Burberry puts more emphasis on the Chinese market as it buys up the remaining stake in its retail operation there August 1, 2016 Asia has proved a mixed bag for UK businesses in recent months, with some banks doing everything they can to manoeuvre out of the continent as volatility continued to rock markets. But now Burberry has taken the bold decision to move further into the Chinese market, buying the remaining 15 per cent stake in its Chinese [...]
Fresh delay for US rate hike on weak growth figures August 1, 2016 The prospect of a second US interest rate rise since the recession has slipped back following weak GDP data and some dovish comments from one of the Federal Reserve's key rate-setters. Futures markets now indicate the probability of a rate rise by the end of the year is less than one in three, down from around [...]
UBS rogue trader Kweku Adoboli is sorry but warns it could happen again August 1, 2016 UBS rogue trader Kweku Adoboli has warned banking culture still has a lot to answer for. Adoboli was convicted on two counts of fraud in 2012 after his unauthorised trading lost Swiss banking giant UBS £1.4bn. He was released from prison last summer after serving around half of his seven-year sentence. Now, Adoboli has told [...]
Asian shares climb on weak US and Eurozone growth figures August 1, 2016 Asian shares climbed higher overnight everywhere except China as markets benefitted from Friday’s weak growth figures in both the US and the Eurozone. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.4 per cent to hit 16,635, largely unchanged on its level before the Bank of Japan (BoJ) decided on Friday to hold back on fresh stimulus. In Hong [...]
No Brexit blues for Dave, Del Boy or Rodney: Business as usual for UKTV after referendum August 1, 2016 It’s “business as usual” for UKTV, the owner of TV channels Dave and Gold, after the UK’s Brexit vote. The company has today reported that it is “outpacing the British broadcast market”, with a record share of commercial impacts (SOCI), claiming 9.74 per cent, and “significant growth” of audience share and on-demand viewing in the first half [...]
Barclays is ditching telephone passwords for voice recognition August 1, 2016 Barclays is making passwords for telephone banking obsolete by rolling out voice recognition technology to all its customers. The use of biometric technology is being explored by several banks, but Barclays is the first UK bank to make the technology – which works in the same way as a fingerprint – widely available. Read more: Passwords are [...]
Nuffield Health bulks up with acquisition of 35 Virgin Active gyms, including 10 in London August 1, 2016 Nuffield Health has flexed its muscles with the acquisition of 35 Virgin Active gyms across the UK. The sites, which include 10 in London, will open their doors today as Nuffield Health fitness and wellbeing centres. The company will also take official ownership of the gyms today and will launch a multi-million pound rebranding programme. [...]
Royal Mint Court near the Tower of London gets planning permission for a redevelopment that includes space for a start up hub August 1, 2016 The capital is to get space for a new tech hub in the former home of the Royal Mint near the Tower of London. A proposal to remodel and refurbish the historic building, called Royal Mint Court, has received planning permission from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The plans by Delancey and the LRC [...]
Labour’s love affair with fantasy economics August 1, 2016 In a recent interview Jeremy Corbyn was asked to identify his successes of the past year. Alongside saying sorry for the Iraq war, the Labour leader said “turning the party into one that challenges the economic orthodoxy” comes high on his list of achievements. He may be challenging it, but he's far from forging a [...]
City Moves for 1 August 2016 | Who’s switching jobs August 1, 2016 Independent Oil and Gas Independent Oil and Gas has appointed David Peattie as chairman. David has 35 years’ industry experience and was most recently the CEO of Fairfield Energy, an oil & gas company owned by a syndicate of North American and European private equity investors, led by Riverstone and Warburg Pincus. David began his [...]