John Lewis picks tech winner September 28, 2014 A START-UP that has developed a way to help retailers interact with shoppers by detecting when they walk into a store was pronounced the winner of John Lewis’s technology competition yesterday. Localz was one of five start-ups given £12,500 of funding, offices and access to mentors including entrepreneur Luke Johnson as part of a technology [...]
Firms’ research investment hits a record high September 28, 2014 RESEARCH and development (R&D) spending jumped by 10 per cent in the year after the rules on tax credits were eased, according to research out today from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young. Spending hit £13.2bn in the tax year 2012-13, the latest for which the data are available – the highest level it has ever [...]
Feelgood factor is key for Tories – Bottom Line September 28, 2014 Ukip activists argue that their party’s growth is just as much of a threat to Labour as it is to the Conservatives. “We are now parking our tanks on the Labour Party’s lawn,” leader Nigel Farage bellowed during his conference speech at the end of last week. A lot of polling data suggests otherwise. Psephologist [...]
Personalities making a mark doing it their way September 28, 2014 PERSONALITY of the year Mark Carney has been the most talked about central banker for many years, and he’s only been at the Bank for just over a year. For some, that might just be enough time to get the feel of the job. But he has made huge decisions at the Bank of England. [...]
From Threadneedle Street to the corridors of power September 28, 2014 Business minister Matthew Hancock tells Kate McCann he’s on the side of new challenger firms IF CONSERVATIVE MPs spent the weekend nursing a Ukip-induced headache ahead of their party conference, business minister Matthew Hancock showed no evidence of it yesterday. “It’s relatively cheerful here, in the circumstances,” the former Osborne advisor says with a wry [...]
City Moves for 29 September 2014 | Who’s switching jobs September 28, 2014 Deloitte The business advisory firm has announced two appointments to its hedge fund practice. Chris Farkas (pictured) joins as UK hedge fund leader. He was European head of hedge fund consulting in Deutsche Bank’s prime brokerage group, and has also held senior roles at GlobeOp and Goldman Sachs. Brian Forrester, a partner with Deloitte in [...]
Best of the Brokers for 29 September 2014 September 28, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BALFOUR BEATTY Deutsche Bank has upgraded to “Buy” from “Hold”, and raised the target price to 270p from 245p. The broker thinks overly negative market sentiment towards Balfour provides a buying opportunity, and Balfour’s sale of Parsons Brinckerhoff will help address balance sheet [...]
London Report: Housing market stalls and GDP is re-evaluated September 28, 2014 HOUSING data showing fewer mortgage approvals and only modest price increases looks set to show that the UK’s booming property market is finally slowing. Bank of England figures out today are forecast to show that mortgage approvals fell to 66,000 in August from 66,569 in July and 67,085 in June. The numbers are well below [...]
New York Report: US jobs figures will give clues on bond buying September 28, 2014 US JOBS numbers on Friday are likely to confirm that the fast-recovering American economy has reached the point where the Federal Reserve can finally halt its massive bond-buying stimulus. The US economy looks to be on course for growth of about two or 2.5 per cent this year, and the Fed intends to halt its [...]
The creative obsession: Leo Burnett London’s Katie Lee talks heritage and innovative adverts September 28, 2014 Few agencies are as steeped in history as Leo Burnett. One of the godfathers of advertising, Burnett founded his eponymous creative shop in depression-era Chicago, placing a bowl of apples in reception as a marker of the agency’s values: rosiness and hospitality. It quickly became known for bold, image-led work, later creating Tony the Tiger [...]