M&A slowdown crosses the Atlantic ahead of US Presidential Election September 27, 2016 Corporate dealmaking across the pond is slowing ahead of the US Presidential Election, fresh research has shown. The number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) taking place in North America has dropped 15 per cent so far this year, according to advisers Willis Towers Watson, while Europe is on course to set a post-crisis high in [...]
Single Market membership is not a realistic goal for the UK says shadow chancellor John McDonnell September 27, 2016 Hopes of retaining the UK's Single Market membership are not realistic according to shadow chancellor John McDonnell. Speaking at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, McDonnell said that while Labour would like to retain membership, it considered negotiated access to be a more likely result in the aftermath of Brexit. "At the moment we are [...]
Sadiq Khan has issued a coded warning to his Labour colleagues, demanding the party seeks power September 27, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has told the Labour party conference that while the leadership contest is over, the party must now seek power. Speaking in Liverpool, Khan listed achievements of Labour administrations, including his own in London, and argued the party's failure to achieve better results was allowing numbers of affordable homes built to to fall, and [...]
Second chance for BHS? An open letter to David Anderson, managing director of the newly online-only retailer September 27, 2016 Dear David Anderson, Whether it’s BHS or Woolworths, we all love a good phoenix from the ashes story, especially when it involves a great British brand. News that BHS is to be reincarnated online has been met with a cautious welcome. Cautious because the challenges ahead are considerable: in addition to the reputational damage the [...]
Oil price sinks after Iran and Saudi Arabia play down prospects of an output freeze September 27, 2016 Oil prices have sunk today as investors scale back their expectations of a deal to curb output between some of the world's biggest suppliers. Rival producers Iran and Saudi Arabia have both poured water on the possibility of a deal being reached to limit oil exports, which have remained at record highs all year. Both [...]
House of Fraser sales flat as it warns on a volatile trading environment that isn’t going away September 27, 2016 House of Fraser announced sales in the first half of the financial year were unchanged on a year ago, warning that it faces a "volatile trading environment" that is unlikely to change. Home was House of Fraser's strongest category, with sales for the 26 weeks to 30 July increasing by 4.5 per cent. But the House [...]
Mums could boost London economy by £16bn with more flexible working September 27, 2016 A lack of flexible work for stay-at-home mums is costing the capital up to £16bn in lost economic activity every year, a new report has found. Over three quarters of stay-at-home mums in London would go back to work if there were more flexible options, according a survey by Digital Mums and the Centre for Economics and [...]
United Utilities rises as trading remains in line with expectations September 27, 2016 Shares in United Utilities rose as much as 1.27 per cent to 998.50p per share today after it said first half trading remained in line with expectations. The London-listed firm expects group revenue to be slightly lower in the first half of 2016-17 due to the accounting impact of its Water Plus joint venture with Severn Trent. But underlying [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open September 27, 2016 A rise in US stock futures suggests investors are feeling more confident about a Clinton victory in the US election following the first candidate debate last night. Here's what you need to know before the US open at 2:30pm London time. The S&P is set to rise by 0.27 per cent at the open, while [...]