Consumers growing more positive about personal finance but worried over UK economy October 30, 2015 People are feeling more positive about their personal finances, but more worried about the general UK economy, new research today reveals. The latest UK Consumer Confidence Barometer, conducted by market research giant GfK, surveyed 2,000 individuals on how the financial situation of their household had changed over the past 12 months. The index increased by [...]
China’s Baidu sees shares jump by over six per cent as company reveals growth in mobile business October 29, 2015 Chinese search engine Baidu saw shares shoot up by over six per cent in after hours trading, after the company said its solid third quarter performance had given it confidence to keep investing The figures The company reported earnings per share of 7.92 renminbi (£0.81) for the three months to 30 September, surpassing analysts' expectations [...]
Brexit referendum: S&P will downgrade the UK’s AAA credit rating if we leave the EU October 29, 2015 Britain's credit rating could be downgraded by as much as two notches if we leave the EU, Standard & Poor's told City A.M. yesterday. The UK has a AAA rating, but S&P's chief sovereign rating officer Moritz Kraemer said it could drop one notch, to AA with a vote to leave the EU, and drop two [...]
Expedia share price rises as travel group increases bookings by 21 per cent October 29, 2015 Shares in travel firm Expedia headed up by over 10 per cent in after hours trading after the group, which includes the Trivago, Hotels.com and Travelocity brands, posted its third quarter results. The figures The company posted $15.4bn (£10bn) in gross bookings for the three months to 30 September, up 21 per cent from the same [...]
Time Warner Cable share price jumps as it posts better-than-expected third quarter results October 29, 2015 Time Warner Cable's (TWC) share price gained over three per cent today, after it posted better-than-expected results for the third quarter, ahead of being taken over by Charter Communications. The figures The company posted revenue of $5.9bn (£3.9bn) for the three months to 30 September, up 3.6 per cent on $5.7bn in the same period [...]
MasterCard beats expectations as customers seek priceless memories abroad October 29, 2015 Mastercard customers spent more abroad during the third quarter, helping the payment processing company beat expectations with a small rise in profit. The NYSE-listed firm posted a 16 per cent rise in cross-border volumes – the amount people spend in transactions in other countries – which helped the total volume of transactions rise by 13 [...]
Overseas real estate investment into UK regions to hit £14bn this year October 29, 2015 Foreign buyers are splashing out on real estate outside of London, with investment levels expected to hit a record £14bn by the end of the year. Record high prices in the capital have forced investors to look further afield at other cities including Manchester and Birmingham for comparatively higher yields and better returns. Around £10.5bn [...]
Lord Davies review: Female directors aren’t enough for boardroom diversity, we need female executives too October 29, 2015 This morning, Lord Davies launched the final instalment of his five-year plan to address the issue of gender inequality in British boardrooms.Proudly proclaiming the end of all-male FTSE boards, with firms all meeting the voluntary target of 25 per cent female board members, Lord Davies now argues that the original target should be replaced. The [...]
Brits plan on spending £700m on smart technology to protect their homes, finds Allianz Insurance October 29, 2015 Britons plan to splash out £700m on smart technology to protect their homes, with one in five people planning to invest, an Allianz Insurance study revealed today. According to Allianz Insurance’s Smart Tech Safer Homes study, forward-thinking Londoners are leading the way. Those living in the city having already spent £774 on average on smart home-protection [...]
Equities remain the best-selling asset for fifth month in a row, finds the Investment Association October 29, 2015 Equities remained the best-selling asset type for the fifth month in a row, with net retail sales of £1.1bn in September 2015, figures from the Investment Association revealed today. The September sales results for equities are up from August, when net retail sales for equities were £526m, significantly down from net retail sales in July [...]