Are there any safe bets for investors this election? December 10, 2019 | City Talk Political parties have not been able to agree on much this election. Whether it is Brexit or how the economy is run, the Conservatives and Labour have opposite views on almost everything. The Conservatives want to ‘get Brexit done’ so the UK is out of the EU by January, have a new trade deal signed [...]
DEBATE: Will the FCA’s new rules make peer-to-peer investing safer? December 10, 2019 Will the FCA’s new rules that came into force this week make the peer-to-peer investment sector safer? YES, says Rhydian Lewis, chief executive of RateSetter. The FCA has raised the bar in key areas such as risk management, governance, and disclosure. Peer-to-peer (P2P) is not a savings product, but it should be a low-risk investment, [...]
Chilango launches CVA that could wipe out burrito bond investors December 10, 2019 Around 1,500 bondholders are set to be left with a sour taste in their mouths after Chilango launched a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that could see their investments rendered virtually worthless. The stricken Mexican chain raised over £5.8m across two mini-bond offerings – dubbed burrito bonds – in 2014 and 2019, with bondholders promised eight [...]
Election promises little relief for troubled UK markets December 10, 2019 | City Talk The election represents another ‘key risk’ moment for UK assets. Depending on the result, some parts of the UK stock market could suffer heavily, while others might be beneficiaries of a surprise result. This is the dangerous part – trying to work out what comes next. Memories of the predictions made before Brexit and Trump [...]
Amazon strengthens dominance of UK e-commerce market December 10, 2019 Online retail giant Amazon increased its dominance of the UK e-commerce market this year, according to the latest research. Amazon boosted its market share from 28.8 per cent in 2018 to 30.1 per cent this year, accounting for $30bn in sales. Read more: Amazon nets Champions League rights The next largest player in the UK, [...]
Lloyds found to have failed customers hit by HBOS Reading branch fraudsters December 10, 2019 Lloyds Banking Group was found today to have failed in its compensation of customers who were hit by fraudsters in the Reading office of HBOS. A report by Sir Ross Cranston assessing the bank’s customer review, which was set up to compensate victims of the HBOS Reading fraud, found the review “did not achieve the [...]
Online retailer Koovs on brink of administration after failing to secure £6.5m funding December 10, 2019 India-focused online retailer Koovs announced it has applied for administration this afternoon after its biggest shareholder Future Lifestyle Fashions refused to invest an additional £6.5m into the company. London-listed Koovs saw its shares suspended today after it announced had been unable to secure alternative funding. Read more: Koovs hangs hopes on 2020 growth despite drop [...]
How do UK general elections impact the stock market? December 10, 2019 | City Talk General elections can have a profound long-term effect on the economy and people’s lives. The impact of elections on the stock market is less understood. Analysing the last seven UK elections, there is no definitive pattern as to how markets react, although there are historical patterns that may help investors and traders prepare for the [...]
Whoever wins this election, our politics will remain in flux December 10, 2019 Nothing except an election lost can be half so melancholy as an election won. That’s what the Duke of Wellington might have said after he swapped the battlefield for politics. Come Friday morning, each of the major parties will be reckoning with the result — and may find pain in victory as well as defeat. [...]
General Election: Who are City workers voting for? December 10, 2019 Two days ahead of the general election, politicians are travelling up and down the country to hammer home their campaign messages. However, for many in the City, neither Labour nor the Conservatives offer stability or financial certainty. Financial services will be the primary target of a Jeremy Corbyn-John McDonnell government, but Boris Johnson’s promise to [...]