Last Week in the City: Trade fears re-emerge August 3, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (30 July to 3 August 2018). Interest rates were raised in the UK for the second time since the financial crisis, but the move was widely expected. The earnings season continued. Growth in all regions was [...]
Hedge funds line up against institutional investors in endgame to London Stock Exchange chairman battle December 17, 2017 The hedge fund manager attempting to oust the chairman of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has received the backing of a top-five investor ahead of a shareholder vote on Tuesday. US firm Lone Pine Capital will back the resolution of Sir Chris Hohn, manager of The Children’s Investment (TCI) fund, to remove Donald Brydon from [...]
The insurance industry needs to embrace blockchain, starting now January 31, 2018 In March 2017, the expression “financial inclusion” hit its peak popularity on Google. This is excellent news. There are over two billion unbanked individuals in the world today – people with no access to banking services. This is a global problem. In India, 19 per cent of the population – 1.2bn people – is unbanked, [...]
Proptech startup Habito lands £18.5m to make mortgages digital in series B led by Atomico September 3, 2017 A fintech startup focused on making mortgage applications easier has bagged millions more in funding from top investors. Atomico, the venture fund set up by Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom, led the £18.5m series B round with existing investors Ribbit Capital, Mosaic Ventures and Revolutionary (ad)Ventures also participating. It brings total funding for the startup – [...]
Automation is evolution, not a class war January 26, 2018 I suffer the great misfortune of living near a busy Tesco Express store, which, absent of self-service checkouts, often makes the innocuous task of buying eggs feel like a test of one’s self-restraint. While waiting for the two portraits of human inefficiency behind the till to serve 20 shoppers, glancing at my phone, I read [...]
Healthy habits of Isa millionaires March 21, 2018 For many of us, becoming a millionaire might seem like a farfetched dream. But it might not be as difficult as you first thought, provided you adopt the right behaviours. While the government has regularly ramped up the annual tax-free threshold over the years, in 2017 the allowance saw a massive jump up to [...]
Aviva’s property fund may be closed for up to eight months due to uncertainty surrounding the Brexit vote August 10, 2016 Aviva's property fund will be closed for six to eight months, meaning investors wanting to withdraw their cash won't be able to do so until next year. In a note issued to investors, Aviva said: "Property sales may be more difficult to execute in the current environment due to market uncertainty. Read more: Aberdeen Asset Management lifts [...]
Charter Court Financial Services is set to announce plans for £500m float in London | City A.M. September 3, 2017 Buy-to-let mortgage lender Charter Court Financial Services is expected to reveal a £500m initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Market, according to reports. The owner of Exact and Precise mortgage brands could announce plans for a float as soon as this week with a market value of about £500m, Mark Kleinman at Sky [...]
HSBC and Barclays throw weight behind green finance projects November 6, 2017 HSBC and Barclays added their weight to the growing area of green finance today, with separate commitments to environmentally friendly schemes. HSBC today said it will provide $100bn in sustainable financing and investment by 2025, with support for “clean energy and lower-carbon technologies”. Unveiling a series of measures on the environment, HSBC announced it will [...]
London Stock Exchange bounces back to top Europe’s IPO charts December 11, 2017 The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is set to end the year atop the European podium for company floats, bouncing back from a weak 2016 at a crucial time for the exchange. Proceeds from initial public offerings (IPOs) on the London market have been 75 per cent higher than 2016, according to data from accountants PwC. [...]