Investec: Challenger banks including OneSavings Bank, Aldermore are undervalued as investors are spooked by worries over buy-to-let regulation January 7, 2016 Concerns over increased regulation of the buy-to-let residential property market have prompted investors to undervalue some of Britain’s leading challenger banks, analysts at Investec have claimed. In a new note out today, Investec analysts upgraded their recommendation on OneSavings Bank, a FTSE250-listed lender, from “hold” to “buy” off the back of recent share price fluctuations. [...]
Standard Chartered deputy chief executive Mike Rees steps down January 7, 2016 Standard Chartered deputy group chief executive Mike Rees will step down at the end of April, the bank announced tonight. Rees, who has worked for Standard Chartered for 26 years, will retire on 30 April 2016, stepping down from both his job as deputy group chief executive and his role on the board, the bank said in [...]
Park Vale Capital’s cool £16m investment in Dearman’s zero-emissions liquid nitrogen freezer tech January 7, 2016 Park Vale Capital has announced it is investing £16m in Dearman’s liquid nitrogen freezer technology. Dearman, a clean energy start-up founded in 2011, will use the funding to develop and commercialise its zero-emissions ‘cold and power’ refrigerator engines, to be used in supermarket vans delivering food. Commercial trials are due to begin early this year, with [...]
Apple share price drops below $100 on reports of slowing iPhone 6S and 6S Plus shipments January 6, 2016 Apple shares slumped below $100 for the first time in months as production cuts refuelled worries that demand for iPhones is weakening. Investors were rattled by reports yesterday that Apple was expected to cut production of both the latest iPhone models 6S and 6S Plus by 30 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, [...]
FCA launches probe over alleged bond market rigging by trader at Lloyds Banking Group January 6, 2016 The City’s watchdog has launched a probe into whether the UK government bond market was manipulated by a trader at Lloyds Banking Group. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is looking into whether at least one Lloyds trader sought to increase profits by driving down the price of the bonds or by inflating their prices when [...]
CES 2016: Netflix share price jumps on expansion to 130 new countries, including India, Singapore and Saudi Arabia – but not China January 6, 2016 Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings had a big announcement up his sleeve for his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES): Netflix is going live in 130 new countries, tripling the streaming giant’s distribution in one fell swoop. The expansion makes Netflix really global, as new countries include India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Vietnam, Indonesia [...]
Mergermarket buys London-based Creditflux as private equity owner BC Partners looks for global growth through acquisitions January 6, 2016 Mergermarket, the online financial news service, has bought Creditflux, a London-based data provider, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition is the latest in Mergermarket’s recent shopping spree, having bought four businesses in as many months: due diligence service C6, private equity and venture capital news provider Unquote and the Asian Venture Capital Journal. Mergermarket is [...]
Topps Tiles nails start to the year as Britons spruce up their homes January 6, 2016 Topps Tiles enjoyed a jump in sales over the last three months, thanks to improving consumer confidence and a rise people doing up their homes. Like-for-like sales increased by 4.4 per cent in the first 13 weeks of its new financial year to 2 January. That compared with a 5.2 per cent rise in the same [...]
FTSE 100 index closes down as concerns over China cause mining stocks to fall January 6, 2016 The FTSE 100 index closed down today, dragged lower by mining stocks as concerns over China continued. The index closed 1.04 per cent down at 6,073 points, despite strong gains made by BAE Systems. "BAE topped the FTSE 100, as investors sought out defence stocks after North Korea’s nuclear weapon test," said Jasper Lawler, an analyst at [...]
Payday lender Cash Genie folds after agreeing £20m redress deal with the Financial Conduct Authority January 6, 2016 Payday lender Cash Genie has collapsed into administration, just six months after it agreed to a £20m redress package for unfair practises with Britain's financial watchdog. The administration is being handled by liquidator RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP. However, with around £1.5m of funds remaining unclaimed, RSM is working to trace customers who are yet to redress [...]