Financial services group IFG agrees £206m takeover bid from City private equity firm Epiris March 25, 2019 Financial services group IFG has agreed to be taken over by UK private equity firm Epiris in a take-private deal worth £206m. The London and Dublin-listed company announced it had agreed the cash offer along with its full year results this morning. Read more: Epiris raises £821m for first fund and targets UK-based businesses The [...]
Housing demand slumps to near six-year low as first-time buyers pounce on ‘cautious market’ March 25, 2019 Demand for housing has slumped to its lowest level in almost six years, according to new figures that underline fears of waning activity across parts of Britain’s housing market. The number of house hunters registered per estate agent branch slumped by 15 per cent to 252 in February, marking the lowest since since July 2013. [...]
‘Fat finger’ causes share drop at LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton March 25, 2019 Luxury fashion house LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton suffered a shock dip in its share price early this morning, with investors suspecting a computer slip-up known as the ‘fat finger’ for the drop. LVMH’s share price sunk to its lowest levels in more than a month at the opening bell, tumbling almost nine per cent. [...]
Dogs of the Footsie 2019: 10 shares yielding 6 per cent plus March 23, 2019 By David Budworth from interactive investor. Here are the 10 high yielders that make it into this year's Dogs of the Footsie investment strategy. It's time to reset our Dogs of the Footsie portfolio, selecting the 10 highest-yielding shares of the FTSE 100 index. Around half of 2018's portfolio is carried over on to this [...]
Why properties with less than 80 years left on the lease are suddenly popular with Brexit buyers March 22, 2019 In previous times, the demand for residential property with 80 years or less remaining on the leasehold was generally low. However, current market conditions favour a new breed of savvy buyers, seeking alternate methods of approaching the market who wish to benefit from continued Brexit-related uncertainty. Leasehold property is a depreciating asset, so the less [...]
Focus On Bow: Young professionals are changing the landscape of Bow, but upsizing proves costly March 22, 2019 Few areas in London have seen demographic change like east London, but even within the East End, Bow has changed a lot in recent years. “There is a definite shift taking place, highlighted by the arrival of a number of independent coffee shops, wine bars and restaurants over the past 18 months or so,” said [...]
Royal London profits fall amid Brexit volatility and end of auto enrolment roll out March 21, 2019 Royal London, the UK’s largest mutual insurer, announced today its pre-tax profits had fallen in 2018 after Brexit uncertainty hit the confidence of its customers. The firm said its results compared unfavourably with last years in part because the first stage of the auto enrolment pensions roll out had come to an end, meaning a [...]
House transactions edge up despite Brexit uncertainty denting Spring bounce March 21, 2019 Signs of growing activity in the UK housing market have emerged this morning, with new figures signalling a potential change in tune among buyers who have so far been holding off on deals in the run-up to Brexit. A modest rise in property transactions last month has industry experts noting that some buyers are choosing not [...]
Profits plunge 26 per cent at Ted Baker after ‘difficult’ year March 21, 2019 Profits fell at Ted Baker last year for the first time since the financial crisis as the company faced “very difficult trading conditions” in a year when harassment claims dogged its chief executive. The figures Profits before tax at the menswear retailer dropped by 26 per cent to £51m even as revenue increased 4.4 per [...]
Marshalls shares race to record high: What now? March 19, 2019 Up 78 per cent since we backed them, the shares are still not expensive and the business is in great shape. Marshalls (LSE:MSLH) is an easy company to like. It makes things we all use on a daily basis, and it makes them well. Despite Brexit and a weak construction sector, its concrete paving slabs have [...]