What the other papers say this morning – 11 March 2014 March 10, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Seplat plans IPO in London and Lagos Seplat, the Nigerian oil company, is set to announce today plans for initial public offerings in London and Lagos, marking the return of natural resources listings to the UK stock market – some of which have proved controversial. The group, founded in 2009 by two Nigerian [...]
Metro Bank: First London – next, the rest of the UK February 23, 2014 Metro Bank’s chairman and founder tells Tim Wallace he wants to take the Southern-focused lender out to a national audience IT HAS shaken up London’s retail banking scene, with bright new branches on busy high streets, and a bold American-style service ethos. But although Metro Bank startled the market as Britain’s first lender in more [...]
Switzerland’s shock migration vote has dealt the EU a huge blow February 10, 2014 THERE are two kinds of Eurosceptics. There is the pro-market, classical liberal variety: believers in the Four Freedoms – the free movement of goods, services, capital and people – across the countries of the European Union, but who oppose everything else, including political integration, the undemocratic nature of the European construct, the EU’s myriad subsidies, [...]
Switzerland’s shock migration vote has dealt the EU a huge blow February 10, 2014 THERE are two kinds of Eurosceptics. There is the pro-market, classical liberal variety: believers in the Four Freedoms – the free movement of goods, services, capital and people – across the countries of the European Union, but who oppose everything else, including political integration, the undemocratic nature of the European construct, the EU’s myriad subsidies, [...]
Fears for London as listing regulations are tightened November 5, 2013 THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) yesterday strengthened its listing rules to protect minority shareholders in the wake of the scandals surrounding ENRC and Bumi, two companies that floated in London and became mired in controversies over corporate governance. The new rules, which will eventually affect already listed companies with large shareholders such as Sports Direct, [...]
The 24 hour Tube is a triumph for London – but we can go further November 21, 2013 IN AN open letter to passengers, the mayor and Transport for London have committed themselves to a 24 hour Tube. It’s an exciting announcement, and will undoubtedly deliver a boost to London’s £8bn a year dining and entertainment industry. But there are wider implications for the capital. For decades, the Underground has run New Year’s [...]
New listing rules protect investors and safeguard London’s open markets November 11, 2013 THE OPERATION of public markets frequently attracts high levels of scrutiny. But for much of the past 18 months, the spotlight on the UK equity market and the listing regime has been intense. Questions over corporate governance at companies with a controlling shareholder – and by extension the rights and protections for minority investors – [...]
Inside Track: It’s about time the City’s watchdog got its act together December 4, 2013 WERE British banks engaged in a corrupt pact to bankrupt struggling business customers? The evidence from dossiers compiled by the businessmen Lawrence Tomlinson and Neil Mitchell is superficially shocking, although as yet inconclusive. Anecdotal evidence that Royal Bank of Scotland’s global restructuring group has nudged clients into administration when alternative outcomes were achievable have circulated [...]
Almost a third of Londoners in poverty according to think tank October 14, 2013 Almost one third of Londoners are living in poverty, according to new research conducted by the New Policy Institute. The study shows that 28 per cent of all Londoners are living in poverty, seven percentage points above the national average. The survey commissioned by Trust for London uses the official definition of poverty, a household [...]
Legoland operator plans float with 30 per cent ticket discounts for shareholders October 21, 2013 UK theme park operator, Merlin entertainments has announced plans for an initial public offering. The company will apply for admission of its shares to the premium segment of UK Listing Authority and to trade on the market of the London Stock Exchange. Merlin operates 99 attractions including Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Legoland. In 2012 [...]