Construction is rising as home building surges March 1, 2015 PRIVATE home and commercial construction is picking up, industry figures show today, despite continued stagnation in public sector building. Construction activity increased by six per cent in the 12 months to March, led by a 12 per cent jump in private housing schemes, according industry analysts Glenigan. Private sector activity was also helped by a [...]
Saudi Stock Exchange opens to foreign investment: Meet the biggest companies you’ve never heard of June 15, 2015 Saudi Arabia’s largest natural resource is oil. Yet there is one deep, very different well that remains still untapped: direct foreign investment in the Tadawul, better known as the Saudi Stock Exchange. With a market capitalisation of more than $560bn (£360bn) it is the final major capital market not yet open to direct foreign investment. [...]
Women build bridges across gender divide June 23, 2015 WOMEN make up only six per cent of UK engineers – but that hasn’t stopped these London engineers from joining a male-dominated workforce, building everything from the Shard to Crossrail. Yesterday marked the second-ever National Women in Engineering Day, to highlight the lack of female engineers. This is bad news for business, according to a [...]
UK Vs Ireland: Where’s the best place to do business? Here’s how they compare on ten factors October 30, 2014 When it comes to doing business, which country is more favourable? Singapore has, once again, been named the best place to do business according to the World Bank’s annual rankings. It’s the ninth year in a row the Asian city has topped the league, but closer to home, the UK and Ireland have both become [...]
Miner Glencore free to bid for rival Rio again April 7, 2015 Mining firms Glencore and Rio Tinto declined to comment yesterday on the question of whether a deal between the two could be back on the table. Switzerland-based Glencore originally made an estimated £60bn offer for its larger British-Australian rival last August, but in October Rio Tinto revealed that it had rejected the bid. [...]
Delancey puts Walbrook building up for sale for £500m February 2, 2015 The Walbrook building is being put up for sale by property investment firm Delancey. Estate agents Knight Frank and CBRE have been briefed on the sale, which is expected to raise around £500m, according to Property Week (£). Delancey bought the building from Minerva in August 2011 in a joint venture with Ares Management [...]
End Austerity Now: Thousands gather in London to protest against austerity measures June 20, 2015 Thousands of people have descended on London to take part in a demonstration against government austerity measures. Crowds holding banners with slogans such as "get the Tories out", "austerity kills" and "defy Tory rule" took to the streets for the End Austerity Now demonstration. Among the protesters were Hollywood star Michael Sheen, Labour leader candidate Jeremy [...]
Energy and earnings data push Wall St up – New York Report April 15, 2015 US STOCKS closed higher yesterday, fueled by gains in oil companies and speculation that upcoming first-quarter earnings reports might not be quite as weak as previously thought. All 10 major S&P 500 sectors gained, with the energy index leading, up 2.3 per cent. US crude jumped more than five per cent after a lower-than-expected build [...]
National Housing Federation chief: “Extending right-to-buy is the daftest idea I’ve heard” April 14, 2015 Will the Tories' flagship manifesto policy encounter more of a backlash than they had expected? The housing sector is less than supportive, if a blog by National Housing Federation chief David Orr is anything to go by, in which he calls rumours the Conservatives will attempt to extend right-to-buy "a genuinely stupid idea". The blog, [...]
Axa Real Estate adds logistics unit as online retailing expands expansion March 12, 2015 AXA REAL Estate Investment Managers yesterday launched a €100m (£70m) European logistics and industrial platform as it seeks to tap into the rise of online retailing. The French firm said Baytree Logistics Properties will operate alongside its existing €1.8bn (£1.3bn) European logistics platform targeting speculative logistics buildings in prime locations across Europe. The new platform [...]