It’s Equal Pay Day – but women still expect to earn 20 per cent less than men November 9, 2015 Happy Equal Pay Day – or not, as, thanks to the pay gap between male and female workers, women are now effectively working for free from today until the end of the year. A new survey by jobs website reed.co.uk has discover that women now expect to earn 20 per cent less than men, and [...]
Quindell to make a new start with name change to Watchstone Group – as it seeks shareholder approval for £414m capital return November 9, 2015 After 18 months of horror, insurance claims processor Quindell is after a new start: the company today said it was seeking shareholder approval to change its name to the decidedly austere-sounding Watchstone Group. Quindell announced the plans for its new identity in a statement this morning, although it didn't give shareholders much of an indication why. Perhaps it's something to [...]
The Gym Group fixes valuation at £250m with today’s IPO November 9, 2015 Pay-as-you-go fitness chain The Gym Group has set its IPO at 195p per share, giving the company a market cap of around £250m. This is lower than the original valuation, which had been expected to come in around £300m. The business will be issuing just over 64m shares to the main market, 50 per cent [...]
RW Baird chiefs on the respectful way they do business and their plans to expand in the City November 9, 2015 Think banking is all about “sharp elbows,” gruelling hours, and job-hopping ‘til you reach the top? Zealous midwesterners Paul Purcell and Steve Booth, who run wealth-management-cum-investment-bank outfit RW Baird, say that they offer a more respectful way of doing business. Their bank has long-term partners, a “no asshole policy”, and has ended deal-related incentives for [...]
UK companies raised over £20bn in a year through share and debt issues, reveals accountancy firm Moore Stephens November 9, 2015 UK companies fetched a net total of £20.3bn though share and debt issues in the year ended 30 September 2015, according to figures released today by accountancy firm Moore Stephens. The £20.3bn figure, which refers to the total amount levied through new share and debt issues less the amount repaid on share buybacks and debt, [...]
Britain needs to concentrate on high-growth markets instead of emerging economies – EY November 9, 2015 Britain should concentrate less on the emerging economies and more on high-growth markets if it wants to increase its share of global exports, a report by financial services company EY says today. Launched to coincide with United Kingdom Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) export week, EY Item Club’s analysis draws research undertaken over the past three [...]
Mining sector chips away at revenues in FTSE 350 companies, finds The Share Centre November 9, 2015 The UK’S FTSE 350 companies with year ends falling in the second quarter of 2015 have seen their collective revenue fall five per cent to £100.5bn compared to last year, thanks to poor performance in the mining industry, figures released today by The Share Centre have revealed. However, The Share Centre’s most recent Profit Watch [...]
CIPD: Strong supply of skilled staff will limit wage inflation November 9, 2015 Workers are unlikely to see much in the way of wage inflation over the next year, a report published today by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has found. The 1,037 HR professionals and employers surveyed for the CIPD’s latest Labour Market Outlook report revealed that they only intended to raise basic pay [...]
Strong rule of law needed for steady business, finds report by law firm Linklaters November 9, 2015 The rule of law – essentially, the idea that nobody is above the law – has come under threat in recent years, and could lower the UK’s desirability to do business with, according to a report released today by Linklaters. The magic circle firm’s study, entitled In defence of the Rule of Law, argues that [...]
Executive pay packets now closer aligned to company performance, finds new report by professional services firm PwC November 9, 2015 Bosses’ bumper pay packets have become more reflective of company performance, according to a new report released this morning. In their study, called Sunlight is the best disinfectant, PwC argues that greater transparency has firmer tied executive bonuses to company performance. By examining FTSE 100 companies over the last five years, the audit giant has [...]