Bovis Homes snaps up former Balfour Beatty boss November 12, 2013 Bovis Homes has snapped up Ian Tyler, the former boss of Balfour Beatty, as its new chairman to replace Malcolm Harris, who is retiring. Ian Tyler has spent over 20 years involved with the construction industry and is also a non-executive director at BAE Systems as well as chairman of the audit committee at Cable [...]
Premier League bids to hit £5bn November 12, 2013 War between BSkyB and BT for TV football rights set to escalate THE COST of broadcasting Premier League matches is set to soar as soon as next year, as competition over the coveted rights intensifies between BSkyB and rival BT. After Sky’s sports dominance was challenged over the weekend by BT’s knockout £900m bid to [...]
Golf courses use more land than UK homes November 12, 2013 EVERY home in England would fit on the same small amount of land we devote to full-sized golf courses, according to a shocking analysis of the UK’s housing shortage. On estimates from Colin Wiles of Inside Housing and the housing charity Shelter, roughly 1.1 per cent of the country is used on full-size golf courses [...]
City increases economic lead over rest of Britain November 12, 2013 THE CITY of London is increasing its lead as the most competitive economic region of the UK, a new study found yesterday – despite the financial crisis and government efforts to rebalance the economy. London hosts the nine most competitive boroughs, with the tenth being Windsor and Maidenhead, University of Cardiff and Nottingham Business School [...]
Firms hired by the state face behaviour tests November 12, 2013 PRIVATE firms working for the government must face inspections and audits to make sure they meet high standards of behaviour, the National Audit Office (NAO) said in a set of recommendations out today. Although firms often promise to behave well, the NAO believes the only way to make sure “the companies are not paying lip [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 12 November 2013 November 12, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Shadow banks reap Fed rate reward Loosely regulated non-bank lenders have emerged as among the biggest beneficiaries of the Federal Reserve’s ultra-low interest rates with three specialist categories increasing their assets by almost 60 per cent since the height of the financial crisis. Such lenders, widely considered part of the “shadow banking” system, [...]
Bigger capital buffer for HSBC November 12, 2013 HSBC and JP Morgan were yesterday told to hold bigger capital buffers to reflect their importance to the banking system. They topped the list of systemically important lenders put together by the Basel Committee, an international authority which monitors risks. The pair must hold an extra 2.5 per cent of loss absorbing capital. In the [...]
UBS predicts 2014 FTSE share rise November 12, 2013 The index of leading UK shares could rise another 10 per cent in 2014, analysts at investment bank UBS predicted yesterday. In a research note the analysts said the top 100 shares could hit 7,400 by the end of next year. The bullish forecast is based on improvements in the struggling Eurozone economy spilling over [...]
Just Retirement prices its float November 12, 2013 Insurer Just Retirement will price its initial public offering this morning and kick off trading, the latest in a long line of private equity-backed floats in London. The company will price its float at between 215p and 235p. It is understood a surge in demand from investors led banks handling the sale to cover the [...]
Chocfinger trader sells Armajaro unit to Ecom November 12, 2013 ARMAJARO Trading, the commodities firm backed by cocoa trader Anthony Ward – dubbed Chocfinger – yesterday said it would merge with Swiss trading giant Ecom Agroindustrial to create a new commodity powerhouse. The trading firm, which deals in cocoa, sugar and coffee, is being sold by parent Armajaro Holdings, owned by Ward, who was nicknamed [...]