Tech firm Softcat to IPO on the London Stock Exchange October 19, 2015 A leading UK IT infrastructure and services provider, Softcat, has announced its intention to float on the London Stock Exchange next month. After its admission, the Buckinghamshire-based company expects to be eligible for inclusion in the FTSE at the quarterly review in March. The offer will consist of a sale of shares currently held by founders of Softcat. Senior members [...]
ITV, UTV, he/she/it TVs: ITV to buy Northern Irish channels for £100m October 19, 2015 British broadcaster ITV has snapped up the TV business of the leading commercial broadcaster in Northern Ireland, UTV, for £100m. The deal means that STV in Scotland is the only remaining independent ITV regional broadcaster. It will put 13 of 15 channel 3 licences in the hands of ITV, and the company said the combined business would benefit [...]
China’s third quarter GDP beats expectations, but it’s the weakest economic growth since 2009 October 19, 2015 China's economy grew by more than expected in the third quarter of this year, easing fears that it is slowing at a greater pace than previously thought. China's statistics bureau said this morning that the country's gross domestic product increased 6.9 per cent between July and September from a year ago, beating analysts' estimates for 6.8 [...]
“Abandoned” patents jump as businesses slash intellectual property costs October 19, 2015 “Abandoned” patents have jumped, as businesses are cutting costs on intellectual property. Nearly 124,000 patents in the US and Europe were allowed to expire last year, up nearly a third compared to the same figure in 2004, according to research from IAM and Ocean Tomo. As abandoned patents rise, the number of new patent applications [...]
UK grocery sector shows green shoots of recovery as distress levels fall October 19, 2015 Britain’s supermarket sector is showing signs of recovery, according to new research from Begbies Traynor that reveals the number of companies struggling to stay afloat declined for the first time in over two years. The business recovery specialist’s latest Red Flag Alert research, which monitors the health of UK companies, shows levels of “significant” financial [...]
UK footfall recovers in September but high streets lose out to retail parks October 19, 2015 Retailers enjoyed more visitors through their doors in September, boosted by the onset of the colder autumn weather and the August bank holiday falling into last month’s survey period. Footfall was almost flat on September last year, down by just 0.2 per cent, figures released today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and retail analysts Springboard [...]
London house prices up by 10 per cent in October and first-time buyers bear the brunt – Rightmove October 19, 2015 There's just no end to it. London house prices are 9.8 per cent higher than they were in October 2014, data released today by online property market Rightmove reveals. Nationally, house prices rose 5.6 per cent year-on-year with first-time buyer properties leading the way at 9.6 per cent. The number of properties coming to the London [...]
UK infrastructure is lagging behind on global value rankings October 19, 2015 The UK is falling behind in global rankings on its infrastructure, according to research published today. The value of Britain’s built environment – its buildings and infrastructure – is currently £3.1 trillion, the research from Arcadis, a consultancy, and the Centre for Economics and Business Research said. The UK ranks 13th against a host of other [...]
Eurozone geared up for lending recovery as Draghi weighs up further stimulus October 19, 2015 Financial conditions in the Eurozone are in line for a buoyant 2016 with economists at a major consultancy forecasting a long-awaited revival in credit growth. Meanwhile, the currency-bloc’s policy makers could be tempted into expanding their €1.1 trillion (£810bn) money-printing programme as early as this Thursday after dropping numerous hints over recent weeks. Private sector borrowing [...]
Investor feel-good factor made a return in October – Lloyds Bank October 19, 2015 Investor confidence picked up in October, according to research from Lloyds Bank. There was an improvement in eight out of 10 asset classes, although safe havens gold and UK government bonds saw a surprise dip in sentiment despite having the strongest performances. Overall investor net sentiment rose by four percentage points, taking it to an average [...]