Too big to list? Why the international scramble for the Aramco IPO might prove a wild goose chase January 4, 2018 | City Talk Last week, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a delay to its proposed introduction of a new listing category for the London Stock Exchange. The proposal – which has already endured a six-month consultation – is widely seen as an attempt by the regulator to bend its own rules on stock market flotations… in ways [...]
A.G. Barr defends reduced sugar Irn Bru recipe after thousands sign petition January 4, 2018 A proper brouhaha has broken out over proposed changes to the recipe of iconic Scottish soft drink Irn Bru. Iconic soft drink Irn Bru has inspired backlash over a proposed change to its recipe. A.G. Barr, the family company which makes the product, is planning to cut sugar content by half in favour of artificial [...]
What is Ripple? The cryptocurrency growing faster than bitcoin explained – and how to buy it January 4, 2018 Ripple has been on a tear over the past few weeks: XRP, the token that powers the blockchain startup’s network, RippleNet, first hit $1 about two weeks ago, and today it climbed to as high as $3.84. While bitcoin, the cryptocurrency king, soared more than 1,200 per cent last year, Ripple rose a whopping 35,000 [...]
Boots’ UK stores drag on Walgreen Boots Alliance’s international sales January 4, 2018 Boots' UK stores acted as a drag on the international sales of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter, the pharmaceutical giant said today. Internationally, the retail pharmacy arm of Walgreens Boots Alliance brought in sales of $3.1bn (£2.3bn), an increase of 4.1 per cent year-on-year. On a constant currency basis, sales fell 0.8 per [...]
Saga shakes up travel operations and axes insurance broking chief January 4, 2018 Saga today announced a boardroom shake-up, restructuring travel operations hit by Britain's biggest airline failure. Tour operations and cruises are to be combined and run by new Saga travel chief executive Robin Shaw. Jeanette Linfoot, previously the managing director of tour operations, left at the end of December. Shaw was previously the head of Saga's [...]
Deutsche Bank minimum capital requirements increased by European Central Bank January 4, 2018 The European Central Bank (ECB) has forced Deutsche Bank to up its capital holdings for 2018 slightly above the average for European lenders. Deutsche Bank must now maintain a common equity tier one (CET1) ratio of 10.65 per cent during 2018, up from the 9.52 per cent requirement in 2017, it announced today on its [...]
Are you ready for 2018? Why you should invest in a watch this year January 4, 2018 | City Talk The lamentable shift of technical accessories overriding anything with a heritage continues. The rise of the smartphone (and watch) has led to traditional time pieces disappearing from our wrists but 2018 is the year to turn it around. In the era of Don Draper, a watch was a necessity; it was a firm part of [...]
Britain is leading the charge for a greener, re-energised future January 4, 2018 Tackling climate change is one of the most critical issues the globe faces. Britain has always led the world in facing these challenges head on, and this is no exception. The UK was the first country to introduce legally binding domestic climate change targets; we were instrumental in securing the historic Paris Agreement; and since [...]
Jeremy Grantham, who predicted the last two bubbles, warns the stock market is ready for a “melt-up” January 4, 2018 Jeremy Grantham, the founder of asset management firm GMO who is credited with predicting the housing bubble of 2007 and the dot-com bubble of 2000, has warned the stock market is likely heading for an imminent "melt-up". This sudden dramatic improvement in the performance of equities, driven by investors who don't want to miss out [...]
Consumer credit growth slows in November as mortgage borrowing declines January 4, 2018 Growth in the amount borrowed by consumers in the form of credit cards and loans fell in November to its lowest since December 2015, as the amount borrowed by home buyers also declined. Figures by the Bank of England showed growth in consumer credit slowed to 9.1 per cent in the year to November, from [...]