UK pension changes prove positive for insurance group LV as half year profit jumps September 9, 2015 Insurance group LV reported a 103 per cent jump in operating profit during the first half of the year, a period in which the firm said it had altered its offering to suit changing customer needs. Group operating profit was up to £79m in the six months to 30 June, from £39m in the [...]
Mergers and aquisitions defy stormy global financial markets as M&A deals involving UK firms jump past £260bn September 9, 2015 Businesses pushed ahead with billions of dollars’ worth of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) yesterday, unperturbed by recent volatility that has shaken global markets. Deals involving UK firms jumped past the $400bn (£260bn) mark for the year to date as takeover Tuesday gripped the City. PaddyPower and Betfair agreed a £6bn merger; Cinven revealed [...]
Aldi and Lidl market share: The only way is up for discount supermarkets September 9, 2015 No-frills retailers such as Aldi and Lidl are set for decent growth in the UK, with experts predicting that an overall rise in spending will offset any substitution towards pricier retailers as the economy recovers. “With consumer confidence at its highest point in many countries since the global recession and economic growth expected to continue… [...]
UK housing marktet: Record low rates spur mortgage lending climb September 9, 2015 Record low borrowing costs and competition between banks led to a rise in mortgage lending from April to June, figures released by the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority showed yesterday. The total value of mortgages advanced was £52.5bn over the period, a 15.1 per cent jump on the same time last year. The [...]
Plexus unveils wellhead developed in response to Gulf of Mexico crisis September 9, 2015 AIM-listed oil and gas services firm Plexus Holdings yesterday launched its new Python Subsea wellhead, developed to address safety issues thrown into light by the Gulf of Mexico disaster in 2010. Plexus has been working on the new wellhead since 2011, as part of a joint industry project supported by BG, Shell, Maersk, Total and [...]
Lufthansa to cancel 1,000 flights tomorrow as pilots extend strikes September 8, 2015 German airline Lufthansa will cancel 1,000 flights tomorrow, after the pilot strike was extended into a second day and ramped up a notch. Lufthansa said its pilots' union broadened strike action from long-haul flights to medium- and short-haul services, meaning around 140,000 passengers will have to endure cancellations tomorrow. But it said 500 flights will still run, [...]
CBI chief Paul Drechsler sounds alarm over the National Living Wage September 8, 2015 The boss of one of Britain's biggest business bodies has warned over the unforeseen impact of the National Living Wage, amid growing concern from some of the companies that will be affected. "I've talked to several chief executives and been surprised by the impact on their profits of the change," Paul Drechsler, chief executive of [...]
International students splash out £600m in rent on flats in London September 8, 2015 London’s international student population is contributing £600m in rent to the capital, new research shows, with some of the wealthiest students spending three times the average UK worker on their home. The student property sector has boomed in recent years thanks to rising student numbers and an undersupply of flats to house them, with UK [...]
Rolls-Royce dented by anti-corruption moves in China September 8, 2015 Rolls-Royce yesterday conceded that sales of its luxury cars have been hit by a fall in demand in China. The chief executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, talking to the BBC World Service’s World Business Report, said the turnaround in the market had been unexpectedly fast. “We have been surprised by the speed of development in the Chinese [...]
Bank of England governor Mark Carney readies for grilling from newly formed Treasury Select Committee September 8, 2015 Bank of England boss Mark Carney will be among the first witnesses to appear before the newly-formed Treasury Select Committee tomorrow. Carney and other policymakers from the Old Lady will be quizzed about financial stability and the economic outlook for the UK. Conservative MP and committee chair Andrew Tyrie has said he will ask questions [...]