Bid talk for Vodafone and forex bank fines prompt a FTSE rally – London Report May 20, 2015 SPECULATION of a takeover bid for telecommunications giant Vodafone sent its share up yesterday – and the FTSE 100 along with it. Britain’s top share index climbed back towards earlier record highs also buoyed by gains in major bank stocks. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index ended up 0.2 per cent at 7,007.26 points, close to [...]
London’s firms look to tech for future growth June 18, 2014 Technology and creative industries, along with professional and financial services, coming out of Canary Wharf, the Royal Docks and Stratford will drive London’s growth over the next five years, according to the latest survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Nearly 70 per cent of London’s businesses believe that the technology and creative industries [...]
China stimulus plan boosts energy firms as FTSE nears peak – London Report May 21, 2015 PLANS out of Beijing to boost further stimulus to boost its economy also propelled the FTSE higher, to just below last month’s record highs yesterday, with expectations China will launch further stimulus, helping miners and energy stocks tracking gains in oil prices. The UK Oil and Gas index rose 0.9 per cent as crude rose [...]
FTSE continues upward surge – London Report April 7, 2015 THE BENCHMARK FTSE 100 rose nearly two per cent yesterday as trading resumed after the Easter weekend. Shares around the world have been boosted by hopes that the US Federal Reserve will push back rate rises following weak American jobs data last week. The benchmark FTSE 100 index closed up 128.31 points, or 1.88 per [...]
Surrey begin against Glamorgan November 26, 2013 CRICKET: Surrey will begin the revamped Division Two County Championship season against Glamorgan at the Oval on 6 April. Counties will now earn five points for a draw instead of three and 67 per cent of matches will begin on a Sunday. The 50-over Royal London One-Day Cup replaces the YB40 competition, while the renamed [...]
B&M Retail bags £1.1bn to buck market gloom June 12, 2014 B&M RETAIL yesterday shook off the gloom in the new issues market to debut the biggest stock market flotation in London since Royal Mail. The budget chain, chaired by former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy, raised £1.1bn by selling 40 per cent of the company to City investors. Shares rose in informal trading to close [...]
The City will never forget the lessons and sacrifices of the First World War August 3, 2014 Today marks the 100th anniversary of Britain entering World War One. At a time when geopolitical flashpoints in the Middle East, eastern Europe and elsewhere are in the news, this seems like an apt moment to reflect on the lessons of the past. The Great War resulted in the tragic deaths of an estimated 17m [...]
Take a BOAT through green lanes: Byways Open to All Traffic are the countryside’s best-kept secret November 5, 2014 Most Londoners don’t drive for pleasure – quite the opposite; it’s a chore, a practicality, something to get out of the way as quickly as possible. But it needn’t be like this. For those in the know, there’s a way to seek adventure and discover corners of the UK that nobody has explored in decades, [...]
How London’s stockbrokers went to war – and conflict came to the City August 6, 2014 KEEP your heads. There is no need for panic. Try and go on in the ordinary way.” These were the words of the lord mayor of London, Sir Thomas Vansittart Bowater, to citizens on the outbreak of war in 1914. For all the lord mayor’s words of encouragement, life did not go on in the [...]
DIY expert nails the top job at Kingfisher September 10, 2014 Veronique Laury set to become only one of five female FTSE 100 chief executives FEW PEOPLE on this side of the Channel will have heard of Veronique Laury, but after renovating three houses of her own, the incoming chief executive of Europe’s largest retailer has knowledge of the DIY sector that goes beyond just the [...]