Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open September 27, 2016 A rise in US stock futures suggests investors are feeling more confident about a Clinton victory in the US election following the first candidate debate last night. Here's what you need to know before the US open at 2:30pm London time. The S&P is set to rise by 0.27 per cent at the open, while [...]
Alton Towers owner Merlin just got slapped with a £5m fine for the Smiler rollercoaster crash September 27, 2016 Alton Towers owner Merlin Attractions has been handed a £5m fine over a crash on one of its rollercoasters last year that left five people with serious injuries. Two female passengers were forced to undergo leg amputations and three others were also seriously injured when their carriage collided with a stationary carriage on the same track. [...]
Investors turn bearish on global business cycle amid uncertainty September 27, 2016 Rising uncertainty has led to investors feeling less confident about the global business cycle. Those expecting global equities to rise has dropped to under half (47 per cent), down from 70 per cent just under two years ago, according to the latest Absolute Strategy Research (ASR) survey. Respondents think there is a 41 per cent [...]
Fears over hard Brexit send sterling to a five-week low against the euro September 26, 2016 Rising fears that the UK is heading for a so-called hard Brexit has driven the pound to five-week lows against the euro. Sterling dropped to its lowest level since 16 August against the euro, and also slid against the dollar. The government's stance on Brexit has appeared to be hardening recent, sparking fears in the [...]
Pfizer ditches its break up plans after two years September 26, 2016 US drugmaker Pfizer has resisted calls for it to be split in two. The pharma giant, which has been considering a split into two companies for more than two years, said a break up would not create any shareholder value. However, Pfizer’s low-growth generics and patent-protected branded medicines will remain separately run divisions, leaving the [...]
Three joins call for Openreach to be split from BT September 26, 2016 Mobile challenger network Three has added its voice to calls for BT to be stripped of its infrastructure arm, Openreach. The Fix Britain’s Internet campaign, led by TalkTalk’s Dido Harding and already backed by Sky and Vodafone, has been asking people to write to the telecoms regulator Ofcom. In July Ofcom proposed Openreach be legally [...]
Easyjet shuffles non-executive in to chief operating officer role September 26, 2016 Airline Easyjet has parachuted in one of its non-executive board members as its next chief operating officer. Chris Browne, a former executive at tour operator Tui’s airline division, will take up the job from the beginning of October after stepping down from the company’s board the day before. Easyjet is working to reduce costs and [...]
Twitter’s share price has jumped on reports of Disney interest, though Disney’s have dipped September 26, 2016 Entertainment behemoth Walt Disney is plotting a bid for Twitter, it has been reported. Disney is working with a financial adviser to evaluate a possible bid according to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter. Shares in the social media firm leapt on the news, though Disney investors were not as thrill by the news. Twitter's stock price [...]
Banks warned over fintech payment firms September 26, 2016 The world's biggest banks risk losing control of digital payments to small fintech startups and global tech giants, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has warned. Banks have been told they have to “maximize security, minimise complexity, and add value beyond pure payments” if they want to survive in transactional banking. The BCG has slammed banks’ poor [...]
Startups are swelling the ranks of UK businesses September 26, 2016 The number of VAT registered businesses in the UK has hit an all-time high of 2.1m, up four per cent from 2m last year. The rise has been driven by the thriving national startup economy, according to accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. The number of businesses in the UK per capita has meanwhile recovered to [...]
