Editor’s Notes: The Russians swung the Brexit vote? Pull the other one, Legatum Institute experts on the theory of change and City A.M.’s 3,000th edition is coming soon November 3, 2017 We have a problem with the Russian state. Senior spooks say the Kremlin’s agents are more active in this country now than at any point since the height of the Cold War. Out of the shadows, Putin’s interference is brazen – including the Kremlin-funded ‘news’ outlets RT and Sputnik – home of conspiracy theorists, pro-Russia [...]
Every London borough ranked by house price growth in the next three years November 3, 2017 Despite doomsday predictions for house price growth in the capital, prices in Hackney will continue to keep growth strongly over the next three years, new research has suggested. Prices in Hackney are expected to grow more than five per cent in the years to 2020, followed by Westminster and Lewisham, which will both experience growth [...]
No monkey business: What the finance industry can learn by going back to basics November 2, 2017 There's a lot we can learn from our closest relatives. And no, I’m not talking about human relatives. I’m talking about those in the animal kingdom: monkeys. One thing monkeys can teach us about humankind is our predisposition to gamble. You’re probably wondering when you last saw a monkey in Paddy Power. And since when [...]
Wetherspoon’s releases Brexit beer mats… again November 1, 2017 JD Wetherspoon has today placed 500,000 new beer mats in its pubs, in an effort to persuade punters unilateral free trade is the best approach for the UK post-Brexit. Founder and chairman Tim Martin argued last month that unilateral free trade will reduce food and drink prices in the UK, allowing Wetherspoon's to make its [...]
How can finance become a more professional and beneficial industry? November 1, 2017 | City Talk The “Future State of the Investment Profession” study explores ‘Four States for the Relationship between Investment Management and Society’. These four states, which are described on page nine of the executive summary, consider the possible evolution of the investment management sector depending on whether the benefits generated accrue to the industry or to society [...]
Cohabiting couples: Don’t get caught out November 1, 2017 As fewer couples choose to tie the knot, it’s clear that marriage is no longer widely seen as the be-all-and-end-all to a relationship. Instead, many couples are opting for the cohabitation route – as sexy as that sounds. Figures from insurance giant Zurich estimate that there are more than 400,000 cohabiting families in London alone. [...]
UK retains seventh spot in ease of doing business ranking October 31, 2017 The UK retained its spot as the seventh best nation in the world for ease of doing business, according to an influential ranking published today. The US leapfrogged the UK to move up to sixth overall, according to the 15th annual Doing Business report from the World Bank, published today. In 2015 the UK came [...]
World’s biggest fund managers control more money than the total wealth of Europe October 30, 2017 The world’s 500 biggest fund managers now control over $80 trillion (£61 trillion) of money, according to research released today. Total assets under management swelled by 5.8 per cent to $81.2 trillion by the end of 2016, according to Willis Towers Watson. This means the largest fund managers in the world control more money than [...]
HMV overtakes Amazon in fight for dwindling DVD and Blu-ray sales October 30, 2017 The decline of DVDs and Blu-rays has allowed HMV to overtake Amazon to be the biggest seller of physical films in the country. HMV has fared well with new releases such as Beauty and the Beast and Logan to take its market share of physical video sales up six points to 22.5 per cent. Amazon’s [...]
Most affordable London commuter towns: How a one hour commute can save buyers £500,000 on London house prices October 30, 2017 Living an hour outside London could slash half a million pounds off house prices compared with buying a home in zones one and two of the capital, according to new research. Commuter towns such as Crawley, Windsor, Rochester and Peterborough have an average house prices of £316,000, a survey by Lloyds Bank has found. That [...]