The Card Factory set to join host of UK IPOs April 22, 2014 The Card Factory has announced it will proceed with plans for an initial public offering (IPO), joining a host of UK retailers to list on the London Stock Exchange in recent months. The IPO will comprise of an offer of new and existing shares to institutional investors. The company has also announced that former Travis [...]
Where to put your money to see real returns on cash April 15, 2014 Current accounts offer eye-catching rates, but remember the tax advantages of Isas WITH inflation dipping to 1.6 per cent on the consumer price index in March, and competition starting to hot up among retail banks, many current accounts are now offering the chance to earn decent real returns on cash. As many as 10 new [...]
What you need to know before the open May 22, 2014 With no surprises from the Fed’s open market committee meeting minutes last night, European markets are expected higher, although investors will be focusing on European PMI numbers out today. Again, the worry is that the numbers will reinforce concerns over growth for the second quarter, with powerhouse economy Germany even beginning to show signs of [...]
What you need to know before the open April 2, 2014 European markets are set to open up this morning after positive data from the US. Corporate data House prices in March grew by 0.4 per cent, slower rate then previous months, according to the Nationwide building society. House prices are now 9.5 per cent higher than they were at the same point last year. Fashion [...]
Warning to UK over runaway house prices May 6, 2014 ECONOMISTS from a group of the world’s leading wealthy countries yesterday issued a stark warning over the UK’s property market, advising British authorities to take action against surging house prices. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) added to concerns that the UK’s recent house price growth was out of sync with weak wages, [...]
UK banks face tough tests to prove their resilience April 29, 2014 BRITAIN’S biggest banks must be able to cope with a housing crash of the type seen in the 1980s, under a trial set up by the Bank of England to make sure the system is strong and safe. The fictional crisis scenario would see the economy shrink by 3.5 per cent, unemployment soar to nearly [...]
Rightmove traffic booms in wake of rising house prices February 28, 2014 Property website Rightmove has reported a rise in profit before tax of £14m to £97m for the year ended 31 December 2013. Revenue jumped by 17 per cent to £140m while the website's traffic rocketed 27 per cent to 14bn page impressions. Chief executive officer of Rightmove Nick McKittrick, commented: I'm delighted that Rightmove's popularity [...]
UK house prices jump 8.8pc from a year ago January 29, 2014 Figures from mortgage lender Nationwide have shown that house prices rose 8.8 per cent in January from a year earlier. UK house prices continued their forward march this month, increasing 0.7 per cent – their thirteenth monthly increase in a row – but slowing slightly, after December’s 1.4 per cent rise. This was still [...]
City Matters: Britain’s new MEPs must do their job – whatever they think about the EU June 1, 2014 THE EUROPEAN elections saw a series of striking results, as Ukip became the first party other than Labour or the Conservatives to top a nationwide poll since 1906, and anti-establishment parties surged across Europe. Pundits have spent days discussing the results and what Ukip’s rise means for the established parties and their leaders. But while [...]
Banks’ fines undermine capital April 1, 2014 THE BANKING sector could be weaker than it claims, because banks face growing conduct and legal bills, top regulator Andrew Bailey warned yesterday. Bailey runs the Bank of England’s prudential regulation authority (PRA) which has focused on pushing banks to increase their capital buffers and improve their leverage positions. In the wake of its study of the market [...]