UBM in talks for £550m takeover of US Advanstar September 18, 2014 Events and information giant UBM yesterday confirmed it is in takeover talks with US trade show organiser Advanstar, in a deal that might be worth up to $900m (£549m). UBM, which also owns PR Newswire (PRN) and has a market capitalisation of £1.5bn, said in a statement that it “notes recent market speculation concerning [...]
Car review: The new Audi TT feels more like a top-end VW than a thrusting sports car September 16, 2014 What’s your take on the Audi TT? A brilliant interpretation of Bauhaus design language? An unusually attainable, good looking sports car? Or so commonplace it barely even registers? The original TT was something special. No car manufacturer had built such a bold interpretation of the coupe away from a motor show concept. And no one [...]
Spread betting on cricket July 16, 2014 ENGLAND’S five-Test series against India is finely poised after a draw in the opener at Trent Bridge last week. Ahead of the second Test at Lord’s, Sporting Index have priced up a huge range of cricket markets. Cricket and spread betting have always been a match made in heaven and it really is the most [...]
Norway to keep $8.2bn Russian assets despite sanctions – for now August 20, 2014 Norway’s massive sovereign wealth fund yesterday announced that it was likely to hang on to its $8.2bn (£4.93bn) worth of Russian assets despite Western sanctions on Moscow. However, the $885bn fund – one of te world’s biggest investors said it did not plan further purchases because of political risk. The fund has $8.2 billion invested [...]
Taylor Wimpey’s average UK house price hits £210,000 January 15, 2014 House builder Taylor Wimpey has reported significant improvement in the housing market underpinned by increasing consumer confidence and government interventions to bolster homeownership. Average selling prices on private completions rose by seven per cent to £210,000. Taylor Wimpey's overall average selling price has also increased by 6 per cent to £191,000. The company expects to [...]
2013 sees mortage lending rise by a quarter as market warms December 12, 2013 MORTGAGE lending rose by nearly a quarter in the 12 months to October, as prices and activity in the housing market begin to climb again for the first time since the financial crisis. According to figures released by the Council for Mortgage Lenders (CML) yesterday, lending for house purchases rose 24 per cent in the [...]
London 2030: An optimist’s vision of the next urban renaissance April 1, 2014 LONDON faces acute problems of growth. We are building barely a third as many new homes as we need. Yet there is no credible plan for the other two-thirds. In 17 boroughs, the average rent is more than half the average wage, and the typical first time buyer is 32. Peak congestion is unbearable across [...]
OneSavings Bank profits rise after lender tightens purse strings August 27, 2014 OneSavings Bank, the first British lender to float on the stock market since the turn of the century, yesterday said lower costs had helped to drive a four-fold rise in half-year profits. The lender, which offers mortgages and saving accounts through its Kent Reliance brand, said underlying pre-tax profits rose to £29.7m for [...]
Barratt boss warns of labour shortage September 10, 2014 The boss of Britain’s largest housebuilder Barratt Developments warned yesterday that a shortage of skilled workers could prevent the country from delivering the homes needed to tackle housing crisis as the company reported a doubling of full-year profits. Mark Clare said the lack of skilled workers – from bricklayers to architects and plasterers – is [...]
Men with wide faces secure bigger bonuses but are worse at collaborating, study finds July 24, 2014 It pays to have a wide face, but only when you're going it alone, according to research by scientists at the University of California, Riverside. Called “Negotiating face-to-face: Men's facial structure predicts negotiating performance”, the study used a series of negotiation simulations to compare the success of wide-faced and narrow-faced men at securing deals when [...]