Struggling care home group Four Seasons gets breathing space as it finally agrees a payment standstill with hedge fund creditor H/2 December 14, 2017 Struggling care home group Four Seasons has finally agreed an interest payment standstill with H/2 Capital Partners, the hedge fund which owns most of its debt. The agreement comes not a day too soon, as a £26m interest payment was due tomorrow which Four Seasons warned it could not pay. Today’s deal will give the [...]
An oil supply surplus is likely in 2018 as US shale output continues to boom December 14, 2017 The global oil market is expected to show a surplus in the first half of 2018 due to growing US shale production, a new report suggests. “On our current outlook, 2018 may not necessarily be a happy new year for those who would like to see a tighter market,” the International Energy Agency (IEA) said [...]
Bitcoin futures being considered by Deutsche Boerse after Chicago success December 14, 2017 The operator of the German stock exchange could be the next to launch a bitcoin futures after their success on the Chicago exchange. A spokesperson for Deutsche Boerse told German media: “We are thinking about futures, with which private investors and institutional investors can protect existing investments in bitcoin or set for falling prices of [...]
England centurion Dawid Malan on the verge of tears after keeping England’s Ashes hopes alive in Perth December 14, 2017 Dawid Malan admitted he was on the verge of tears after becoming England’s first centurion on the current Ashes series to cap a strong start to the third Test for the tourists at the Waca. England finished on 305 for four at the close in Perth, their highest innings of the series to date, as [...]
Wine glasses grow seven times larger over 300 years December 14, 2017 Wine glasses just keep getting bigger. While most Londoners will be familiar with the experience of paying an arm and a leg for a measly 125ml, it turns out glassware, and the measures we drink from them, are much larger now than in the past. That’s according to a study by researchers at the University [...]
Russian President Vladimir Putin ditches his party United Russia to run for re-election as an independent December 14, 2017 Vladimir Putin has ditched the United Russia party to run as an independent candidate in the country’s election next year. The Russian President has a huge amount of personal support, with approval ratings over more than 80 per cent, according to Russia’s only pollster. Read more: The government has issued a warning over Russian anti-virus [...]
Brexit rebels defend last night’s vote on EU Withdrawal Bill amid torrent of criticism and threats of deselection December 14, 2017 The Tory MPs who defied the government over the EU Withdrawal bill last night have defended their decision against a torrent of criticism and calls for their deselection – but warned of more to come. Theresa May suffered an embarrassing defeat on the eve of her trip to the European Council, where she will begin [...]
Lonmin share price (LMI) jumps 20 per cent as it agrees to £285m takeover by Sibanye-Stillwater December 14, 2017 Troubled platinum producer Lonmin today announced it would be taken over by South African miner Sibanye-Stillwater in a deal valuing the company at about £285m. Lonmin’s share price jumped 21.18 per cent to 77.25p on the news. Under the deal, each Lonmin investor will receive 0.967 new Sibanye-Stillwater shares for each Lonmin share. Following completion, [...]
The final countdown: MiFID II is coming, ready or not December 14, 2017 With just three weeks to go before the implementation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II), how close is the industry to being ready for the biggest change in financial markets infrastructure for decades? This article will look at the industry’s state of readiness and influencing factors, as well as what will [...]
Bitcoin bubble? Cryptocurrencies more popular investment for millennials than shares and bonds December 14, 2017 Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are set to become a more popular investment for millennials than traditional shares and bonds by the end of next year, new research reveals. One in three of those aged between 18 and 35 said they would invest in cryptocurrencies over the next 12 months – 11 per cent definitely and [...]