Insurance sector readies for soaring M&A (merger and acquisition) activity as firms look to spend surplus capital following Solvency II Directive June 12, 2017 A surge in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and share buybacks could sweep Europe’s insurance sector this year, as firms look to put surplus capital to work. According to a survey of chief financial officers conducted by Moody’s Investors Service, low interest rates remained the single biggest worry in the sector. The results gathered opinion in [...]
Uber to adopt Holder Report recommendations following sexual harassment investigation June 12, 2017 Uber is to adopt all recommendations of the Holder Report following a Sunday board meeting, a representative said yesterday, although what this entails will remain under wraps until Tuesday. An investigation into the ride-hailing technology business was launched last year, following employee allegations of sexual harassment and a “bro culture” at the company. Uber’s board [...]
London house prices: The change in house prices for the 33 London boroughs shows Haringey was the biggest gainer and Islington was the biggest faller June 12, 2017 Sales of London homes to the end of April were 29 per cent lower than the same period last year, according to Your Move’s latest England and Wales house price index. House prices in the capital continued to rise, up 2.7 per cent in the year to April 2017, but this is the second lowest [...]
Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein joins Mark Carney and Jes Staley on list of bankers hoodwinked by the email prankster June 11, 2017 Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein has been duped by the email prankster that has already embarrassed Bank of England governor Mark Carney and Barclays chief executive Jes Staley, it was claimed tonight. The “Email Prankster” revealed on Twitter an exchange between Blankfein and alias Harvey Schwarz, who is actually Goldman Sachs’ president and co-chief operating [...]
Rugby stadiums of the future: Suites with dressing room views, ghost replays and birds-eye view seats June 9, 2017 With the northern hemisphere season having ended and the summer and Lions tours kicking off, rugby is front and centre of sports fans’ minds. As we tune in or turn up to watch the stars of the game perform across Argentina, Australia, Japan and, of course, New Zealand, we will see stadia that represent all [...]
City PR firm Bell Pottinger takes on James Chapman, former George Osborne spinner and Daily Mail political editor June 9, 2017 City PR firm Bell Pottinger has appointed a former spinner for George Osborne as a new partner. James Chapman, a former Daily Mail political editor, most recently held a position as chief of staff to Brexit secretary David Davis. He will take up his position on the political team of Bell Pottinger on 26 June. [...]
UK house prices: What the General Election results mean for the property market June 9, 2017 The result of the General Election, which saw Conservative leader Theresa May lose her majority, has left Britain shocked. But what will it mean for the property market? While some experts think uncertainty may return to the sector, others think the property market will continue to remain strong. Take a look at what experts have [...]
EU vows to reboot integration efforts between markets as it reviews its Capital Markets Union plan June 8, 2017 The European Commission has said it will “reboot” its Capital Markets Union (CMU) plan, aiming to strengthen Europe’s financial system as Brexit looms. Adopted in 2015, the CMU aims to make it easier and more efficient for businesses to access investment across European borders. The commission’s mid-term review, published today, has suggested a refreshed plan, [...]
Big four UK banks on the mend after racking up £66bn of charges in six years, says S&P Global report June 8, 2017 The UK’s big four banking groups have racked up £66bn of conduct and litigation charges in the last six years, a new report out today has estimated. But analysts at S&P Global Ratings expect 2016 will “prove to be the last year in which charges remain at the outsized levels we have seen recently”. The [...]
The best universities in the world: The nine top in the UK according to the QS 2018 World University Rankings June 8, 2017 Nine universities in the UK have been named among the top 50 best in the world according to a new ranking – but cuts to funding and the potential impact of Brexit have seen institutions lose ground to other countries. Cambridge, Oxford, University College London and Imperial made the top 10 of the annual QS [...]