Bad business tactics out as economy grows October 19, 2014 COMPLAINTS about anti-competitive behaviour by businesses in the UK are down as the economy begins to recover, new research has shown. The Office of Fair Trading, now the Competition and Markets Authority, recorded a 50 per cent fall in complaints about bad practice in 2013. The number of businesses prompted to phone in and report [...]
Construction output expected to outstrip UK economic growth October 19, 2014 CONSTRUCTION output is forecast to increase twice as fast as UK economic growth as a whole next year, according to a bullish assessment of the market by a construction trade body today. The Construction Products Association, which includes Lafarge Tarmac, Hanson and Grafton Group as its members, forecast construction output to grow by 5.3 per [...]
City Moves for 20 October 2014 | Who’s switching jobs October 19, 2014 Secure Trust Bank The bank, a subsidiary of Arbuthnot Banking Group, has appointed Neil Clinton as regional sales director. He joins from Barclays, where he was head of its UK large corporate asset based lending team. Clinton has over 30 years’ experience in banking and invoice finance. Investec Wealth & Investment The wealth management firm [...]
Best of the Brokers for 20 October 2014 October 19, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BSKYB S&P Capital IQ reiterated its “sell” rating, and stated that despite a good first quarter which saw a six per cent rise in recurring revenue and total customer numbers up five per cent year-on-year, it remains concerned about content and product costs. [...]
George Osborne braced for bad news on deficit reduction – London Report October 19, 2014 Public finance figures due out tomorrow are likely to be a blow to chancellor George Osborne, with tax receipts lowered by very low earnings growth. Economists predict that Osborne is now unlikely to meet fiscal targets for the year, despite improved economic activity, stronger house prices and an improved labour market. Howard Archer, of IHS [...]
US earnings season enters second week – The week ahead on Wall St October 19, 2014 INVESTORS are hoping for a bit more in the way of calm this week, though recent volatility is not likely to abate entirely, especially with equity options expiring at the end of the week. As earnings season kicks into gear, a slew of companies are expected to report results. Tomorrow Coca-Cola, United Technologies and Verizon [...]
EARN Media’s Jamal Benmiloud on how content marketing can help build brand love October 19, 2014 Marketers have long distinguished between paid-for, owned and earned media. With the explosive growth of content marketing (brands producing their own videos and shows, rather than paying for conventional ad slots), the latter two have attracted ever-greater portions of ad budgets recently, partly with the aim of achieving that Holy Grail of digital marketing [...]
Beware programmatic advertising: Big brand ads are cropping up on illegal websites – here’s how to stop it October 19, 2014 Advertisers have been drawn in like a moth to a flame by programmatic buying’s ability to increase ad spend return on investment and improve targeting. According to the IAB, in 2013, 28 per cent of the £1.86bn spent on display advertising in the UK was traded programmatically, and it has been forecast that the proportion [...]
The City is back: Number of people working in London’s financial sector soars past its pre-crash peak October 19, 2014 More workers than ever are employed in finance and professional services in London, new figures from TheCityUK show today, confirming that the capital has bounced back from the credit crunch. The City was hit hard in the global financial crisis, with banks shedding tens of thousands of jobs and spending billions restructuring and rebuilding their [...]
A major fire has broken out at Didcot B Power Station October 19, 2014 A fire has broken out at gas-fired Didcot B Power Station, according to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue. The blaze broke out in one of the cooling towers just after 8pm, and 60 firefighters have been sent to fight the flames. Emergency services from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police South and [...]