China accuses Hong Kong protesters of ‘undisguised challenge’ to running of city July 2, 2019 China has accused protesters who stormed Hong Kong’s legislative building on Monday of “serious illegal actions” that constitute an “undisguised challenge” to the way the city is ruled. Police used tear gas early this morning to disperse protesters who had smashed their way into the city’s Legislative Council building as part of protests against a [...]
Neil Woodford keeps flagship fund under lock and key July 1, 2019 Embattled stockpicker Neil Woodford remained defiant last night despite confirmation that his flagship Equity Income Fund will stay frozen for at least another 28 days. Read more: Woodford offloads stake in Raven’s property firm In a new video promoted on social media, Woodford defended his trademark strategy of focusing on “undervalued assets”, saying it “will [...]
Top performing investment companies focus funds on small and unquoted firms July 1, 2019 Almost half of the most consistently overperforming investment companies invest in small and unquoted firms, according to new research. The Association of Investment companies (AIC) analysed members’ performance over a decade, and found that nine of the top 20 firms invest in such companies. Six of the nine top performers invest in small companies, while [...]
Woodford offloads stake in Raven property investment firm July 1, 2019 Embattled stockpicker Neil Woodford has jettisoned his 12 per cent stake in Raven Property Group, bringing the total he has raised since the suspension of his flagship fund to £459m. Raven announced today that it has bought back 72.1m shares from Woodford at 36p per share. Read more: Neil Woodford cuts stake in AI firm [...]
Senior women in finance call for female-led IPOs to triple July 1, 2019 Senior women from top financial institutions have called for the number of female-led businesses going public to triple by 2025. Leading women from major banks, law firms and insurance companies gathered at the opening of the London Stock Exchange this morning to call for change as part of a campaign by the WealthiHer Network. Read [...]
Stagecoach shares drop after Deutsche Bank cuts target price July 1, 2019 Shares in train and bus operator Stagecoach fell four per cent this morning to 121.7p after Deutsche Bank slashed its target price. Read more: Stagecoach profits rise despite UK rail franchise loss The broker lowered the shares’ target price to 155p from 170p. The bank said this would allow stable profitability in 2020-21 and a [...]
Former UN climate chief calls for fossil fuel database July 1, 2019 Investors should be given more information about energy companies’ fossil fuel usage so they can steer funding away from activities that contribute to climate change, former UN climate change chief Mary Robinson has said. Robinson proposed the creation of “comprehensive, transparent database of all existing fossil fuel assets and reserves” in a collection of essays [...]
Trump makes history by stepping into North Korea June 30, 2019 Donald Trump has become the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea, taking 20 steps into the country yesterday. After shaking hands with Kim Jong-un at the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, Trump asked Kim if he wanted him to cross the border, saying: “I am OK with it.” Trump [...]
Jaguar to announce huge investment in UK electric car manufacturing June 30, 2019 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will plough hundreds of millions of pounds into the British car industry by preparing one of its factories to build electric cars, in a much-needed boost for the sector. JLR will modify its Castle Bromwich plant to build a series of three all-electric models, starting with an electric version of its [...]
Tories draw up new Brexit battle lines June 30, 2019 The Conservative party’s final two contenders for prime minister bulked up their plans for a showdown with Brussels over the weekend, while the frontrunner – Boris Johnson – also sought to talk up his pro-business credentials. Confronted about an incident last year in which Johnson said “f*** business” during a Brexit debate, the former London [...]