on the black market. [...]
London Report: UK marks five-year anniversary of low Bank interest rate March 2, 2014 WEDNESDAY marks the five-year anniversary of the Bank of England’s record low 0.5 per cent interest rate, a figure that Thursday’s rates decision is unlikely to change. In other economic news, February PMI reports for manufacturing, construction and services will be announced. The corporate calendar starts today with news from Amlin, Intertek, Keller Group, Senior [...]
CNBC Comment: It’s vive la difference for European M&A April 28, 2014 CAN THERE be a clearer illustration of the difference between French and British attitudes to business than this week’s M&A headlines? Once again, the French have been accused of erecting the barricades to repel an Anglo-Saxon corporate takeover, while there is a deafening silence in Westminster about a jewel in British pharma potentially being gobbled [...]
Blackstone wins beauty parade to land a 20pc stake in Versace February 27, 2014 ITALIAN fashion houses and Wall Street buyout firms are not obvious bedfellows – unless they happen to be Versace and Blackstone. The suave Italian fashion outfit, founded by the late Gianni Versace who was murdered in 1997, yesterday said it had picked Blackstone to take a 20 per cent stake in the company in return [...]