EEF: Manufacturers are suffering their sharpest contraction in six years December 7, 2015 Manufacturers are going through one of their worse periods of growth since the 2009 recession, according to survey figures released by EEF, a trade body, today. The percentage of manufacturers that said output had fallen over the last three months outweighed the percentage who reported an increase by 12 percentage points. It marks the sharpest contraction [...]
Lloyds automotive report: Car makers fear exports will stall as global economy slows December 7, 2015 Britain's car makers are becoming more pessimistic on their growth prospects, citing a weak global economy as the main reason. A survey of 100 UK car firms showed the global economy was the biggest concern for 43 per cent of them, making it the top worry for the second year running. The figures from Lloyds [...]
Want to beat your mid-life crisis? Buy a car or become an alderman. Men over 55 can get a happiness boost from fast cars and joining clubs December 7, 2015 There comes a time in every budding City big-wig's career when he or she gets a taste for fast cars, secret societies and just spending lots of money; the mid-life crisis. Now recent research has found that mid-50s ennui is not only very real and a big problem, but the only cure is giving in [...]
Shore Capital, Vodafone and CRH: Best of the Brokers for 07 December 2015 December 6, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com Analysts at Jefferies have retained a “hold” rating for building materials group CRH, after the firm released guidance on its recent acquisitions. Analysts found CRH’s core businesses are doing well in the US, where the commercial sector is recovering. The company has a [...]
Expected rate rise build up begins in US – New York Report December 6, 2015 Last week’s back-to-back equities selloff might have been a chance to ride a US stocks rally towards the end of the year, amid the goldilocks economy scenario of a strong jobs market and falling oil prices. The S&P 500 rallied two per cent Friday to eke a slight gain for the week, the ninth up [...]
The new influence: The&Collective founder Jenny Halpern Prince on why vlogs matter December 6, 2015 Video bloggers, or “social influencers” are fast becoming the BFF of marketers looking to court younger consumers. Brand advocacy is widely agreed to be more powerful than brand awareness, and social influencers with thousands of followers allow brands to engage with highly social audiences, unlike more traditional paid media. Last week, Jenny Halpern Prince, [...]
Why strong brands are stock market darlings December 6, 2015 The marketing industry is built around the understanding that a strong brand can drive sales and therefore deliver returns to shareholders. But new research from brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance has now put hard numbers behind this. The consultancy releases an annual list of the world’s most valuable brands, the Global 500. In 2015, for [...]
The Christmas party: Get a promotion and not a hangover December 6, 2015 As well as getting stuck into the mulled wine and mince pies, the office Christmas party is your chance to work the room and make a lasting impression in front of important players in your business. It’s the perfect opportunity to make key connections, overcome misconceptions, and climb the internal career ladder. Here are [...]
Unions and businesses get together to urge government to act fast on Heathrow expansion plans December 6, 2015 Business groups and trade unions have teamed up to urge the government to act quickly over the proposed third runway at Heathrow airport. Unite, TUC, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Business and business group London First have co-signed a letter to David Cameron, urging him to approve the new runway. The [...]
Inflation and skills shortages on the rise for London construction companies December 6, 2015 A growing skills shortage is causing London’s largest building contractors to turn down one in every two bidding opportunities, new data has revealed. The survey from infrastructure and support services group AECOM estimates that construction costs have risen annually by 10 per cent during 2015, with predicted increases of seven per cent in 2016 before [...]