Snow in London: Met Office extends weather warning to the end of the week February 27, 2018 The Met Office has extended its yellow warnings for snow in London until the end of the week, as the so-called “beast from the east” continues to cast a chill over the UK. Temperatures will stay below 0°C for most of the week, according to forecasts, with snow showers and “significant” wind chill also set [...]
GKN share price lifts as profits have soar amid a battle with Melrose February 27, 2018 Engineering giant GKN revealed profit in 2017 more than doubled as it battles against a £7.4bn hostile bid from turnaround firm Melrose. The figures GKN’s profit before tax soared 125 per cent to £658m for the year, while sales rose 10 per cent to £9.8bn. The firm reduced its UK pension deficit by 44 per [...]
What Italy means to EU: Should investors be worried about the election? February 27, 2018 The EU should brace itself for the worst-case scenario. Those are the (rather disconcerting) words of European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker last week in reference to Italy’s upcoming elections. His fear is that Italy could end up without an operational government if the leading parties struggle to form a coalition, which could in turn prompt [...]
Brace for a bumpy ride in European stocks February 27, 2018 The only certainty with Italy’s upcoming election will be uncertainty. Following Germany’s vote in September last year, it’s now the Italians who are headed to the ballot box this Sunday, with the outcome expected to be even messier than Berlin’s — which, incidentally, is still being pieced together by Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition [...]
Israel is building bridges on the foundations of its tech revolution February 27, 2018 David Ben Gurion once famously said: “in Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles”. Israel’s founding father was an unrelenting idealist, and it was thanks to his vision that this tiny nation, built from swamps and sand dunes, can today call itself a high-tech superpower. Israel is the startup nation. [...]
No wonder the pound is rising – 2018 could finally be the year that hawks get their way and push up interest rates February 27, 2018 The start of next week will mark nine years since the Bank of England slashed interest rates to an historic low of 0.5 per cent and unleashed its first round of quantitative easing, an unprecedented measure designed to counteract a deep recession triggered by the financial crisis. Ever since, hawks and doves have squabbled over [...]
New Barclaycard “Dine & Dash” technology to be trialled at Prezzo allows eaters to walk out of a restaurant without waiting for the bill February 27, 2018 One of the most frustrating parts of eating out, according to a survey conducted by Barclaycard, is waiting for the bill. So the payment business has developed a new technology which allows diners to simply walk out after eating their meal. The “Dine & Dash” technology, which is being trialled at the St Martins Lane [...]
European Central Bank’s Mario Draghi calls for end to clearing dispute before Brexit February 26, 2018 Mario Draghi today moved to put the spotlight back onto London’s multi-trillion euro clearing industry, urging the EU to push through a new approach to regulation before Brexit. The European Central Bank (ECB) president demanded a central role in the supervision of clearing central counterparties (CCPs), yet struck a more conciliatory tone than some European [...]
The Steeda Q500 Enforcer review: Meet the UK’s best modified Mustang February 26, 2018 Ford hit the jackpot with the 1965 Mustang. It offered sporty styling, an upwardly-mobile image and enough power for the interstate highway, all for just $2,368. Detroit churned out more than a million in the first 18 months, and the Mustang quickly became part of America’s popular culture – eulogised in songs such as Wilson [...]
Mid-cap stock brokers steal a march on bulge-bracket names as the Mifid II era begins February 26, 2018 The City’s bulge-bracket brokers have struggled with increased competition from mid-cap specialists, according to analysis of the biggest winners and losers in client numbers over the last five years. The top three gainers over the five-year period were Peel Hunt, Numis, and Liberum, all of which were founded long after some of London’s oldest financial [...]