Classic cars, fine wine, coins and racehorses: One in six investors now has money in a “hobby” investment August 22, 2016 Call them sentimental, but more and more investors are turning their pastimes into profits, according to a new study from Lloyds Private Banking. One in six investors now cultivates a "hobby investment", spending on average £13,500 on a single item, though one in 10 is willing to splash out £50,000 on an individual item. The most popular [...]
Emerging markets funds hot, China not, for investors this summer August 22, 2016 Investors have turned away from China-only funds this summer, according to one online retail investment platform. But emerging markets funds have proved popular. Rplan.co.uk said that between 1 June and 15 August, it recorded a 75 per cent increase in flows to emerging markets funds compared with the same period last year. Meanwhile, China-only funds experienced [...]
Foreign investments help shareholders as UK dividend growth lags August 22, 2016 The UK is lagging behind other developed markets in terms of dividends, a report out today has found. UK dividends fell 3.3 per cent on an underlying basis in the second quarter of 2016, according to the Henderson Global Dividend Index. In addition to the falling value of the pound, steep cuts from Standard Chartered, [...]
Top investor in Panmure Gordon “fully committed” to UK stockbroker August 17, 2016 QInvest, Panmure Gordon’s biggest shareholder, has committed itself to the UK-based stockbroker after reports of interest from other investors. The Qatari investment bank yesterday revealed that, following the Brexit vote and other events around the world, it was “carefully reviewing and stress-testing” its portfolio. And City A.M. understands QInvest has received a number of informal approaches [...]
Investor confidence in UK bounces back to 2016 high after Brexit vote fall August 17, 2016 UK investor confidence is at its highest point this year, bouncing back from a post-referendum fall, new figures show. The Lloyds Bank Investor Sentiment Index, released today, showed all asset classes bar two – gold and cash – have experienced a rise in confidence since last month. Overall, positive sentiment is up 8.13 percentage points overall [...]
Qatari bank with largest stake in UK broker Panmure Gordon to review portfolio after Brexit vote August 16, 2016 Qatari investment bank QInvest, the largest shareholder in UK-based stockbroker Panmure Gordon, will be “carefully reviewing and stress-testing” its portfolio after the Brexit vote. The company today reported revenue of $65.7m (£50.6m) for the first half of 2016 – up from $53.7m in the same period in 2015. The firm’s net profit, meanwhile, came in [...]
Four of the best: Investment opportunities from around the globe August 16, 2016 Markets have been turbulent this year and much talk has focused on potential risks. A smattering of uncertainties to consider include the ramifications of the Brexit vote and whether the UK will enter recession. Nor does anyone know how extraordinary monetary policy in Europe will pan out, or the ultimate impact there’ll be from the trillions [...]
Speedy Hire on the end of another rottweiler attack after chairman holds ground August 15, 2016 Activist investor Toscafund has this morning launched a fresh attack on Speedy Hire. Toscafund, which is the main shareholder in the company, has called for the ousting of chairman Jan Astrand. Read more: Toscafund urges Speedy Hire chairman to resign ahead of general meeting The activist, whose chief executive Martin Hughes has the nickname Rottweiler [...]
Speedy Hire set for another rottweiler attack from activist investor August 14, 2016 Speedy Hire is preparing for another attack from its largest shareholder, activist investor Toscafund, on Monday morning. Toscafund is planning to publish a new letter accusing the firm’s chairman, Jan Astrand – who refused the fund's demands last week to stand down – of failing to address its concerns. Read more: Toscafund urges Speedy Hire chairman to [...]
It’s official: The Royal Mint says there’s been a major gold rush since the Bank of England’s interest rate cut August 12, 2016 There's been a gold rush on since the Bank of England's interest rate cut, it turns out – after the Royal Mint confirmed a huge uptick in the number of people buying gold. Chris Howard, the Royal Mint's director of bullion said today that its bullion trading site had experienced a 250 per cent increase [...]