Why 2019 might be a better year for investors December 19, 2018 2018 has been a disappointing year for most investors. Almost all markets, both stocks and bonds, have fallen in value this year, under pressure from rising interest rates, political developments such as Brexit, and the trade dispute between the US and China. With hindsight, markets were priced for perfection at the start of the year [...]
Viagogo forced to overhaul ticket-selling practice by competition watchdog November 27, 2018 Ticket reseller Viagogo was today forced to “overhaul” the way it does business by the UK’s competition watchdog. In a landmark legal victory the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has secured a court order that will force Viagogo to tell customers the specific seat that they will get and whether there is a risk of [...]
Boss says BDO still on the lookout for deals as it confirms ‘advanced’ merger talks with Moore Stephens November 26, 2018 The managing partner of BDO said the firm is still on the lookout for further mergers and acquisitions, after it confirmed plans to join forces with audit sector rival Moore Stephens. The firms have confirmed they are in “advanced” merger talks, which they say would “improve competition and quality” at the top end of the audit [...]
Frankfurt winning race with Paris for Brexit bank moves September 24, 2018 Frankfurt is winning the race to attract the banking jobs moving out of London because of Brexit, with 25 lenders having moved operations there ahead of the UK's departure from the EU, new research published today shows. Paris, which has been aggressively courting the City's financial institutions, has attracted nine moves, while Luxembourg and [...]
EU firms scramble to stay in the City in no-deal Brexit November 5, 2018 More than 1,000 EU firms have expressed their interest in taking up the UK's offer of continued access to the City in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The City watchdog's international director Nausicaa Delfas said around 1,300 EU firms were seeking to trade within the FCA's temporary [...]
Ride-hailing firm Ola kicks off operations in UK August 20, 2018 Uber rival Ola today launched its first services in the UK, as it started operations across South Wales in Cardiff, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan. The Indian firm, which has 125m customers worldwide, says it will offer drivers high introductory commission rates. Customers will also be given discounts on journeys using the ride-hailing app. The company said [...]
Government expects 5,000 Brexit job losses for the City October 10, 2018 The government expects the City of London to lose 5,000 jobs because of Brexit, the City minister said today. John Glen said he backed the estimates of the head of the Prudential Regulation Authority, Sam Woods, on the number of job moves at a hearing of the House of Lords' EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee. Large [...]
Three reasons to diversify in the hunt for equity income December 13, 2018 Obtaining additional income is the primary goal for many investors, yet achieving it can be hard. Here we look at three ways diversification can potentially bring wider opportunities for income-seekers who invest in shares: Relying on just a few stocks for income can be risky – they may cut their dividends or the share price [...]
Audit sector faces huge shake-up as new reports make radical recommendations December 18, 2018 The stage has been set for a radical shake-up of the UK’s audit sector, following the release of two highly-anticipated reports. Britain’s audit watchdog, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), should be scrapped and replaced with a new statutory body, Sir John Kingman’s review of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has said. Meanwhile, the Competition and Markets [...]
DEBATE: Is London’s new ‘T-charge’ on high-polluting vehicles a good idea? October 24, 2017 Is London’s new ‘T-charge’ on high-polluting vehicles a good idea? Jin Ng, head of data and trends at easyCar.com, says YES. While the congestion charge has been effective in reducing the number of private vehicles in central London, the T-charge is one of the first of hopefully many measures necessary to help bring emissions down [...]