Exclusive: City’s venture capital guru on Brexit, fundraising and impact investing March 17, 2021 With Brexit just behind us, and the pandemic gradually being brought under control, it seemed like a good time to measure the temperature of London’s venture capital investment space. City A.M. sat down with David Hall, for his first major interview as chairman of the Venture Capital Trust Association, since succeeding Stuart Veale in January [...]
Divestments fail to add value for six consecutive years March 3, 2020 The majority of companies that sold portions of their business last year lost shareholder value, meaning that divestments have failed to add value for six consecutive years. Six out of ten companies that divested part of their business continued to struggle to add value, according to Willis Towers Watsons Divestment Performance Monitor. Based on share [...]
Taking the higher ground rent: How homeowners can stop themselves falling victim to dubious leasehold contracts May 28, 2019 Finally able to buy your first home, you skip away from the rat race that is the rental system, proudly boasting the much-revered title of “homeowner”. And yet, if you’ve bought a leasehold property, it might not be the picket-fenced dream that you’d bargained for. Millions of UK properties, typically flats, are sold as leasehold. This [...]
Facebook unveils $100m support package for news industry March 30, 2020 Facebook today said it will invest $100m (£80.6m) to support the news industry as the coronavirus crisis decimates advertising revenue. The social media firm said $25m will be given as emergency grant funding for local news through the Facebook Journalism Project, while $75m will be granted as additional marketing spend for news organisations around the [...]
SMMT: UK car sales plunge to six-year low despite electric growth January 6, 2020 British car sales slumped to a six-year low in 2019, as widespread economic uncertainty put the brakes on an industry whose only glimmer of hope came in the form of record electric vehicle sales. New car registrations fell two per cent to 2.31m last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), [...]
Coronavirus: Luxury brands braced for a bumpy ride April 7, 2020 It’s hard to erase the memory of red-and-white sale signs in the world’s most prestigious stores on Madison Avenue, New York, at the end of 2008. Stores that rarely offered discounts in their flagships slashed prices to move stock to very few shoppers. The luxury sector is not quite witnessing the same carnage as the [...]
Toyota RAV4 Plug-in review: an expensive way to save money January 26, 2021 The Toyota RAV4 Plug-in is a part-electric, part-hybrid SUV with impressive fuel economy and emissions – but a high price tag.
UK house prices: Housing market ‘on its knees’ amid Brexit uncertainty February 28, 2019 UK house price growth remained sluggish in February, as property experts warned the housing market is “on its knees”. Prices rose just 0.4 per cent year on year compared to January’s 0.1 per cent rate of growth, new data published today reveals. Read more: January transactions flat as uncertainty weighs on housing market But prices [...]
Should we be worried about the rise of the Bank of Mum and Dad mortgage? January 30, 2019 In the years leading up to the financial crisis, it was relatively easy for wannabe homeowners to get loans for the full value of a property – otherwise known as a 100 per cent loan-to-value mortgage. Of course, we know the problems caused by these mammoth loans, and since then, affordability criteria have become stricter [...]
New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend March 29, 2019 New developments on the market this week The Refinery, Newham From £120,750 for a 35 per cent share of a one bedroom flat Live in the shadow of golden syrup factory Tate & Lyle in an up-and-coming part of east London. Part-buy, part-rent a one, two or three bedroom apartment through Shared Ownership. Sixty homes [...]