Manchester United might score in Singapore September 5, 2011 MANCHESTER United’s attempt to float in the far east is being monitored carefully in the City. After all, there are not many IPOs going on in the moribund London market right now. A number of football club boards will be looking on to see if United, led on the financial advisory side by Credit Suisse, [...]
Mifid to hit UK’s overseas investments October 20, 2011 WALLS are going up around the EU’s financial markets, with monitored gateways only allowing access to agreed participants, according to critics of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid2) proposals, which were published yesterday. Commissioner Michel Barnier told a press conference that the EU is willing to negotiate with other countries on financial rules, particularly [...]
Hammerson dodges UK gloom to post sales rise August 1, 2011 HAMMERSON, one of Britain’s largest retail landlords, has brushed off challenges in the retail market, reporting a 1.9 per cent rise in like-for-like sales across its shopping centres in their half-year results yesterday. David Atkins, Hammerson’s chief executive, said the group had seen “little impact” from the rise in retailers going into administration despite the [...]
Hammerson dodges UK gloom to post sales rise August 1, 2011 HAMMERSON, one of Britain’s largest retail landlords, has brushed off challenges in the retail market, reporting a 1.9 per cent rise in like-for-like sales across its shopping centres in their half-year results yesterday. David Atkins, Hammerson’s chief executive, said the group had seen “little impact” from the rise in retailers going into administration despite the [...]
We need banks to fail more often – not less September 19, 2011 THE Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) has spoken, but not too loudly and with no real urgency. Even if its main recommendations are eventually adopted (such as ring-fencing the retail and investment arms of banks and raising capital requirements), few people feel that this will fix the banking sector’s problems. Even if these measures work, [...]
Hammerson brushes off retail woes August 1, 2011 Anglo-French shopping centre owner Hammerson reported a 5.1 per cent rise in net asset value and flat underlying profit for the first half, seeing little impact from the recent rise in the number of UK retailers going into administration. The UK’s third-largest real estate investment trust, which owns or co-owns some of Europe’s most popular [...]
City banks must not be harmed September 4, 2011 THE latest heated exchange of words between Vince Cable and senior industry figures has focused attention on the impending publication of the Independent Commission on Banking’s final report next week. This promises to be a defining moment for the industry and it is understandably provoking strong emotions on both sides. It is, therefore, worth taking [...]
More shop chains winding up July 24, 2011 THE number of retail companies which plunged into administration in the second quarter of this year increased by eight per cent compared with same period last year, according to figures from Deloitte. A total of 43 were affected, with household names like Oddbins and Focus being hit by the downturn in consumer spending. Moben, Habitat [...]
World stocks bounce back on Eurozone hopes September 27, 2011 The FTSE 100 tracked gains in Asia overnight as the mining sector – which has taken a battering over world economic growth fears – bounced back. World stocks rose for a third straight session with European shares up two per cent early on, as investors took comfort from reports that officials were working to add [...]
MADE IN CHELSEA DIAMOND HEIR DIGS DEEP FOR HIS NEXT VENTURE November 15, 2011 HIS FAMILY made their fortune digging for diamonds in the Congo and Sierra Leone, but Made in Chelsea stalwart Francis Boulle is interested in mines of a different kind. Fundmine, to be precise, an online investment platform that allows entrepreneurs to sell their company visions to private investors that has to date attracted £8.7m of [...]