Afren gets Roc Oil boss Alan Linn to lead turnaround plan April 7, 2015 Troubled oil firm Afren confirmed yesterday that Alan Linn had been appointed as chief executive after the company completes a $300m (£202m) funding deal with its lenders. Afren was forced to dismiss its chief executive Osman Shahenshah and finance chief Shahid Ullah in October last year after reports that they had been receiving unauthorised payments. [...]
Mark Carney fears UK at risk from Greek contagion April 7, 2015 Britain’s banks and insurers could be in danger if Greece leaves the Eurozone, the Bank of England warned yesterday. The UK is not heavily exposed to Greece itself, but if it exits the single currency then it could cause financial panic in other indebted economies like Spain and Italy, which would then hit Britain hard. [...]
Panmure Gordon: Tight General Election race is good for investors April 7, 2015 A close General Election leading to another coalition government is good for stock market investors, economists at Panmure Gordon said yesterday, defying the conventional wisdom that this would bring bad uncertainty. In a boost to the Liberal Democrats, the analysis argues that both Labour and the Conservatives have policies which would damage the economy, while another [...]
Rangers shares cancelled on Aim and Dave King gets closer to chair role April 7, 2015 Scottish football club Rangers has ceased trading on Aim. The club’s admission to trading on the junior market was cancelled yesterday, after it announced last week that it was suspending its shares ahead of a move to the ICAP Securities & Derivatives Exchange, also home to Arsenal Football Club. Meanwhile, South Africa-based businessman Dave King [...]
UK regions lift European real estate prices April 7, 2015 European commercial property prices grew by a record 7.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, fuelled by the ongoing recovery in the UK’s regional property markets. Figures out yesterday by property adviser DTZ show that prices rose by 20 per cent for the year overall thanks to a record last quarter, when [...]
Half of British men do nothing for charity, says new report April 7, 2015 Almost half of British men do not contribute anything to help charitable causes, according to new research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). 48 per cent of men don't engage in volunteering, donating or sponsoring in a typical month. The figure differs radically for women, with 63 per cent engaging in some sort of charitable [...]
Savills chief executive Jeremy Helsby takes home £2.2m after record year April 7, 2015 The property market may be something of a minefield to navigate currently, with supply pressures and low interest rates on the one hand and the mortgage market review and the threat of new taxes on the other. But there are no jitters at upmarket estate agent Savills, which awarded its executive directors a healthy jump [...]
Afren share price jumps on confirmation Alan Linn will become new chief executive April 7, 2015 Embattled oil firm Afren has confirmed speculation that Alan Linn is the anointed one, saying he will become chief executive and concluding a six-month search. Shares in the Aim-listed company shot up seven per cent as investors were buoyed by the news, which signals a return to less choppy waters. Afren said Linn, formerly the [...]
UK services sector activity surges as PMI jumps in March April 7, 2015 Activity in the UK's services sector surged in March, new data suggests: Markit's purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 58.9 in March, its highest in seven months. Not only was the figure a sharp rise on the previous month's reading of 56.7, it was also way above the 57 analysts were expecting. Any figure above 50 [...]
Ryanair share price rises as passengers soar more than a quarter in March April 7, 2015 Confirmation Ryanair's attempts to show its softer side are working? Passenger numbers at the airline rose 28 per cent in March, figures published this morning showed. Ryanair said it carried 6.7m passengers during the month, up from 5.2m in March last year. Its load factor – how full its planes were, on average – rose [...]