10 themes Goldman Sachs thinks will dominate markets in 2015 November 20, 2014 It's the most wonderful time of the year – the time banks, analysts and other finance futurologists dust off their crystal balls and start trying to work out what the market's going to be thinking about next year. Goldman Sachs has got in there early, with its "Top 10 market themes for 2015" research note. [...]
RBS chief vows: Empire building is now finished September 30, 2014 RBS SHARES jumped yesterday as the bank revealed its bad loan levels had fallen by around £800m, as its new strategy of focusing on the UK alone has started to pay off. The bank has sold off or shut down its overseas ventures, most recently selling a chunk of its US bank Citizens. As a result, the [...]
Page sees jump in profit despite strong sterling August 13, 2014 SPECIALIST recruitment group Michael Page International reported “solid performances” from all four of its geographic regions in its six monthly update yesterday. If current trends continued, the business said it should perform to forecast for the full year. The FTSE-250 group reported revenue up 1.8 per cent to £512.2m and pre-tax profit 11.1 per cent [...]
A strong start to 2014 for Hiscox but insurer yet to weather storms July 28, 2014 INSURER Hiscox boasted a strong start to 2014, despite a 31 per cent fall in profit for the first half of the year, a result of falling reinsurance rates and foreign exchange losses. The positive outlook was confirmed by a number of analysts, who said the group’s results exceeded expectations. Hiscox announced a profit before [...]
Case study: “Moneycorp supported our international growth” July 21, 2014 Many businesses find the secret to successful international operations is being efficient with their currency costs. Using the services of a foreign exchange specialist such as Moneycorp, the providers of City AM International Payments, can be integral to growth whether a business is importing, exporting or expanding overseas. The specialist services can save a business [...]
The French property market continues in vogue August 13, 2014 With images of the crystal clear sea and glamour of the Cote d’Azur, the South of France is everything one looks for in a luxury escape. But securing a slice of heaven on the exclusive French coast no longer needs to be a distant dream. The strength of the sterling means that turning a short [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: George Osborne hits banks to help home buyers December 3, 2014 Chancellor plays Robin Hood by grabbing from the wealthy to fund stamp duty sweetener for those lower down property ladder. THE UK ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ● The UK’s economic growth has outperformed the March forecast of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), giving Britain the fastest growth rate in the G7. ● Unemployment has fallen [...]
Lord Myners’ report into Royal Mail mustn’t get lost in the post November 5, 2014 It's the privatisation row that won’t go away. Royal Mail’s shares may have performed limply since their post-flotation peak earlier this year, but their initial surge makes it a safe bet that the sell-off will feature heavily during next year’s general election campaign. Two reports – from the National Audit Office and the Business [...]
Saudi Arabia to open stock market to foreigners July 22, 2014 Saudi Arabia has been given the green light to open up its $531bn stock market to foreign investors. In an attempt to diversity its oil-centric economy, the Saudi government has granted the regulator Capital Markets Authority the right to allow foreigners to buy and sell shares in the Tadawul stock market. It comes [...]
Fraud squad launches criminal probe into the UK’s foreign exchange market July 21, 2014 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has opened a full-blown criminal investigation into alleged price rigging in the UK's £3tn-a-day foreign exchange (forex) market, the regulator confirmed today. The probe will look at "fraudulent conduct in the foreign exchange market", according to an SFO statement. The claims centre around allegations that traders would manipulate the flow [...]