Companies will reap the rewards if they help make Brexit work for Britain October 3, 2016 Twelve years before Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, Toronto-born social psychology professor Lee Ross was studying what he called the false consensus effect at Stanford University. Ross found that people falsely believe there is a consensus on an issue, even if wider data runs contrary, because those around them think the same way [...]
Love at first sight for EliteSingles October 3, 2016 The parent company of the premium dating service EliteSingles, Affinitas GmbH, made the first move and acquired French dating site Attractive World. Attractive World is the number one dating service in France and also operates in Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. More than 2m singles have applied to the site since its creation in 2007. During [...]
Is Deutsche Bank the world’s greatest contrarian trade? October 3, 2016 Who'd invest in a German bank? A roller-coaster two weeks for Deutsche Bank, the country’s largest lender by assets, has only reinforced the volatile position the sector now finds itself in. It’s highly likely that the top dogs at Deutsche will sweet-talk US regulators into reducing their $14bn settlement, but the bank is by no means [...]
Bass Pro Shops to snap up Cabela’s in a deal worth $5.5bn October 3, 2016 US fishing and hunting equipment chain Cabela's has agreed to sell itself to another outdoor industry firm Bass Pro Shops in a deal valued at $5.5bn (£4.28bn). Bass Pro Shops' offer of $65.50 per share represents a 19.2 per cent premium to Cabela's close on Friday. This news helped shares in Cabela's hit their highest level in more than [...]
Small businesses to launch £1bn legal action against RBS in early 2017 October 3, 2016 Legal action on behalf of over 100 small businesses claiming RBS drove them into the ground for its own gain is set to launch early next year. RGL Management Limited was formed in March to coordinate action against the bank's now defunct turnaround division, Global Restructuring Group (GRG). It is now fully funded to issue a claim and has [...]
Labour’s opposition to shale gas is economic sabotage of industrial Britain October 3, 2016 The INEOS Insight, holding 27,500 cubic metres of shale gas, docked at Grangemouth in Scotland last week. As a vessel it is as impressive as it is imposing, and yet it is also a tangible symbol of the confusion in Britain’s industrial policy. Manufacturing as a share of UK GDP has halved in the last [...]
Everyone’s massively underestimating fintech in capital markets October 3, 2016 The application of fintech in capital markets is being vastly underestimated by both banks and startups as other areas of banking steal the spotlight – and funding – new research reveals. Venture capital cash is failing to flow into fintech specialising in capital markets, according to the new report from Boston Consulting Group, adding that only a minority of startups are working [...]
Automotive and tech firms are poaching each other’s talent to pull ahead in the driverless car race October 3, 2016 Automotive and IT firms are poaching each other’s talent in a bid to nudge ahead in the driverless car race, according to research by CPA Global. Its analysis found that more than 20 patent inventors have made the switch from automotive to IT companies or vice versa since 2008, with Google’s self-driving car programme serving [...]
Brexit fundamentalists have destroyed the Tories’ reputation as the party of business October 3, 2016 The Conservatives used to pride themselves on being the party of business. Now that legacy is being turned on its head, as Theresa May moves closer towards a disastrous hard Brexit that would send Britain hurtling out of the Single Market. While businesses clamour for an end to the huge uncertainty they face, the government [...]