Deutsche Boerse boss in warning over London Stock Exchange deal hurdles: “It is still not clear at all that everything will work out” December 9, 2016 The chief executive of Deutsche Boerse has warned “it is still not clear at all that everything will work out” in relation to the German company’s merger with the London Stock Exchange. The exchange operators, which agreed to the £21bn deal in March, are awaiting a statement of objections to the deal next week from [...]
More misery on the cards for Southern rail passengers as services are still affected post-strike action December 9, 2016 This week's strikes by the end Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union might have come to an end, but Southern passengers aren't getting respite just yet. In fact, services are still going to be "severely disrupted", as Southern tries to cope with train drivers' union Aslef's overtime ban. Southern has updated travel advice for during the [...]
Photo-Me beams over a successful six months as investment in new areas pays off December 9, 2016 Photo-Me International is all smiles after it outperformed in its half-year results. The figures The photo booth operator’s revenue grew to £110.6m, up 19.2 per cent, or £96.5m at constant currency, up four per cent. Pre-tax profits increased 20.2 per cent to £31m, while rising to £26.9m, up 4.3 per cent at constant currency. As of October, the group had 46,760 units, up [...]
The FCA is cracking down on peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding (again) December 9, 2016 It seems like only yesterday the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was telling peer-to-peer lenders they must behave more like banks. Now the financial watchdog has proposed tough new rules, which will force crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platforms to comply with the same rules as major lenders on mortgage lending, restrict cross-platform investment and make them [...]
Editor’s notes: Calm down, the banks are not about to run for the European hills December 9, 2016 The government has agreed to set out its Brexit plans to parliament. While this will fall short of outlining a full negotiation strategy, it has been welcomed by politicians and business groups as a necessary step towards providing some clarity. However, there appears to still be confusion in some quarters over the fate of the City, [...]
Who said millennials don’t want to climb the property ladder? December 9, 2016 In the 1960s and 1970s architects designed a maze of gigantic housing estates stretching from Elephant and Castle to Peckham. When the buildings were complete, you could walk from the Aylesbury Estate near Elephant and Castle to the North Peckham estate via the Elmington Estate in Camberwell using elevated pedestrian walkways without ever touching the [...]
Millennials don’t want build to rent. They want to buy homes like everyone else December 9, 2016 In the 1960s and 1970s architects designed a maze of gigantic housing estates stretching from Elephant and Castle to Peckham. When the buildings were complete, you could walk from the Aylesbury Estate near Elephant and Castle to the North Peckham estate via the Elmington Estate in Camberwell using elevated pedestrian walkways without ever touching the [...]
Conservatives keep a firm hold in the Sleaford by-election as Labour says: “This was not the result we hoped for” December 9, 2016 Well, this is awkward. The Conservatives have kept their grip on the Lincolnshire seat of Sleaford and North Hykeham, after the constituency's original MP resigned over "irreconcilable policy differences". Caroline Johnson held on to the seat for the party, with more than 53 per cent of the vote, while Ukip came second, with 13.5 per [...]
Brexit negotiations uncertainty leads to fall in UK business confidence in investment prospects December 9, 2016 UK business confidence is set to fall in the next two years as companies await further clarity on the progress of negotiations on the country’s future relationship with the European Union after June’s vote to leave. Business expectations of investment show net falls of 3.2 per cent in 2016 and 3.6 per cent in 2017, [...]
Revenge of the inflationistas: Trump has ushered in the end of the QE era December 9, 2016 After almost a decade of QE and loose monetary policy, inflation is nowhere to be seen in the developed world. Warning of upside risk in consumer prices has become something akin to crying wolf. But Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal measures could prove the missing piece of the global inflationary puzzle. As a result, inflation is [...]