FTSE 100 packaging giant Mondi gets boost to shares as it reports rising profits | City A.M. August 3, 2018 FTSE 100 paper giant Mondi Group got a share boost this morning as it said profits rose in the first half of the year. The figures In the six months up to 30 June 2018, underlying earnings were up 17 per cent to €852m (£759.3m). Profit before tax was also up six per cent to [...]
Zopa raises £44m to build ‘next generation’ bank | City A.M. August 3, 2018 Peer-to-peer lender Zopa has raised £44m – its largest sum so far – to help fund the “next generation bank” it has been building. The firm, which matches borrowers with people looking to invest, aims to build a set of products that “customers can feel good about”, with no catches on rates or charges, no [...]
Pets at Home share price leaps as lower prices pay off | City A.M. August 3, 2018 Price cuts and instore vets helped Pets at Home to increase sales in the first few months of the new financial year this morning, sending shares higher. The retailer’s share price was at a new low of 113p yesterday, but this morning’s update boosted it by 10 per cent. The figures Overall revenue was up [...]
Sterling falls as Carney warns Brexit no deal odds are “uncomfortably high” | City A.M. August 3, 2018 The pound has fallen to an 11-day low against the dollar as Bank of England governor Mark Carney warned the chances of a Brexit no deal were “uncomfortably high”. Sterling fell 0.2 per cent to $1.299, as the Canadian economist told the BBC this was a “highly undesirable” scenario. “I think the possibility of a [...]
Paddy Power signs deal with US casino group Boyd | City A.M. August 3, 2018 Paddy Power has struck a deal with US casino group Boyd Gaming, which will expand is subsidiary FanDuel into the States following a landmark Supreme Court ruling earlier this year. Under the agreement, FanDuel will gain market access for its sports book and online gaming products in several states and will provide Boyd Gaming with [...]
Wempe to host the 2018 Patek Philippe Exhibition Collection, offering rare chance to see close to 100 ladies and mens pieces | City A.M. August 3, 2018 Luxury watch boutique Wempe will next week host the 2018 Patek Philippe Exhibition Collection in its New Bond Street showroom. The showcase will feature close to 100 ladies and men’s watches from the prestigious Swiss watchmaker. It will encompass the brand’s famous complications; models from the Calatrava, Aquanaut, Nautilus, Golden Ellipse and Twenty-4 collections; as [...]
Let’s quit while we’re behind, and not subject more women to faulty gender pay gap stats | City A.M. August 3, 2018 We are caught in a vicious circle. The government’s new pay gap reporting measures are producing shocking statistics which, in turn, lead government bodies and select committees to call for further intervention into the private sector. The latest call came yesterday, as the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee recommended that the threshold for businesses [...]
Broadband challenger Hyperoptic raises £250m from eight top banks | City A.M. August 3, 2018 Gigabit broadband provider Hyperoptic today announced a debt raise of £250m from eight leading international banks, aimed at powering its full fibre optic network across the UK. The round was led by ING and BNP Paribas, with RBS, Societe Generale, RBC, HSH, NIBC and Barclays also participating. The raise will fully fund Hyperoptic’s project to [...]
Barclays takes up significant stake in London fintech Marketinvoice | City A.M. August 2, 2018 Barclays today announced it has acquired a significant minority stake in London-based fintech Marketinvoice, in a deal that will utilise the startup’s technology to provide £1bn in capital for the UK’s small businesses. City A.M. understands the deal will also see Barclays lead Marketinvoice’s upcoming series B fundraising round, which is due to close in [...]
Gradual or glacial: When will the next Bank of England interest rate hike come? | City A.M. August 2, 2018 What does “gradual” mean? This is one of the key pre-occupations of forecasters right now, given central banks are emphatically emphasising that any normalisation of policy will be gradual. And yet the meaning seems to differ wildly. For the US Federal Reserve gradual appears to signify 0.25 percentage points of tightening per quarter. According to [...]