Bank of England’s new contracts set to end bailouts for giant banks July 24, 2014 Investors in banks will have explicitly to recognise that they could be bailed in to prop up failing lenders, under new rules published by the Bank of England yesterday. The new contracts are part of a series of sweeping changes being introduced in a bid to make sure investors pay up when a bank goes [...]
How £1.3 trillion needs to be spent on city infrastructure by 2050 for London to stay competitive July 30, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson has outlined ambitious investment plans to improve the capital’s infrastructure which could require £1.3tn of spending from now until 2050. As London’s population continues to expand, the “London Infrastructure Plan 2050” outlines the spending needed for the capital to remain one of the world’s leading cities. Transport and housing make up [...]
London 2050: How £1.3 trillion needs to be spent on infrastructure in the next 35 years July 30, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson has outlined ambitious investment plans to improve the capital’s infrastructure which could require £1.3tn of spending from now until 2050. As London’s population continues to expand, the “London Infrastructure Plan 2050” outlines the spending needed for the capital to remain one of the world’s leading cities. Transport and housing make up [...]
Amazon’s Twitch takeover puts tech deals at 14-year high August 26, 2014 Amazon's $970m (£585m) takeover of eSport video website Twitch on Monday pushed the value of global tech M&A (mergers and acquisitions) so far this year to $174bn, its highest level since 2000, according to industry data. Global tech M&A activity is up 54 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to [...]
Barratt boss warns of labour shortage September 10, 2014 The boss of Britain’s largest housebuilder Barratt Developments warned yesterday that a shortage of skilled workers could prevent the country from delivering the homes needed to tackle housing crisis as the company reported a doubling of full-year profits. Mark Clare said the lack of skilled workers – from bricklayers to architects and plasterers – is [...]
UK construction sector dip compounds week of disappointing economic data July 11, 2014 The British construction sector seems to have lost its momentum. In another tentative sign that the swift economic recovery construction has been enjoying of late could now be slowing, construction in the UK retreated by 1.1 per cent in May according to the Office of National Statistics, a stark drop in light of economists predicting a [...]
From Dar es Salaam to Luanda, Africa’s booming cities are a huge opportunity for UK firms August 6, 2014 Africa’s most populous and thriving cities pose huge opportunities for UK investors, with demographic growth that could triple the size of their economies in just a decade and a half, according to research released today. Although many European firms have accessed markets in Lagos, Kinshasa and Johannesburg, Africa’s three biggest cities, they are missing out [...]
Why PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel thinks luck will get you nowhere October 13, 2014 Harriet Green explores the tech billionaire’s contentious views on setting up a business. Co-founder of PayPal, first outside investor in Facebook and seasoned venture capitalist, Peter Thiel is Silicon Valley royalty. His new book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, offers a series of insightful – and often [...]
As London house prices show signs of cooling, are fears of a bubble overplayed? August 12, 2014 Rob Wood, chief UK economist at Berenberg Bank, says Yes. Rapid rises in house prices would be a threat if they turned into an uncontrollable bubble accompanied by a rapid debt build-up. So it is good news that London house price inflation seems to be slowing down. And that slowdown has its roots in action [...]
London Stock Exchange to buy Russell Investments for £1.6bn June 26, 2014 The London Stock Exchange went on the front foot yesterday to clinch the group’s biggest takeover in its 200-year history, landing a £1.6bn deal to challenge the dominance of its US rivals. The group will buy American index provider Russell Investments from Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company, after beating New York-based rival MSCI in a hotly [...]