Best of the Brokers for 01 September 2014 August 31, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com DEBENHAMS N+1 Singer has upgraded to “Buy” from “Hold”, but cut the target price to 80p from 85p. The broker thinks Debenhams revised strategy and disciplined approach offers clear medium term upside potential, and that a “trading buy” looks justified now ahead of [...]
London Report: Economic data to show UK recovery on a steady course August 31, 2014 ECONOMIC data due this week appears to show continuing steady growth in the UK’s economy, with little chance of an interest rate rise when the Bank of England announces its latest decision on Thursday. Mortgage approvals data for July, due today, may have dipped slightly, but analysts expect this weakness to be temporary. Meanwhile manufacturing [...]
New York Report: US coal to rise on Russia bid August 31, 2014 BEATEN-DOWN US coal company stocks may receive a lift in coming weeks if deteriorating relations between Russia and the West push President Vladimir Putin to shut off Europe’s natural gas supply. The crisis in eastern Ukraine has emboldened Europe and the United States to impose broad sanctions on Russia. But Europe finds itself in a [...]
EngageSciences CEO Richard Jones on the science of social media marketing August 31, 2014 Between 2011 and the end of 2013, social media ad spend in the UK rose from £265m to £585m, according to PwC and the IAB. Last year alone, it increased by 71 per cent. Amid the boom, however, marketers have voiced concerns that increased spending has not been accompanied by a commensurate rise in effectiveness. [...]
Scotland will lose its brightest brains if it becomes independent, scientists say August 31, 2014 If Scotland votes for independence on 18 September an exodus of the country's best scientists will follow, according to senior academics. They told The Guardian that a number of scientists at Scotland's top universities had already expressed willingness to relocate in the event of a “yes” vote. Some of them have been approached [...]
Amazon hires Visa credit card’s Nick Talwar to expand lending business August 31, 2014 Amazon has hired Visa North America credit card boss Nick Talwar to expand Amazon Lending. When the e-commerce giant first set up the lending business three years ago, very little was said about it. There were no press releases or public announcements, and knowledge of it was limited to private invitations sent to a [...]
Low pay and precarious employment: How the beauty industry scars young women for life August 31, 2014 The career prospects of young women are being hindered by their tendency to apply to oversubscribed and often poorly paid jobs in industries such as hair and beauty, according to a report by the Young Women's Trust. Called “Scarred for life?”, it shows that there are currently 418,000 women in England aged 18-24 who [...]
Putin wants to negotiate “statehood” of southeast Ukraine August 31, 2014 As Europe gets ready to place more sanctions on Russia, Vladimir Putin has called for the “statehood” of southeast Ukraine to be negotiated. In a TV interview, the Russian President said: “We must immediately begin substantive, meaningful negotiations, not on technical questions but on questions of the political structure of society and of the [...]
Businesses back new deal with the EU August 31, 2014 UK businesses overwhelmingly support the UK renegotiating its relationship with the European Union, according to a poll conducted for the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) The BCC said 60 per cent of firms surveyed believed repatriating powers from Brussels to Westminster would provide benefits for the UK economy. BCC director general John Longworth said Britain's [...]
Billionaires battle it out to build London’s super-sewer August 31, 2014 Tycoons from across the world are bidding to build a £4.2bn “super-sewer” that will travel under the heart of London. The Thames Tideway tunnel, which will be 12.5 miles long and wide enough to accommodate three double-decker buses, is considered to be one of the UK's biggest infrastructure projects. The project will funded [...]