That’s far out: UK investment firm launches £80m space tech fund November 21, 2016 A UK investment firm has today launched an £80m space-tech venture fund. Seraphim Capital said the fund, which will focus on early-stage, space-related technology businesses, is the largest of its kind. The company expects to have raised the £80m over the next two quarters, and today announced a £30m investment from the British Business Bank alongside [...]
Asset managers must adapt to serve investors in an age of disruption November 21, 2016 Today's investors and their advisers face a torrent of change from all quarters. Political, economic and regulatory turbulence is matched only by the speed at which technology is transforming business models, choices and decision-making. The low interest rate and low growth environment is creating real challenges for institutional and retail investors. These challenges form the central [...]
Have investors jumped the gun in thinking that the era of low inflation is now over? November 21, 2016 Jason Hollands, managing director at Tilney Bestinvest, says Yes. Deep tax cuts, looser banking regulation, massive spending on infrastructure and the military, alongside higher tariffs on imports and tighter immigration restrictions – Donald Trump’s economic policies are inherently inflationary for the US economy, especially against a background of low unemployment. Global bond markets have reacted [...]
Global investors in UK firms hit by falling dividends and devalued pound November 21, 2016 Global investors in UK equities saw their dividends plummet in the quarter after the EU referendum thanks to the devaluation of sterling. In underlying terms, UK dividends were down 2.9 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter, with mining companies such as Glencore and manufacturing group Rolls-Royce making deep cuts. But while the impact of [...]
Four ways the City watchdog wants to make fund managers better for investors November 18, 2016 The City watchdog has this morning put forward plans for a shake-up of the £7 trillion asset management industry to ensure investors get a better deal. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), publishing the interim findings of its market study, found weak price competition in some areas, a lack of transparency, potential conflicts of interest and sustained profitability [...]
Pension Insurance Corporation will launch a £250m corporate bond to fund a raft of new business November 17, 2016 A wave of Britain's largest firms are planning to offload huge pension liabilities to a key market player. The Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), a company that specialises in taking pension headaches away from businesses, will today launch a £250m investment bond to fund a bottleneck of deals in late 2016 and early 2017. Sources close to the [...]
The government’s decision to cancel a retail offering of Lloyds shares is an outrage November 16, 2016 Lloyds Banking Group will bring up mixed emotions for the British public. On the one hand, it still represents a symbol of the financial crisis, and the subsequent pain and aftershocks that brought for Britain. On the other, it is a household name, present on our high streets and safely nestled on the FTSE 100. [...]
Online lasting power of attorney numbers are on the up, here are five things you need to know November 16, 2016 Government do-it-yourself kits for lasting powers of attorney have been criticised and called "risky", as new figures reveal public take-up is spiralling. Lasting powers of attorney (LPA) – which transfer the responsibility to make key life choices to another person in the event of mental incapacity – have increased threefold since 2010, according to data released by the government [...]
Speedy Hire shares soar as tool lender hammers expectations – “in spite” of Toscafund activism November 16, 2016 Speedy Hire’s share price shot up 15 per cent this morning after the lender of tools and construction equipment reported increasing revenues and profits – an improvement the company said came “in spite” of a high-profile attack from an activist investor. Group revenue for the six months to 30 September was £187.1m, up 13 per cent [...]
Oversubscribed investment trust and Scottish tech firm announce flotations November 16, 2016 A Scottish technology company floated on the London Stock Exchange this morning and is set to be joined by an oversubscribed new investment trust on Friday. City A.M. first reported that the investment trust, Civitas, which focuses on social housing, was planning to raise £250m through a float on 18 November. The IPO was oversubscribed [...]