The war on London’s nightlife is damaging businesses – and ruining our fun October 15, 2014 Londoners like to think of the capital as a thriving international destination, full of creative people, bustling with ideas, and a cultural and entertainment rival to all the major cities of the world. Generally, they may be right, if a little parochial. But in one area this is just no longer true: the night-time economy. [...]
As the Aldermore flotation falls through, is the IPO market showing signs of collapse? October 15, 2014 John West, equity capital markets editor at Dealreporter, says Yes. Institutional investors started 2014 hungry for European initial public offerings (IPOs) – even at full valuations. Not any more. Yesterday, the VDAX-NEW volatility index hit a two-year high above 26 – well outside the 15-20 sweet spot in which bankers ideally place new stock. IPOs [...]
Aldermore IPO decision shows how little appetite there is from anything but exceptional unlisted companies October 15, 2014 The decision by advisers to Aldermore, the lender to small businesses, to pull its flotation is the most high profile collapse in the new issues market this year, reflecting widespread concerns that there is little appetite left in London market for anything but exceptional unlisted companies who wish to raise new funds. The group, [...]
Africa isn’t a country: Don’t judge this thriving continent by the Ebola crisis October 14, 2014 REPORTS of people cancelling safari holidays in Kenya and South Africa due to fears of Ebola (over 3,000 miles away in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) are the latest manifestation of the devastating impact on African economies wrought by the perception of Africa as one homogenous place. Nowhere else in the world would 54 countries, [...]
The happy band of the self-employed is remaking our economy for the better October 14, 2014 HOW MANY workers does the typical American firm employ? Actually, it is a trick question. The answer is “zero”. More than 50 per cent of all companies in the United States are one-person operations – the owner, and no-one else. This fragmentation of size is increasingly reflected in the UK. Here, the main growth is [...]
How transparency and psychology can help us bridge the diversity gap October 14, 2014 BUSINESSES in the City have long been struggling to bridge the divide between the diversity we see in our clients and society and the make-up of our own staff. We need to change, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because the future prosperity of our businesses depends on it. At [...]
With Brent crude prices at a four-year low, is Opec’s power over the oil market waning? October 14, 2014 Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, says Yes. Opec’s control over global oil prices is waning because supply growth increasingly comes from non-Opec producers. An example is the US, where production has risen to the highest level in 28 years – largely due to the shale revolution, which has added almost 4m [...]
A rising populist politics of envy has the City in its sights: Banks must fight back October 13, 2014 LIFE could become even more difficult for the financial sector in the coming year. The fundamental forces shaping UK politics threaten an aggressive new round of regulation and taxation. These forces derive from a steady growth in envy and parochialism in politics, and the weakness of capitalist voices within the wider conservative movement. After the [...]
This anti-immigration arms race exemplifies everything that’s wrong with politicians October 13, 2014 "Race relations/immigration” is now ranked by voters as the most important issue facing Britain, according to Ipsos MORI. On 39 per cent, it’s above the economy and the NHS – areas the Conservatives and Labour want at the centre of their 2015 campaigns. This concern is not new. Even in the 1990s, when net migration [...]
Cameron has given up on NHS reform – and has put the health service at risk October 13, 2014 THE NHS costs £110bn a year in England alone, amounting to around 7 per cent of GDP. It employs more than 1.3m people, and its success or failure touches all of our lives, while indirectly affecting the strength of every business. So it matters that, as reported yesterday, the government now sees its NHS policy [...]