British software firm Micro Focus acquires US rival The Attachmate Group September 15, 2014 FTSE 250-listed software company Micro Focus International is to buy privately-owned US rival The Attachmate Group in an all-share deal valuing the combined firms at $2.35bn (£1.45bn). Micro Focus said yesterday that following the reverse takeover, its shareholders would own about 60 per cent of the equity in the new group which would be [...]
Labour Party Conference: Critics slam Miliband’s mansion tax plans September 23, 2014 Ed Miliband today confirmed Labour's plans to introduce a "mansion tax" on homes worth more than £2m – but his plans have already met with criticism. Nick Leeming, chairman of national estate agents Jackson-Stops & Staff, has dubbed it the "Downton Abbey view of politics" claiming it is "distorting" the view of who owns homes [...]
Business leaders want more from Ed Miliband – Editor’s Letter October 6, 2014 When I put it to one left-leaning businessman yesterday the notion that the former postman Alan Johnson might stand against Ed Miliband as Labour leader, he responded: “That would be lovely.” Some of Labour’s business supporters are running out of patience with Miliband. They feel the party’s pro-European stance is pretty popular with business, but [...]
Lord Myners to lead review into the IPO process? September 16, 2014 After a quiet couple of months, it looks like Royal Mail is at the top of the parliamentary agenda again. Lord Myners has been drafted in to lead yet another review into the handling of the controversial, £3.3bn privatisation of the company, it was reported this morning. Former City minister Myners will lead a panel [...]
London ranked world’s most influential city, while New York takes second place August 18, 2014 Forbes magazine has given London's stellar reputation as a global capital of business, finance, culture another boost by naming it the world's most influential city. In the list of the world's most influential cities, London topped the lot, with New York coming a close second and Paris trailing a poor third. "The United Kingdom may now [...]
City Matters: Tighter immigration controls risk London’s position as a global business hub March 2, 2014 IMMIGRATION is a sensitive subject at the best of times. So when figures published last week showed that net migration had climbed to 212,000 in the year to September 2013 – well above the government’s target of reducing it to below 100,000 by 2015 – it was inevitable that critics would attack the current system [...]
After Saga and Toys R Us fiascos calls grow for IPO markets shake-up November 18, 2014 Banks and investors are calling on the City watchdog to probe the behaviour of independent advisers on stock market flotations, fearing the initial public offerings (IPO) market in Europe could become dysfunctional. They argue that advisers are distorting the market by putting pressure on banks’ analysts to put an unrealistically high price on [...]
Synergy Health share price soars as US rival Steris reignites tax inversion debate with $1.9bn deal October 13, 2014 US medical technology giant Steris yesterday announced it had bought British health services provider Synergy Health in a $1.9bn (£1.2bn) deal that re-opened the US tax inversion debate. Steris said it would buy Synergy, whose shares rocketed by more than 30 per cent yesterday, in a cash-plus-shares deal that would shift its domicile to [...]
Are JetCards the Oysters of the skies? Air Partner sells record amount of top-ups August 18, 2014 The UK’s strengthening economy and corporates’ increased willingness to use private jets have helped Air Partner to sell more than £5m worth of its JetCards in the first six months of the year – more than double the amount they sold for the whole of 2013. The pre-paid JetCards, likened to TfL’s Oyster cards, have [...]
Just starting out in the City? Here’s how to be noticed October 5, 2014 Dress smartly, finish your work, build your network, and you’ll be fine. As graduate schemes open their doors for a new generation of employees, the City is now flooded with fresh-faced grads, all eager to impress. But how to stand out? A few simple steps can go a long way to getting you noticed. [...]