Phoenix from the flames: With US stocks at record highs, where can investors look next? April 23, 2015 From the darkest depths of the financial crisis six years ago, the world’s largest economy has rebounded strongly – and its equity markets have soared. US equities are now entering the seventh year of a bull market, with the seemingly unstoppable S&P 500 reaching a new record high virtually every month. The performance of [...]
BG Group boss Andrew Gould eager to quash rival bid speculation April 8, 2015 BG Group chairman Andrew Gould yesterday refused to comment on rival bids that the firm might be considering, after speculation that Exxon could be preparing to make an approach. Gould said the BG board had assessed the Shell offer “very largely on the basis of what we felt was the ultimate potential of BG’s value”, [...]
Lord Smith’s SSE board departure brought forward March 18, 2015 SCOTTISH businessman Lord Robert Smith of Kelvin has brought forward his departure as chairman of energy giant SSE to become chairman of industrial group IMI. The announcement follows current IMI chairman Roberto Quarta’s decision to step down at the group’s annual general meeting in May. “We agreed unanimously that Robert, who in addition to his [...]
UK house prices 2014: Which area saw the most growth? December 28, 2014 After a roller-coaster year for house prices the results are in: the London borough of Greenwich is the place for price rises. According to data from Halifax, house prices in Greenwich rose 24.6 per cent over the course of 2014, far above the national average of 8.5 per cent and almost twice that of the [...]
Mipim 2015: How many people from your local council are attending property’s annual knees-up in Cannes? March 11, 2015 This week, 25,000-odd property developers, agents and investors have descended on Cannes for a week of networking, deal-making and partying at Mipim, property's annual get-together. The event is notorious for its boozy parties, as delegates toast their success in the bars lining the seafront, aboard yachts in the town's marinas, or in villas in the [...]
City Moves for 19 January 2015 | Who’s switching jobs January 18, 2015 BirthStar Target Date Funds The solutions provider for asset managers and intermediary firms has announced two appointments. Tony Hicks joins as head of business development from Aberdeen Asset Management. He has also held roles at Scottish Life and Gartmore Fund Managers. Rachael Harris (pictured) joins as head of key accounts from Just Retirement, where she [...]
Nationwide House Price Index: House price growth slides to 11-month low in November November 28, 2014 House price growth slid to an 11-month low in November as the British housing market continued to cool, according figures released by Nationwide today. The Nationwide House Price Index showed house prices rose 8.5 per cent in the year to November, taking growth to an 11-month low. Price growth for the three months to September [...]
Burglary capital of the UK: London contains 14 of the nation’s top 20 burglary hotspots January 23, 2015 Houses in London are burgled more than in any other UK city, with 14 of the capital's postal zones coming in the top 20 for burglary claims over the past two years. Using its burglary claims tracker, comparison site MoneySuperMarket measured the proportion of home insurance claims that were burglary-related over the period. 2.68m [...]
EY Item Club: UK economic growth to accelerate to fastest rate in seven years in 2015 January 19, 2015 Economic growth in the UK could reach its fastest rate since 2008 this year, driven by falling oil prices and delayed interest rate rises. The prediction was made by the EY Item Club, which has increased its forecast for UK growth in 2015 from 2.5 per cent to 2.9 per cent. With growth [...]
JP Morgan and the Brookings Institution host UK-US trade summit: What can cities do to boost exports? February 26, 2015 Sheffield’s manufacturing heartlands were once dominated by grey steel, but now they make something more colourful. Sheffield council’s recent push to boost exports has helped one hair dye manufacturer win a six-figure contract to make hair dye for Asian consumers – and it won’t be the last. “Our initiative is already targeting 60 companies in [...]