How Finncap weathered the General Election and Scottish referendum storms May 17, 2015 If a week is a long time in politics then nine months is an age – especially for City broker Finncap. The run-up to Scotland’s referendum in September and the run-in to May’s general election was the noisy backdrop for much of Finncap’s financial year. Despite a severe dampening of animal spirits across the Square [...]
Women in the boardroom make companies better: Shareholder returns are higher, corruption and fraud rates are lower, and firms are more progressive when females have seats at the top table December 11, 2015 Women on boards are helping companies to achieve markedly better results, according to a new report. The findings come from index provider MSCI, which found that companies with three or more female directors generated a return on equity 2.7 per cent higher than those without. The reasons why are manifold and no one factor sticks [...]
Aviva ensures FTSE stays near its record high – London Report March 5, 2015 ARALLY by insurance giant Aviva and same sector shares pushed the FTSE100 closer to record highs again yesterday. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up 0.6 per cent at 6,961.14 points, near the 6,974.26 record it set this month. Traders said that European equities were further supported by confirmation that the European Central Bank (ECB) [...]
FTSE stripped of £2.7bn by strong sterling February 22, 2015 The FTSE 350 was hit hard by the high pound in 2014, losing in excess of £2.7bn in sales, according to new analysis. For companies on the index with full year results with year ends up to the end of September, annual revenues on a like-for-like basis were down 1.7 per cent on the same [...]
Equiniti Group set for £390m London float October 2, 2015 Investor services firm Equiniti Group confirmed its plans to float on the stock market today. Equiniti, which provides share registration and investor services, said it planned to raise £390m through the float on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The company intends to use proceeds from the IPO to reduce debt, which currently stands at £440m, and pursue potential [...]
Commodities and banks drag FTSE 100 lower – London Report February 10, 2015 BRITAIN’S top equity index drifted lower yesterday, hit by a drop in banks and commodity stocks, although improved sales for battered supermarkets lent support to the market. Fresh signs of economic weakness in China, the world’s biggest consumer of metals, hit mining companies, with the FTSE 350 Mining Index down 2.8 per cent. It closed [...]
Why empowering all women is key to sustained change in the boardroom April 8, 2015 For A topic that attracts so much attention, there’s a surprising dearth of academic research into the rise of women to the boardroom, and particularly the conditions that enable (or inhibit) women’s progression globally. The literature tends to be focused on single countries (80 per cent on the US), on the controversial topic of quotas, [...]
Sell in May and go away: Advice to bank on? September 8, 2015 AFTER global equities tumbled this summer over fears of a Chinese slow-down and in anticipation of a Fed rate hike, investors might have done well to heed the advice of one old City adage: “Sell in May and go away, don’t come back till St Leger Day.” The saying urges investors to sell off UK [...]
Profits boost for FTSE 350s February 18, 2014 THE UK’S biggest listed companies saw a boost to profits last year, as economic growth began to pick up, according to figures released today. The Share Centre’s latest figures indicate that FTSE 350 companies reporting results during the fourth quarter of 2013, for the year to September, recorded profits after tax rise at the fastest [...]
Market lifted by upbeat view of Christmas retail – London Report January 19, 2015 BRITAIN’S main share index rose yesterday, extending a strong run, with retailers such as Tesco among the biggest gainers from a more upbeat view of the sector after a better-than-expected Christmas period. Electronics retailer Dixons Carphone rose 4.4 per cent, the top riser on the FTSE 100 index, with traders citing optimism ahead of the [...]