We burn cash: deciphering the WeWork IPO filing August 15, 2019 | City Talk It burns through boats loads of cash, no one knows if it will ever make money and it’s going to be snapped up by millennials with their Robinhood accounts – WeWork is perfect IPO material in 2019. The last funding round valued the company around $47bn, but this looks lofty. 2019 has been hit-and-miss for [...]
European stocks back in red on China trade threat to US August 15, 2019 European stock markets have fallen firmly into the red after China’s finance ministry said the government has to retaliate against the latest US tariffs on $300bn worth of its goods. Read more: Recession warning lights flash red as UK and US ‘yield curves’ invert The ministry also said the move by US President Donald Trump [...]
Kazakh-stunned: Copper miner Kaz takes hit as prices falter August 15, 2019 Kazakhstan-based miner Kaz Minerals sounded a cautious note this morning after being stung by copper prices in the first half of the year. Pre-tax profit at the company dropped nearly 19 per cent to $289m, hurt especially by a 11 per cent drop in the price of copper, it’s main product. Read more: Evraz hails [...]
UK retail sales get surprise boost in July from stay-at-home shoppers August 15, 2019 British shoppers bought more than expected in July, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said today, in a sign that consumer spending could help the UK economy escape recession in the third quarter. Read more: BRC: July 2019 worst on record for retail sales growth The 0.2 per cent increase in the quantity of retail [...]
RBS takes share price hit after analyst downgrade August 15, 2019 The Royal Bank of Scotland was hit this morning as the bank went ex-dividend and two brokers had lowered their forecasts for the company’s shares. Analysts at Macquarie downgraded the company from buy to neutral this morning, slashing its target price to 201p, from 246p. IT came after the bank’s second-quarter adjusted operating profits fell [...]
Asian stock markets regain ground despite warning lights for global economy August 15, 2019 Asian stock markets have bounced somewhat following a tweet from US President Donald Trump floating a personal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and saying “good things were stated” on a phone call between the two sides. Read more: Recession warnings flash red as ‘yield curve’ inverts in UK and US Equities in Asia recovered [...]
City watchdog failing to protect consumers from high-risk investment firms August 14, 2019 Another day another investment scheme collapse. This time it is mini-bond firm Asset Life. News broke today that the company had crashed into administration last month owing more than 500 investors £8m. Asset Life had close links with fellow mini-bond firm London Capital & Finance (LCF), which went bust in December owing 11,600 investors £236m. [...]
London house prices continue to slide under Brexit pressure August 14, 2019 London house prices have continued their slide with a year-on-year fall of 2.7 per cent in June, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed today. Read more: London house prices suffer worst plunge in 10 years The figure marked a slowdown from the 3.1 per cent drop seen in May, however, which was [...]
Beware picking an investment – or a football team – for its glory days August 14, 2019 | City Talk Football being what it is, Liverpool’s triumphant Champions League campaign – with that extraordinary semi-final comeback against Barcelona to the fore – was never going to have every single club fan in the country up on their feet and cheering. Nevertheless, the weeks from the team’s victory over Spurs in June to the start of [...]
European stock markets slip back into red after German economy shrinks August 14, 2019 European stock markets have fallen into the red this morning after Germany’s economy shrank in the second quarter. Read more: German economy shrinks in second-quarter as exports slump Equities were also levelling out after US President Donald Trump put a rocket under global markets yesterday by announcing his country would hold back on some planned [...]