Open Banking and PSD2 are a boon to banks, not a burden October 30, 2017 The EU’S second payment services directive (PSD2), set to come into force next year, will require banks to share current account information with third parties through APIs — providing the customer gives consent. This will allow new companies to innovate with an important data source, giving the market a much-needed competition boost. While these innovations [...]
Aldi bags record UK sales growth though profit dips as it plans more UK expansion September 25, 2017 German budget grocer Aldi’s quest for UK domination continues as its sales growth picked up in the UK, though profits dipped in its full-year results due to “continued investment in prices and infrastructure”. The supermarket onslaught continues however, as the firm outlined plans for 70 new supermarkets for 2018 amid its efforts to hit 1,000 [...]
Sink, swim, or build a lifeboat: Tips for surviving Open Banking November 7, 2017 Open Banking, which comes into place January 2018, is a landmark development for the banking industry. It will force banks to open up their Advanced Programming Interface (API). This may sound like a dry compliance point, but the reality is far from it. With customer permission, competitors will be able to access banks’ enormous – [...]
Why value investors would respect Nelson Mandela but buy Seretse Khama July 10, 2017 This month marks different anniversaries of the births of two of post-colonial Africa’s greatest leaders – Nelson Mandela and Seretse Kharma. Mandela, who was born on 18 July 1918, you will almost inevitably be aware of but perhaps not Kharma, who was born on 1 July 1921. Indeed, if you have heard of him at [...]
The chart that could keep investors in ‘low-risk’ stocks awake at night June 27, 2017 For years it has been an undisputed fact of investment that people tend to prefer having big-name brands in their kitchens, bathrooms and elsewhere – yet this could now be changing. Ian Kelly, blogger and fund manager, explains the significance. Among the various qualities we look for in an investment, on The Value Perspective blog, [...]
We finally have a launch date for The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson’s Amazon Top Gear wannabe September 16, 2016 After what feels like aeons of hype, Amazon has finally confirmed a launch date for The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear-alike car show. The company said today the series, which also features Clarkson's Top Gear chums James May and Richard Hammond, will launch on 18 November on Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes released on a [...]
Prime Day was the biggest day ever for Amazon July 13, 2016 Here's how crazy Prime Day was for Amazon. Sales on the shopping day that's now bigger than Black Friday for the retailer rocketed 60 per cent on last year, when it's estimated sales hit around the $400m, according to analysts. Now in its second year, Amazon Prime vice president Greg Greeley said: “We want to thank our [...]
Mind the skills gap: A plan to future-proof the UK workforce November 30, 2017 How do we close the skills gap in this country? At the recent World Skills competition and conference in Abu Dhabi, I learnt that this is not just a UK problem, but also one faced by countries across the world. Addressing this imbalance sits front and centre of everything this government is trying to achieve [...]
Is it still possible to find value in retail stocks? August 23, 2017 With the wider market so clearly out-of-love with the retail sector in general, it should come as no surprise that so many of its members are now flashing up as being of potential interest to value investors. On our Value Perspective blog, we certainly anticipate spending a lot of our time over the coming months [...]
LightwaveRF share price jumped 77 per cent on Google Assistant launch May 18, 2017 Smart home tech firm LightwaveRF’s share price soared today after revealing its entire product range had been added to Google Home’s voice controlled Google Assistant. Shares in the Aim listed group climbed as much as 77.4 per cent mid-morning, dropping back to 54 per cent at pixel time. Read more: Now you can do your [...]