Swipe right if you are single and want a home: How “Generation Tinder” got locked out of home ownership March 30, 2016 Being single has its perks: no fights over the duvet or spending your weekends with the in-laws. But when it comes to buying a home, getting a foot onto the ladder without the combined savings of a couple can be a near impossible feat. Only 15 per cent of singles aged under-35 in London own their home, compared to nearly [...]
Ikea poised to hand 7,300 staff a Living Wage pay hike this week March 30, 2016 Ikea staff are in line for a pay rise on Friday after the Swedish home furnishings giant pledged to introduce the Living Wage for all of its workers in the UK. The flat-pack furniture retailer said all 6,100 co-workers will receive a minimum of £8.25 nationally and £9.40 in London, as set by the Living [...]
McCormick reaffirms case for buying Premier Foods as shares in Mr Kipling and Ambrosia owner soar March 29, 2016 McCormick, the US food group hoping to buy Premier Foods, has reaffirmed its case for buying the company, saying the Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy owner had some “fantastic brands” that would complement its spice and flavour business and help build on its expansion in the UK. In a first quarter trading update presentation today, the company gave [...]
Rockhopper Exploration share price falls after UN expands Argentina’s waters to include the Falkland Islands March 29, 2016 Shares in Rockhopper Exploration fell as much as 8.7 per cent to 26p this morning, after the United Nations expanded Argentina's waters to include the Falkland Islands. The UN sided with Argentina in its dispute with the UK, consequently expanding its maritime territory in the South Atlantic Ocean by 35 per cent to include the Falkland [...]
Foyles swings back into black as new Charing Cross flagship becomes a bestseller March 29, 2016 The late Foyle brothers would be proud. The eponymous bookshop they founded over a century ago – initially selling their old textbooks – has returned to profitability after a turbulent few years that saw the company move to a new flagship store on Charing Cross Road. Foyles, which has six book stores in Birmingham, Bristol [...]
Brick maker Forterra lays plans to follow rival onto the London market with £450m float March 29, 2016 Forterra, the second-largest brick maker in the UK, is laying the foundations for a £450m float on the London Stock Market, looking to build on government plans for an increase in house building. Forterra, previously Hanson’s UK building products division, will list on the London Stock Exchange next month with a free float of at least 25 per cent. [...]
Ascent Resources share price soars after Cadogan Petroleum confirms “highly preliminary approach” over a possible tie-up March 29, 2016 Shares in Ascent Resources rocketed this morning, after Cadogan Petroleum confirmed it made a "highly preliminary approach" regarding a possible tie-up. Ascent shares rose around 73.7 per cent to 3.39p per share in mid-morning trading, while Cadogan added around 15.4 per cent to 11.25p. It comes after Ascent said last week that it had received a preliminary takeover approach [...]
What Storm Katie? FTSE 100 opens higher as insurers Prudential, RSA and Standard Life rise March 29, 2016 The FTSE 100 was 0.5 per cent higher in mid-morning, at 6,136.6 points, as insurers led the index higher – despite the UK taking a battering from Storm Katie over the weekend. Prudential led the risers, up 2.3 per cent at 1,305p – while RSA Insurance rose 1.9 per cent to 476p, and Standard Life was up [...]
Barclays warns of oil prices falling back to the low $30s per barrel as investors “rush for exits” March 29, 2016 Barclays has warned oil prices could be heading back towards $30 per barrel, ending this year's rally which has sent the black stuff up around 50 per cent. The investment bank has predicted a broad-based plunge in commodity prices, arguing that the recent gains fail to correspond with market fundamentals. It said this could lead to a mass [...]
Brexit vote puts brakes on City’s huge IPO boom, cutting the amount raised by by almost 75 per cent since the last quarter of 2015 March 29, 2016 The booming London initial public offering market has come to a screeching halt after reaching near record levels in 2015. For the first quarter of 2016 the total raised through IPOs slumped to £1.6bn, down from £4bn in the last quarter of 2015, data from accountant EY has shown. EY also warns that the market for [...]