M&S buying growth with Ocado? February 27, 2019 | City Talk M&S’s purchase of Ocado’s UK retail business looks rather like one of its own ready meals – overpriced, not very good for you but easy, quick and ready to heat up. M&S and Ocado have confirmed the details of their joint venture. M&S is paying up to £750m for the 50/50 stake in Ocado’s UK [...]
How VCTs can be used to build the next ARM in the UK February 27, 2019 | Sponsored When Venture Capital Trusts were launched in 1995, their purpose was simple: enable SMEs to raise risk equity finance. It’s easy to see why. In 2018, small businesses made up 99.3 per cent of the private sector in the UK and 60 per cent of all private sector jobs. SMEs play an important role in the economy, [...]
It makes smart business sense to invest in the future of refugees February 27, 2019 Amid scenes of refugees’ flight from Venezuela, it is easy to forget that the world’s largest refugee crisis remains Syria. And that’s why the UK-Jordan Conference in London tomorrow is so important. Jordan has generously provided refuge for more than 670,000 Syrian refugees fleeing their homes amid a brutal war. Its role in the stability [...]
If we’re going to get serious climate action, we need to talk honestly about the economic costs February 27, 2019 Sydney University’s Centre for Complex Systems does innovative work on a broad range of topics. But spending the last couple of weeks there has also given me a wider perspective on some familiar themes. Climate change is, quite literally, a hot topic in Australian politics. The country melted in 45-degree record temperatures in January, and [...]
Chemicals firm Croda stockpiles goods ahead of Brexit February 26, 2019 Chemical manufacturer Croda announced today it is stockpiling goods in mainland Europe and adapting its trading model in preparation for Brexit. Read more: Carney: UK growth 'guaranteed' to fall in no-deal Brexit The British firm, which supplies chemicals to Unilever, Proctor & Gamble and L'Oreal among others, also saw adjusted profit before tax tick up 1.2 [...]
No-deal Brexit could hit Germany’s economy, industry body warns February 26, 2019 A no-deal Brexit could wipe at least 0.5 per cent off Germany’s GDP, a German industry body warned today. Read more: Carney: UK growth 'guaranteed' to fall in no-deal Brexit Joachim Lang, managing director of Germany’s BDI industry association, predicted a hard Brexit would slash €17bn (£14.7bn) from Germany's economy. The German government forecasts that economic growth [...]
Shine taken off Fresnillo as silver production set to fall this year February 26, 2019 Shares in Fresnillo sunk today as the miner warned that it was looking towards a year where prices could fall, inflation could rise and exchange rates could hit its bottom line. The figures Fresnillo grew its silver production by 5.3 per cent to 62m ounces in 2018, while gold increased 1.3 per cent to 923,000 [...]
How to ride the pound sterling rollercoaster through a no-deal Brexit February 26, 2019 With no signs of letting up, the cold winds of Brexit uncertainty blowing through parliament have been pretty chilling for the UK economy. With Theresa May revealing on Sunday that MPs might not vote on her new deal until 12 March, and rumours swirling that Brexit may be delayed until May or beyond, businesses are [...]
‘Loser’: Gold bosses locked in war of words after Barrick bids for Newmont February 26, 2019 The bosses at two of the world’s biggest gold miners have been trading insults after a proposed mega-merger which would make them colleagues. Barrick Gold chief executive Mark Bristow, who yesterday launched an $18bn (£14bn) hostile bid for Newmont, told Reuters his counterpart at the company is a “loser”. Read more: Barrick Gold launches $18bn [...]
Leaked information on M&A deals leads to higher valuations February 26, 2019 | City Talk Leaking information on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals before any public announcement of the transaction added an extra US$21m to the average value of deals announced in 2016 that leaked, according to new research from Intralinks and Cass Business School. In addition to evidence of higher valuations for M&A deals that leak, the 2017 Intralinks [...]