Two bookies slash odds of UK “In” vote in EU ref to shortest so far May 21, 2016 William Hill and Ladbrokes are offering the shortest odds to date for Britain staying in the European Union, as people think it's increasingly likely the UK will remain. The two bookies cut their odds on Britain staying in the EU to 1/6, leaving punters with only £1 in profit for every £6 wagered. Telephone and online polls [...]
Week ahead: Bank ofâEngland rate decision and China data in focus May 9, 2016 Economic data will once again be in focus this week with the Bank of England (BoE) interest rate decision and its inflation report due on Thursday. Expectations for an interest rate hike are almost non-existant though the tone of governor Mark Carney’s remarks will be closely scrutinised for any clues on the current economic landscape. On [...]
Winners and losers from London’s house prices: Here’s which international investors have made a mint from London’s wild property sector April 15, 2016 London house prices have been on a wild ride in the last few years – and foreign investors have seized the market with both hands as prices spiralled upwards. But with the pound weakening in the run-up to the EU referendum, and the capital's house price growth looking as though it is beginning to cool, [...]
British Land confident in resilience ahead of Brexit vote May 16, 2016 British Land said it remains confident of having a good 2016 despite uncertainty over the global economy, EU referendum and new London mayor Sadiq Khan. The FTSE 100 property giant today reported an increase in underlying profit in the year to 31 March 2016. The figures The company’s underlying profit was £363m, up from £313m in [...]
Why it has been a mega quarter for mega deals June 21, 2016 The second quarter of 2016 has been a mega period for mega deals. The three-month period has so far included 10 $10bn-plus (£6.8bn-plus) deals completing, according to Willis Towers Watson’s Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor. There were half as many mega mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions completed in the same quarter in 2015. Each of the [...]
Bank of England poised to announce new measures to clamp down on the buy-to-let market March 28, 2016 The Bank of England appears poised to introduce new rules to clamp down on the buy-to-let property market amid fears that the sector poses big risks to the UK economy. Chancellor George Osborne told MPs last week that it is “highly likely” that he will give the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) powers over the buy-to-let [...]
Steel crisis: Business secretary Sajid Javid flies to Brussels for OECD and Belgian government-convened oversupply summit tomorrow April 17, 2016 Business secretary Sajid Javid will travel to Brussels today ahead of the latest summit to address oversupply in the global steel industry. The full-day meeting, convened by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Belgian government, will discuss how governments can facilitate "market-driven industry restructuring" and aim to agree on steps to [...]
City A.M. Awards 2015 Business Personality of the Year winner Tony Pidgley, the co-founder of the Berkeley Group has a true rags-to-riches tale November 26, 2015 When it comes to determining the key to his success in life, Tony Pidgley puts it down to a good dose of common sense, a splash of luck and the life lesson his first lorry taught him when he was 15 and the engine blew up. His main means of earning his keep – transporting [...]
UK house prices: You can actually buy a flat in Preston for the price of a Ford Fiesta – or a property in Greater London for an Aston Martin March 8, 2016 It might be hard to believe, but you could buy a property in (Greater) London for the price of a (very expensive) car. Of course, it might be quite a toss-up: your £100,000 can get you either a one bed flat in Tilbury, near Romford – the cheapest property available in what estate agents call London (even [...]
Ladies who don’t lunch: Maike Currie talks to Christine Johnson about bonds, bubbles and being a rebel July 14, 2016 "I am definitely a bond person,” says Christine Johnson, head of fixed income at Old Mutual Global Investors. We’re having lunch at Spring restaurant in Somerset House and I am beginning to understand what Christine means when she says that as a fund manager you need to “live your job”. She likens her personality to [...]