The UK’s construction industry started 2017 on a high February 16, 2017 The UK's construction industry started the year strongly as housebuilding dominated activity. The value of new building contracts rose to £6bn in January, according to analysts Barbour ABI, with London accounting for over a quarter of contract value. The capital was boosted by the One Nine Elms project in Vauxhall, the most valuable development in [...]
DAC Group has acquired Edinburgh-based digital marketing specialist Ambergreen August 15, 2017 Edinburgh based Ambergreen has joined forces with one of the largest independent digital marketing agencies in North America. When Canadian digital media agency DAC Group was exploring growth opportunities in Europe, Edinburgh-based digital marketing specialist Ambergreen was a natural fit. "DAC is headquartered in Toronto, Canada and has about 400 people across 16 offices,” explains [...]
EU vows to reboot integration efforts between markets as it reviews its Capital Markets Union plan June 8, 2017 The European Commission has said it will “reboot” its Capital Markets Union (CMU) plan, aiming to strengthen Europe’s financial system as Brexit looms. Adopted in 2015, the CMU aims to make it easier and more efficient for businesses to access investment across European borders. The commission’s mid-term review, published today, has suggested a refreshed plan, [...]
Is it still worth investing in bank shares? May 31, 2017 Bank shares rose sharply toward the end of 2016 leaving many investors questioning whether the rally would continue. The global banking sector returned 13.7% in 2016 with dividends included, according to MSCI data. In comparison, the MSCI World index returned a more modest 8.2%. Among banks, the biggest gains were made by the US and [...]
How we can mobilise public sector land to build the homes London needs January 26, 2016 In 1941, under tremendous pressure to increase food production, the war cabinet commissioned a National Farm Survey. It sought to identify uncultivated agricultural land, as well as new land to support the dig for victory. It resulted in 36,000 maps and was nicknamed the “Second Domesday Book”. Under pressure to identify land for new homes [...]
Initiatives focused on ESG reporting are making progress, but there is more to do August 29, 2017 It is frequently acknowledged that investors should identify and analyse any environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors that could impact the value creation and risk profile of companies and integrate these factors into their investment process. Evidence supporting the relevance of this type of information for investors continues to grow — see, for example, [...]
Electric cars to charge ahead August 29, 2017 In late July, the UK government announced plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel-only cars in Britain from 2040[1]. It joined the Netherlands, Norway, India, and France to become the fifth country to commit to ending the sale of traditional internal combustion engine cars. However, while it has yet to commit to [...]
UK construction sector suffers slowest growth for nine months as house building loses momentum February 2, 2016 The UK's construction sector lost steam in January, new figures reveal. Markit's construction purchasing managers' index – compiled from a survey of firms – dropped to a score of 55 from 57.8. While it is above the 50 mark that indicates no change in activity on the previous month, it marks a slower expansion. Weighing [...]
Government has the skeleton of a plan to fix UK housing: Now it needs the drive to actually do it February 7, 2017 The government’s Housing White Paper, released yesterday, was an attempt to get England to the 250,000 new homes a year required to reach housing need. It went in many good directions and created a skeleton of a system that could meet need – but in places it did not go far enough, and perhaps pulled [...]
Leeds Building Society’s profits headed north for the fourth year in a row, but boss warns low interest rates and Brexit could make the road ahead tough February 22, 2017 Leeds Building Society announced today its annual profits before tax had risen for the fourth year in a row, but the lender's boss warned super low interest rates could lead to tough times ahead. The figures The building society revealed profits before tax of £116.6m, up 7.5 per cent compared with £108.5m the year before. However, [...]