Small companies clamour to float as Eurocell and Lakehouse line up for London Stock Exchange IPOs February 4, 2015 Two small companies this morning announced their intention to float on the London Stock Exchange, among the first few of a much-anticipated rush prior to the General Election in May. Window and door maker Eurocell said it was seeking a listing on the London Stock Exchange. It had sales of £173m and operating profit of [...]
Further oil price drop could pose financial threat to UK stability December 22, 2014 Financial market regulators have warned that if the fall in oil prices were sustained, it could be a problem for the UK’s financial stability. Falling prices could impact on the ability of some businesses to service their debt. Some such businesses are US oil and gas exploration firms, according to the minutes of [...]
Barratt Developments sees property sales and completions jump in first half January 14, 2015 Sales at residential property company Barratt Developments jumped by 17 per cent in the six months to 31 December, up to £1.68bn from £1.44bn in the first half of the 2014 financial year. Completions also increased, improving from 6,195 to 6,971. Of the total number of completions, 1,149 were in the affordable housing sector, which [...]
New property website has to conquer Google – Bottom Line January 28, 2015 ONTHEMARKET.com, the new property website from the Agents’ Mutual group of estate agents, launched this week with an apparent threat to the “duopoly” of Rightmove and Zoopla. Zoopla, as the less well-visited of the two, seemed in danger as one of the requirements of OnTheMarket.com meant participating agents could only list on one other rival. [...]
Housing market lifts Persimmon deals by 17pc January 7, 2015 PERSIMMON posted a 17 per cent surge in housing completions last year and said it expected demand for new homes to remain robust despite uncertainty over the outcome of the upcoming general election. Britain’s biggest housebuilder completed 13,509 property sales in the year to 31 December compared with 11,528 the previous year. Homes were sold [...]
China industrial profits fall by the most in two years December 27, 2014 More bad news for China's industrial sector: profits in the industry fell to 676.12 billion yuan (£69.8bn) in November, 4.2 per cent down on last year's figure and the biggest annual decline since August 2012, official statistics showed today. The National Bureau of Statistics put the fall down to a drop in sales, as well [...]
Danger zones: Everything you need to do to stay safe when working in risky locations. March 8, 2015 Deadly diseases, wild animals, terrorism, crime, kidnapping, political unrest, harsh laws, cultural misunderstandings, extremes of climate, loneliness and isolation – all risks that may be experienced by those assigned to work in dangerous places. From treating Ebola sufferers in Sierra Leone to oil exploration in Iraq, world events show that both the risks – and [...]
Londoners deserve better than Boris’s Wormwood Scrubs mini-Manhattan December 16, 2014 LONDON’s greatest strength is its ability to constantly regenerate. But amid unprecedented levels of development, we must be wary of leaving local communities behind. Seeing Boris Johnson’s name attached to a project immediately sets alarm bells ringing. The fantasy airport, the over-budget buses, the loss of strategic sites like Earl’s Court and Mount Pleasant. His [...]
Which were the best and worst investments of 2014? December 22, 2014 This year low interest rates have seen investors who bet on traditional investments receive returns tantamount to chickenfeed. Perhaps we should have given up before we'd all even started? Perhaps not. Investors who plumped for chocolate, property, the US dollar and Aim-listed company Fitbug would have watched as their money practically grew on trees. Conversely, [...]
Estate agents in late-night stamp duty deal rush after Autumn Statement tax band change December 4, 2014 It was the early hours of the morning in Hong Kong when the phone rang. The person whose phone was ringing grew angry over the caller’s persistence at such an hour, but any frustration probably subsided when the individual ended the night £20,000 better off than they would have been otherwise. The deal [...]