Pensions sales drive strong third quarter results for Royal London November 6, 2014 Royal London Group – the UK’s largest mutual life and investment company – posted strong third-quarter results yesterday, with pensions sales up 39 per cent year-on-year. Group pension sales were a key driver for company’s positive results, up 101 per cent to £1.72bn from the third quarter of last year. Individual pensions and drawdown sales [...]
Prezzo gobbled up for £304m by American private equity firm TPG November 6, 2014 Prezzo yesterday agreed to a £303.7m cash bid by American private equity firm TPG, valuing the high street Italian restaurant chain at almost 10 times its operating profit. TPG, which saw off competition from buyout firm Advent to seal the deal, launched the offer via Papa Bidco, a newly incorporated company indirectly owned by the [...]
Peer-to-peer platforms need to mature – or risk innovation-stifling regulation November 6, 2014 IT’S NOT surprising that peer-to-peer lending is becoming so popular. After years of low interest rates and scandals, there is a feeling that financial services should get back to basics. And after all the upheaval in banking, there is a desire to look at new ways of lending – preferably ones that pay a decent [...]
ETF essentials: Why low cost funds are often the best performers November 4, 2014 THE ACTIVE versus passive investing debate has been rumbling on for years within the investment industry and the media. Often the views are polarised – fully active or fully passive – but they also regularly miss out a key part of the debate: getting your asset allocation right. Myriad studies have highlighted that this is [...]
A second look at portfolio risk: Are you really playing it safe? October 28, 2014 I’VE NEVER been a fan of the “best buy” lists published by the major fund platforms. But I always find it interesting to see what is attracting the hard-earned savings of private investors. The best-selling funds lists for September reveal the usual suspects: UK equity income, emerging markets and a couple of specific sector funds [...]
GHO Capital Partners’ finance boss to open Private Equity Combat Sports class for Krav Maga fans October 23, 2014 The first rule of fight club, is you do not talk about fight club. But what about the first rule of private equity fight club? We’re not talking about punch-ups over the last croissant outside The Savoy Grill, the PE industry is to get its own combat class – organised by an industry insider. Duncan [...]
Market volatility could be an opportunity for smart investors October 22, 2014 It’s common knowledge among successful investors that, if you’re likely to be buying investments over a long period of time, it’s going to work in your favour if the price sometimes goes down. Global stock markets have lost around 8 per cent since early July. Is now a good time for adventurous investors to put [...]
Quorn Foods owner Exponent Private Equity eyes another buyout exit October 19, 2014 Vegetarian favourite Quorn Foods has emerged as the latest candidate to be put on the auction block after its private equity backers started mulling plans to harvest its stake in the group. Exponent Private Equity is thought to be looking at options for the meat-free foods manufacturer, which it bought in 2011 for £205m. Groups [...]
Has the time come to privatise pensions? October 16, 2014 Future generations could be short-changed and the public finances put in jeopardy unless the UK takes serious measures to reform the state pension system, according to a report released today by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) One way to give pensioners and taxpayers a better to deal would be to revive savers' ability to [...]
Don’t panic: How to keep your head in volatile stock markets October 15, 2014 THE PAST month has been tough for financial markets. Despite strong economic performance in the UK and US, investors will have to get used to volatile markets, as growth in Europe and emerging markets continues to disappoint and the US Federal Reserve winds down its QE programme. September and October are typically bad [...]