Carlyle launches student housing investment push September 27, 2010 CARLYLE Group, the private equity firm known for its large-scale investments in the defence industry, yesterday sealed a joint venture deal with Generation Estates, kickstarting its next big push in the student accommodation sector. Carlyle, led by co-founder David Rubenstein, and Generation said they had acquired one site in Highbury and Islington and are progressing [...]
OFT puts off decision on Travis Perkins September 27, 2010 BUILDING merchant Travis Perkins said yesterday its £558m purchase of BSS Group has been delayed after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said it needed more time to examine the deal. Travis Perkins, which also runs the Wickes DIY chain, told the stock market the OFT had extended the decision date on whether to approve [...]
QE2 IS LIKELY TO BE ABOVE $1 TRILLION October 18, 2010 CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT FEW analysts now doubt that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will announce another round of quantitative easing (QE) at its November meeting. In fact, speculation has turned to the harm that Fed inaction could cause to the markets. After all, equities have been a one-way bet ever since QE2 became [...]
Enter the corporate entrepreneur: Britain’s best hope for real recovery October 17, 2010 CO-FOUNDER, MARKET GRAVITY THE UK’s recovery from the deepest recession in eighty years is dependent on sustained private sector growth. Corporate earnings may be recovering, but too much is due to cost cutting, not real growth, and this trend is not sustainable. Recent analysis from Market Gravity illustrates that while 75 per cent of FTSE [...]
Property developers hit by new downturn August 9, 2010 THE outlook for UK commercial development activity over the next three months turned negative for the first time since July 2009, hit by a lack of funding and concern over public sector demand, a report said. Developers surveyed last month feel most pessimistic about new building activity for offices, followed by retail and leisure properties, [...]
Lack of funding poses threat to building work August 9, 2010 THE OUTLOOK for UK commercial development activity over the next three months turned negative for the first time since July 2009, hit by a lack of funding and concern over public sector demand, a report published yesterday found. Developers surveyed last month feel most pessimistic about new building activity for offices, followed by retail and [...]
Chinese demand will keep the German engine roaring October 31, 2010 GERMANY certainly is the engine of Europe at the moment; it has powered its way out of the recession. Exports are booming, unemployment is expected to fall to levels last seen in the early 1990s and its current account is firmly in surplus. The blue-chip Dax index is the model of this good health, outperforming [...]
Chinese demand will keep the German engine roaring October 31, 2010 GERMANY certainly is the engine of Europe at the moment; it has powered its way out of the recession. Exports are booming, unemployment is expected to fall to levels last seen in the early 1990s and its current account is firmly in surplus. The blue-chip Dax index is the model of this good health, outperforming [...]
PRICES NEED SCIENCE NOT GUESSWORK November 4, 2010 SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR AND AUTHOR PRICE is well known to be the single most powerful determinant of profit, so why continue to use guesswork more than science? What is the right price for your product and service? Do you really have an educated idea? Have you gone to the trouble of testing and checking different prices, [...]
INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR September 7, 2010 THE management of risk has always been at the heart of the City’s business, and in these turbulent times it has never been more important. The five firms on our shortlist work across the whole sector, from shipping and the oil industry to motor insurance. All of them have innovated and continue to flourish. Don’t miss [...]