Oil and commodities prices: Mining firms drag the FTSE down as commodity prices drop November 15, 2017 Commodity prices tumbled this morning, dragging miners and oil firms down and causing Britain’s blue-chip index to dip. Metals including copper, nickel, zinc and aluminium came under pressure as concerns mounted over weaker economic data in China. Chinese industrial production fell to 6.2 per cent in October, missing estimates of 6.3 per cent growth and [...]
Investec’s wealth manager moves property funds to Thorpe Park and care homes July 26, 2016 Investec Wealth and Investment has turned its attention away from conventional property investment and towards GP surgeries, theme parks, hospitals, care homes and student accommodation. The wealth management and investment services division of Investec said on Tuesday morning that it had redeployed around 20 per cent of its real estate exposure – equating to £200m – from [...]
From vicars to City titans: Goldman Sachs, Shell and Barclays among names behind £550m Lloyds legal battle | City A.M. April 4, 2018 Today City A.M. reveals the varied and surprising names behind a massive £550m legal battle with Lloyds over its takeover of HBOS at the height of the financial crisis – and the cast includes major institutions, aristocrats, vicars and politicians. The groups, which includes institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Nomura Asset Management and pension funds [...]
The UK drove a recovery in European private equity activity this year as UK buyout value doubled, according to CMBOR December 13, 2017 European private equity activity saw a rebound this year, thanks to a bull-run in the UK where the value of buyout deals almost doubled. The total amount spent by private equity firms on new buyouts in Europe hit €90.2bn (£79.4bn), up 50 per cent from last year and on a par with pre-Brexit referendum levels, [...]
UK GDP growth to edge higher as economists forecast a lacklustre end to 2017 as Brexit jitters curb investment October 23, 2017 GDP growth is set to come in at 0.3 per cent for the third quarter when figures are published on Wednesday. That would mark the third consecutive quarter at that rate, after the first and second quarters marked the weakest six-month performance since the first half of 2012. And economists are forecasting a lacklustre end [...]
Johnson Matthey (JMAT) share price soars on plans to invest £200m in battery materials business September 21, 2017 Chemicals firm Johnson Matthey’s shares soared after the firm said it would invest £200m into expanding its battery material technology business. The company will plough an initial investment of up to £200m from 2018 to capitalise on growing demand for electric vehicles. Johnson Matthey said the overall market could be worth more than $30bn (£22bn) [...]
UK fintech startups are on track for a record-breaking year of investment in 2017 October 19, 2017 Fintech startups in the UK are on track to attract a record amount of investment in 2017 new figures reveal, bucking concerns that Brexit could derail the star sector. More than $1bn (£760m) has already been ploughed into technology firms hoping to disrupt finance this year by venture capital investors, more than double the amount [...]
UK trade balance widens again a year after the Brexit vote August 10, 2017 Britain’s trade deficit with the rest of the world went up again in June, as the amount of goods and services being imported to the country grew. The UK’s total trade deficit widened by £2bn to £4.6bn, according to the Office for National Statistics. This marks the widest gap since September last year. Read more: [...]
Frosty exchange between Michel Barnier and David Davis over Brexit divorce bill triggers alarm in City of London August 31, 2017 Deadlock over the size of the UK’s so-called Brexit bill has triggered fresh alarm in the City as fears grow that crucial talks on a new UK-EU trade and transition agreement will be shunted into next year. Bosses are warning that financial services firms will need to begin moving jobs and operations if they do [...]
Investec banks on banking for profit boost May 19, 2016 Investec today reported that its profits for the year had inched up, thanks in part to a strong performance in its banking and wealth and investment divisions. Operating profits before tax for the specialist financial services company's year to March edged up to £567.4m, up 0.9 per cent compared with £562.5m the year before. Operating profit in [...]