Why Ocado shares have been chased sharply higher July 9, 2019 | City Talk A costly warehouse fire hasn’t dented enthusiasm for the shares. Our head of markets explains. Ocado (LSE:OCDO) transformation from online retailer to cutting-edge technology provider remains clear for all to see. The Andover fire in February was an unwelcome distraction and has come at a cost both in actual terms as well as in lost [...]
Daydreams are the key to creativity and business success July 9, 2019 I believe that there’s a reason why people phase out and daydream at work: it’s that their work is utterly tedious and offers them little reward besides the paycheck. If their work doesn’t require any personal input or even rudimentary thought, it’s no wonder that employees become disengaged from it. But dreaming – either daydreaming [...]
ii view: Sales retreat at Sainsbury’s July 8, 2019 | City Talk By Keith Bowman from interactive investor. Tough comparatives have impacted results for this supermarket, but that is no surprise. First quarter trading for 16 weeks to 29 June 2019 Total sales down 1.2 per cent (excluding fuel) Like-for-like sales declined 1.6 per cent (excluding fuel) Grocery sales fell 0.5 per cent General merchandise sales down 3.1 per cent [...]
Skills gap is costing UK business £4.4bn each year July 8, 2019 The UK’s skills shortage is having a significant impact on many employers’ productivity and competitiveness. In fact, the impact on productivity is so severe that the government has put addressing the skills shortage front and centre in its industrial strategy. For most businesses, buying skills in seems the easiest way to tackle shortages, but this [...]
London fintech Soldo scoops up $61m in funding July 8, 2019 London-based business banking fintech firm Soldo has today closed a $61m (£48.7m) series B funding round, led by Battery Ventures. Battery joined the round as a new investor alongside Dawn Capital, and existing investors Accel and Connect Ventures. The venture capital firms have previously backed the likes of iZettle, Facebook and Slack. Soldo, which provides [...]
Former Goldman Sachs chief Michael Sherwood to join UK fintech Revolut July 6, 2019 The former boss of Goldman Sachs European operations, Michael Sherwood, is set to join the board of UK fintech company Revolut. Sherwood, who is one of the most prominent bank executives in the City, will be announced in a non-executive directorship next week, according to Sky News. Read more: Revolut tops 100 startups of 2019 [...]
The 12 best-ranked major European markets July 5, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Find out which country ranks top for best earnings momentum, attractive valuations and profitability. A ranking of major European markets by analysts at UBS has placed the UK at the top of the pile for cheapness, but among the worst for profitability and earnings momentum. Sweden is the top ranked overall thanks [...]
Prudential UK property fund delays withdrawals for up to six months July 4, 2019 Last week Bank of England governor Mark Carney said these types of funds were "built on a lie"
Litecoin: latest predictions as LTC surges against dollar July 4, 2019 | City Talk Litecoin, probably the best-known cryptocurrency that isn’t Bitcoin, is on a roll. Along with its better-known rival, Litecoin is on the up and up, and Litecoin predictions have its value heading higher still. Some see the Litecoin future price in an almost vertical climb to reach and then exceed its December 2017 peak. Others are more [...]
The peer-to-peer industry isn’t doing enough to protect investors July 4, 2019 The abundance of peer-to-peer lenders offering high yielding loans has been getting the attention of regulators. Many peer-to-peer lenders target unsophisticated retail investors, who can invest as little as £100. And yet, there is a relatively high cost to on-board small investors, because platforms have to handle customer calls, and anti-money laundering requirements. There have [...]