My predictions for 2014 for the economy, markets and politics January 6, 2014 HAPPY New Year, dear readers, and welcome to our first edition of 2014. As ever, we devote a sizeable chunk of this issue to trying, as best as we can, to predict some of the big economic, political, market, financial and corporate events of the year ahead. We do so with humility: as Mark Twain [...]
Kickstart institutional investment to build new homes for generation rent October 29, 2013 INVESTORS have long enjoyed a love/hate relationship with property. An asset class dominated by commercial real estate, it delivers diversification and a reasonable yield in the good times. But in difficult times, upward-only rent reviews vanish, and fund managers are left wrestling with high voids and bad debts. Residential real estate, meanwhile, has largely been [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 11 February 2014 February 10, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Woodford puts name to new fund Neil Woodford, one of Britain’s most successful fund managers, will pin his own name to his asset management venture, according to Companies House filings. Woodford Investment Management has been set up at the same address at Oakley Capital, the firm Mr Woodford is joining in May after [...]
UK mortgage approvals hit a five-year peak October 29, 2013 BRITISH lenders approved the most mortgages in over five years last month as borrowing costs sank to their lowest in a decade, central bank data showed yesterday, setting the stage for further house price rises. Business lending also picked up – though only for larger firms – but the figures did little to dispel concerns [...]
Topps Tiles grows market share as profits rise for first time in six years November 26, 2013 SHARES in Topps Tiles surged more than six per cent yesterday after the retailer posted its first rise in adjusted pre-tax profit since 2007. The company, which has 327 stores, said adjusted pre-tax profit rose 2.2 per cent to £13m in the year to 28 September, although revenues were flat at £177.8m. “It has been [...]
Housing market cools for winter but price growth beating wages November 17, 2013 HOUSE prices this month are still up four per cent on November last year, despite a small seasonal dip from October. According to Rightmove’s latest house price index, London prices are up by 6.9 per cent in the same period. In the year to September, average weekly earnings only rose by 0.8 per cent. Between [...]
London Report: Investors take punt on banks to drive FTSE up January 7, 2014 THE UK’S blue chip share index rose to a one-week high yesterday, with gains in financial stocks pushing the FTSE 100 towards major technical resistance levels. Lloyds rallied three per cent, as investors bought the stock on expectations that the bank will start paying dividends this year and that it will benefit from a recovering [...]
Here’s what MPs were saying on betting machines last year – a rather different story to today’s crackdown January 8, 2014 Today saw the House of Commons awash with calls for further regulation of the gambling industry. During Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Ed Miliband urged David Cameron to give local councils further powers to limit the number of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs), the current allowance is four. David Cameron's response was that empirical evidence [...]
City Moves for 04 December 2013 | Who’s switching jobs December 3, 2013 Baker Tilly The professional services firm has appointed Suneel Gupta as partner in its South Asia advisory group, with a focus on the UK Asian business market and cross-border work between India and the UK. He was previously a partner at BDO, and qualified at PwC. State Street Global Advisors State Street’s asset management business [...]
London Report: Chancellor and Chote set to face MPs’ questions December 8, 2013 CHANCELLOR George Osborne will be back in the spotlight on Thursday as he is quizzed by the Treasury Select Committee about the contents of his Autumn Statement. But Osborne is the not the only one to face a grilling from the committee this week, as Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) head Robert Chote is likely [...]