UK house prices: Estate agent group House Network offers “ghost-free certification service” October 9, 2015 If there's something strange in your (future) neighbourhood, who are you going to call? A new service promising to “prove” to buyers that their property isn't haunted might be a start. Sceptics among us might scoff, but the potential that a house might be haunted can force prices down – one recent survey by estate [...]
China is smoking itself to death: One in three young men will die from the habit October 9, 2015 A new study published in The Lancet reveals that two-thirds of men in the world's second largest economy start to smoke at a young age, and of these half will die as a result of the habit. In total, one in three young men in China is expected to die because of smoking. Read more: As [...]
Top apprentices can earn £50,000 more than university graduates, Sutton Trust study claims October 9, 2015 Apprentices with the highest qualifications can earn £50,000 more than a university graduate over the course of their lifetime, new research claims. Those apprentices who train up to a level five qualification stand to take home almost £1.5m in the course of their career on average, beating the typical person with an undergraduate degree from a non-Russell [...]
Bank’s decision to hold rates helps FTSE rise – London Report October 9, 2015 THE BANK of England’s decision yesterday to keep interest rates at record low levels contributed to rises in the blue-chip FTSE 100 index. A continuing surge in energy and mining shares also helped the index to maintain a run of rises. The FTSE 100 ended 0.6 per cent stronger at 6,374.82 points, outperforming major European [...]
Best of the Brokers for 09 October 2015 October 9, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BREWIN DOLPHIN Canaccord Genuity expect that the FTSE 250 investment fund Brewin Dolphin’s fourth quarter revenues will be hit by a downturn in the markets. The broker has maintained its “buy” rating, but lowered its target price from 357p to 309p as it [...]
Professional and partisan: Should firms do politics? Be wary of taking a line on social issues outside your sector October 9, 2015 Businesses have always needed politicians to understand their concerns. But excessive interference by companies in politics may threaten their neutrality, long considered key to appealing to the broadest customer base possible. But in today’s fight for market share, businesses have more than just the dividend to think about. Indeed, the pressure on firms to [...]
Mind the price gap: Night Tube lifts values October 9, 2015 The arrival of London’s Night Tube will bring with it a price premium of as much as 10 per cent for properties close to a handful of selected stations along the route, according to research from Sellmyhome.co.uk and Dataloft. Homes close to Stratford, Willesden Green, Mile End and Canada Water are set to rise more [...]
City jobs hit a peak: Financial services push employment boom to all time high October 9, 2015 Financial services are powering a dramatic boom in jobs growth, with employment in the City now at an all time high, according to a major new report. At the end of June this year there were a record 729,000 people employed in financial and professional services in London, a 2.2 per cent increase on 2014, [...]
Former foreign secretary Lord Owen warns Brexit looms if Cameron fails to get EU change October 9, 2015 Former foreign secretary Lord David Owen has warned that unless Prime Minister David Cameron secures treaty change within the European Union, UK voters will vote to leave the EU. “If the British government reach an agreement in principle before the end of 2017, but do not achieve real and specific treaty changes prior to a [...]