What’s the deal with NFTs? March 19, 2021 The news these days is dominated by gaudy numbers spent on NFTs and the massive gains early adopters are realising in them - but is this a bubble or the start of a new asset class?
Exclusive: City’s venture capital guru on Brexit, fundraising and impact investing March 17, 2021 With Brexit just behind us, and the pandemic gradually being brought under control, it seemed like a good time to measure the temperature of London’s venture capital investment space. City A.M. sat down with David Hall, for his first major interview as chairman of the Venture Capital Trust Association, since succeeding Stuart Veale in January [...]
EP: 43 Sandown & Hong Kong March 12, 2021 Only a few more days before the start of this year’s Cheltenham Festival. A new episode of The Punter Podcast will be available EVERY day of the Festival, starting on Monday, so please make sure you join us for four days of top class racing. Today, City A.M. racing editor Bill Esdaile previews Saturday’s card [...]
Legal & General confident in long-term goals despite 2020 profit dip March 10, 2021 Legal & General today reported a drop in full year profits but the firm said it remained on course to meet its five-year ambitions. The London-based asset manager said operating profit fell three per cent to £2.2bn, while pre-tax profit was down 12 per cent to £1.6bn. The company said the drop reflected the impact [...]
Before the Bell: Hyperactive price action across numerous asset classes March 10, 2021 Markets continued with their skittish tail-chasing price action overnight, with the Nasdaq leading the charge higher, starkly reversing course after a few tough days at the office. The US Dollar duly fell in militaristic-like lockstep, and even gold found some friends as it rallied strongly. The sharp reversal of the previous sessions can be laid [...]
Lawyers know best: Is it time law firms left the LLP behind? March 8, 2021 Recent legislative changes have paved the way for new, alternative structures in law firms, a sector that was previously dominated by traditional partnerships and LLPs – limited liability partnerships. Alternative business structures (ABSs) – which allow non-lawyers to have a financial stake in a firm – have grown in popularity throughout the 2010s, and for [...]
Investors call for ‘decisive action’ on markets reform after Hill review March 8, 2021 Investors and corporates are concerned about the pipeline of IPOs this year because of the UK’s “burdensome” requirements. Just 21 per cent of investors and five per cent of corporates surveyed by Peel Hunt and the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) believe the number of listed firms will increase this year. The UK’s “burdensome listing requirements” [...]
Law Society president quits amid dishonesty accusations March 5, 2021 President of the Law Society David Greene will step down from his role after being accused of dishonesty in a long-running dispute with a former client. Greene announced he planned to “step aside” less than halfway through his one-year term as president, after a case against him was again referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal [...]
Overnight: Asia pauses for thought while US markets got their mojo back March 2, 2021 Asian markets appear to be taking a breather this morning, having led the global equity recovery yesterday. US markets found their mojo again overnight, with a day of calm on bond markets greenlighting equities to leap higher on the vaccine recovery optimism that characterised the Asian session earlier in the day. Fed Governor Barkin, speaking [...]
Exclusive: Legal consultant model to become dominant among mid-market law firms February 25, 2021 The legal consultant business model will become the dominant model among high street and mid-market law firms, with around a third of UK lawyers predicted to be working under such a model in five years’ time. The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a “catalyst” for industry disruption, exposing the “poor management and outdated operating models [...]