Beware the real Beast from the East: Chinese tech giants March 5, 2018 The last week has seen the UK battered by the worst snow we’ve seen in years, thanks to freezing temperatures coming from the east. But cold weather and heavy snow is not the only thing that is making the move from east to west. Chinese tech giants Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and JD.com have started to [...]
How the UK can plug the productivity gap October 13, 2017 Addressing the UK’s low productivity is more important than ever and whilst there is no magical solution to the problem, we can make improvements, says Gerard Lyons. Productivity helps determine a country's long-term performance. It measures output per person or per hour worked. Over time, high productive economies have higher output and living standards. Low [...]
London is Europe’s best-performing city, according to US think tank The Milken Institute December 4, 2017 London – or, more specifically, Inner London-East – has topped a list of Europe’s best performing cities and regions, according to US think tank The Milken Institute. The ranking, based on metrics such as job creation, wage gains, manufacturing and skilled service industry concentration, places three of London’s component regions among the top 279 evaluated. [...]
Insurance professionals call for change in firms’ culture to boost diversity September 25, 2017 Professionals in the insurance industry believe workplace culture needs to change to attract and retain top talent, according to a new survey from insurance diversity festival Dive In. Almost three quarters, or 71 per cent, of insurance professionals surveyed from around the globe said that the environment in firms must become more inclusive. The UK [...]
Train companies team up for £85bn plan to boost Britain’s railway post-Brexit in public and private partnership October 30, 2017 Rail companies, their suppliers, and Network Rail, have today set out plans to work more closely together, in order to drive £85bn of additional economic benefits to the UK economy. Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train firms and Network Rail, said the plan “will deliver the railway that the [...]
How reinvesting FTSE 100 dividends has affected Isa returns since 1999 March 12, 2018 Reinvesting dividends is one of the most powerful tools available to boost returns over time. Investors in the FTSE 100 would certainly have noticed the difference over the last 18 years. For instance, if you had invested £1,000 on 31 December 1999 in the FTSE 100, the capital growth would have produced a notional return [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond pledges billions to build in the 2017 Autumn Budget but wonks warn over future of UK’s stagnant economy November 23, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond yesterday promised to turn Britain into a prosperous nation of homeowners, yet was rocked by a sweeping set of downgrades to the UK’s future growth prospects. Hammond used the Autumn Budget to abolish stamp duty for thousands of first-time buyers, and reveal £15.3bn of new funding to encourage housebuilding. “As we invest [...]
Last Week in the City: Markets Trumped by trade fears June 22, 2018 The week was dominated by trade war fears as Donald Trump said he would slap further tariffs on Chinese goods should there be any retaliatory measures. Despite this, Nasdaq hit a record high, although the Dow Jones Industrial Average erased all its gains in 2018 so far. The FTSE 100 fell 0.5% over the week [...]
Property giant British Land set to publish first-half results November 13, 2017 First-half results from the property development company British Land will be unveiled this week, giving a significant look at the London property market amid Brexit uncertainty. Key details to be published include the occupancy rate and average lease length, which stood at 98 per cent and 8.3 years in the last financial year. These are [...]
11 tech startups to watch according to top insurers in Startupbootcamp’s insurtech accelerator December 11, 2017 Nearly a dozen startups looking to disrupt the insurance industry with technology such as artificial intelligence have been chosen for the latest cohort of a London programme, backed by Lloyds Banking Group, Allianz, Scottish Widows and Confused.com among several high-profile financial firms. The 11 early stage startups from nine countries around the world will join [...]