After a turbulent two days for Glencore, could its troubles trigger a Lehman moment for miners? September 29, 2015 David Madden, market commentator at IG Group, says Yes It is getting increasingly difficult for Glencore to avoid comparisons with Lehman Brothers. Both companies expanded aggressively in the good times and, like the collapsed bank, Glencore now finds itself in an environment where its empire-building has left it highly vulnerable. Like Lehman prior to its [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 index closes slightly down on miners November 10, 2015 The FTSE 100 fell marginally again today as miners continued to suffer losses. The blue-chip index closed the day 0.32 per cent down at 6,275 points. Tuesday's largest faller was Anglo American, which saw its share price fall 4.54 per cent to 492.22p per share. Glencore also shed 4.15 from its share price to close at 105.15 [...]
Skills shortages are a perfect storm for London construction September 22, 2015 No matter where you are commuting from this morning and where your final destination is, it will be impossible not to notice the construction boom taking place in the capital. All around us, new housing is taking shape to accommodate the largest population that London has ever known. Whether colossal structures piercing the low-lying [...]
UK housing: Remove the mavericks and stabilise the property market October 13, 2015 The wave of financial services regulations introduced over the last five years has caused deep changes in the way we invest in various asset classes, from equities and fixed interest securities to cash – yet the property market seems to have escaped the regulation firing line. According to the Investment Property Databank (IPD), residential property has been [...]
China may have stumbled – but the UK still has much to gain from closer links September 20, 2015 Next month, there is an immensely important event on the diplomatic calendar. The Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay us a state visit and, as a result, the eyes of over 1bn people will be on us. I for one relish the prospect – it’s an opportunity for the City to pull out all [...]
Sadiq Khan: London needs a relentlessly pro-growth mayor to keep the capital open for business October 7, 2015 London’s economic success is built on its openness to the world. Our unrivalled connections with the markets of Europe, the Commonwealth and emerging economies allow our businesses to thrive. The mayor of London plays a crucial role in negotiating access to new markets, acting as a salesman for the capital as a safe haven [...]
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 [...]
Elon Musk: Apple hires the engineers Tesla fires October 9, 2015 Elon Musk has lashed out at Apple, suggesting the company is the “Tesla graveyard” which hires his company's rejects. The outspoken chief executive and billionaire investor has hit back at suggestions Apple has been pinching Tesla’s engineers as it pushes into the car sector, saying in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt that Apple is where you go [...]
Government promises of “fiscal neutrality” are a red herring: Changes to business rates are going to hurt firms November 18, 2015 Last week, Britain’s biggest high-street retailers publicly urged the government to reform its business rates regime ahead of next week’s Autumn Statement. Many find the current system complicated, unfair to small business and counterproductive to UK growth. Calls for reform have now reached fever-pitch. The government has pledged that any reforms to the current business [...]
London mayor Boris Johnson joins battle to save the capital’s night-time economy October 19, 2015 London mayor Boris Johnson has joined the battle to save the city's night-time economy. Johnson has announced a host of new measures in the wake of a new report, entitled London's Grassroots Music Venues Rescue Plan, which found the number of grassroots music venues has fallen 35 per cent since 2007. This ramps up fears [...]