Saudi asset manager Sedco adds £137m of European property to portfolio October 9, 2018 Saudi asset management firm Sedco has invested £137.5m in European property, including two sites in the UK. The firm has acquired a £31.8m 25-acre distribution site in Yorkshire, which is occupied by Eddie Stobart, and a £35.2m office complex in Bracknell, Berkshire, which is currently leased by Vodafone. Read more: Property bosses cull delivery vans in bid to [...]
Crypto: Unchained but regulated October 9, 2018 | Sponsored Crypto is the Millennials’ Rock’n’Roll” says Stephen Castell, ”and Dr Joseph Muscat, the Malta Prime Minister, has emerged as the world’s top crypto rocker, bravely positioning his beautiful sun-kissed sandstone island country, Chair of the Commonwealth, and President of the Council of the EU, as the leader in regulating Blockchain applications, ICOs, cryptocurrency trading and, [...]
Sustainable investing is about making bigger profits, say the majority of investors October 9, 2018 | City Talk The majority of investors believe the main reason to invest sustainably is to make bigger profits, a major global study has found. The findings suggest investors increasingly believe that backing sustainable investments, those companies that are most focused on managing environmental, social and governance issues, will deliver better results rather than just be a choice [...]
Five charts that explain the case for emerging markets October 8, 2018 | City Talk Investors generally understand the importance of emerging markets in terms of their economic impact but, perhaps due to lack of knowledge, often struggle to know how best to reflect this in their portfolios. Those investors have ignored what are some of the world's best-performing financial markets since the turn of the millennium. What is more, [...]
Further outflows for UK funds as Brexit uncertainty continues October 4, 2018 UK-focused funds continued to experience outflows in August as investor confidence remained dented by Brexit uncertainty, taking the post-referendum total to £10.2bn so far. Net retail sales outflows were £217m in August compared to inflows of £4.6bn the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Investment Association. Read more: Investment Association boosts board gender diversity with shake [...]
Why the ethical finance industry is still behind the curve October 4, 2018 Ten years on since the financial crisis, there has already been a great deal of focus and contemplation on how financial services have changed over the past decade. For many consumers, banks are still distrusted, not helped by mis-selling scandals or paltry returns on savings accounts. There has been a notable shift in not only [...]
Terra Firma founder Guy Hands launches new special opportunities fund to buy Finnish modular building company October 4, 2018 Private equity tycoon Guy Hands has launched a new special opportunities fund that has invested in Finnish modular building company Parmaco. The deal, which comes after the £4bn refinancing and recapitalisation of Annington Homes in July last year, will see a Terra Firma led consortium acquire Parmaco from Finnish private equity group MB Funds. Read more: Guy Hands plotting £1.3bn sale of Italian solar [...]
A guide to good money: How to invest ethically and sustainably October 3, 2018 Good Money Week is now upon us. Launched in 2005, this campaign has nudged sustainable, responsible, and ethical financial products into the spotlight. And it’s the investment industry where this trend has really gained traction, with terms like socially responsible investing (SRI) and “impact investing” coming to the fore. Indeed, it wasn’t long ago that [...]
London investment fund Fuel Ventures raises £20m for expansion into Middle East and China October 2, 2018 London early stage venture capital firm Fuel Ventures has raised £20m in its third fund since 2014. The fund plans to invest in one company a month going forward as the firm expands into China, Europe and the Middle East. Read more: Planet Organic prepares for expansion drive after fund takeover Fuel Ventures' portfolio of companies, which [...]
A third of non-investors say they would consider ethical investment funds October 2, 2018 A third of non-investors would consider putting their money into ethical funds, according to a new survey. More than half of Brits said they prefer to use ethical financial products and 64 per cent of those said they were prepared to pay extra for socially conscious services, research by online investment service Wealthify said. Read more: UBS launches [...]