Jinping Kerching: David Cameron and Chinese President expected to announce several deals October 19, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese President Xi Jinping are hailing a “golden era” of Sino-British relations on the eve of Jingping’s four-day state visit to the UK, as investors await confirmation of billions of pounds worth of trade and investment deals. Among the expected announcements is a multibillion pound deal to build the controversial new nuclear [...]
Pensions committee warns industry is at risk of next mis-selling scandal over new freedoms October 19, 2015 The work and pensions select committee is today publishing its report on pension freedom guidance and advice, in which it blasts reforms introduced in April as being “insufficient”. The report, the result of an inquiry, announced in July, into recent pension reforms, states that “freedom to choose” is not enough: “People must have the freedom to make a well-informed [...]
Retail website StreetHub reveals $2.6m funding round led by Octopus Ventures October 19, 2015 StreetHub, a network of independent retailers, has announced a $2.6m (£1.7m) funding round, led by Octopus Ventures. The group also received investments from Index Ventures, which has stakes in online retailers Asos, Farfetch and Net-a-Porter, among others, as well as a number of other angel investors. The new funding round coincides with the launch of [...]
Investor feel-good factor made a return in October – Lloyds Bank October 19, 2015 Investor confidence picked up in October, according to research from Lloyds Bank. There was an improvement in eight out of 10 asset classes, although safe havens gold and UK government bonds saw a surprise dip in sentiment despite having the strongest performances. Overall investor net sentiment rose by four percentage points, taking it to an average [...]
Shoppers unfazed by market headwinds as confidence rises – Deloitte October 19, 2015 Optimism in the economy reached a four-year high in the third quarter, according to the latest consumer tracker from accountancy giant Deloitte. Consumer confidence rose by two percentage points to -7 per cent, from -5 per cent in the second quarter. Consumers were apparently unperturbed by the recent volatility global financial markets that saw the FTSE [...]
UK dividends reached record heights in the third quarter – Capita Asset Services October 19, 2015 UK dividends reached record heights in the third quarter, hitting £27.2bn, but this is unlikely to prevent an annual slump in payouts. Figures from Capita Asset Services' dividend monitor forecasts that payments for 2015 will come in at £87.2bn, down 10.5 per cent from £97.4bn in last year. A series of special dividends form the [...]
Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw reminds government that apprenticeships need to be worth the effort October 19, 2015 Politicians love apprenticeships. The current government is committed to delivering three million of them in the next five years and ministers’ speeches on the topic tend to have a ring of Stalin’s tractor production statistics. It’s easy to see why politicians are attracted to the lever marked ‘apprenticeships’. With hundreds of thousands of school leavers [...]
Nectar profits collapse as supermarket price war takes its toll on loyalty cards October 18, 2015 Profits have tumbled at Britain’s biggest loyalty card provider, Nectar. Aimia Coalition Loyalty UK, Nectar’s parent company, said that pre-tax profits fell to £14.1m for 2014, from £74.4m the year before, due to a rise in people cashing in their points, while collecting fewer. The company warned that if people continued to redeem points then [...]
Treasury’s U-turn plugs brain drain fears: City bosses welcome “reverse burden of proof” retreat October 16, 2015 City bosses have welcomed the Treasury’s U-turn on controversial plans for a so-called “reverse burden of proof” for senior bankers, saying that the reversal will help the Square Mile retain and attract top talent. A leading City head-hunter told City A.M. that the Treasury’s initial proposals, which would have required bankers to prove they were unaware [...]
Government to hold crisis summit on UK’s troubled steel industry following SSI Redcar closure October 16, 2015 Government ministers are holding a crisis summit on the UK's troubled steel industry today, in the wake of high-profile mill closures that have led to thousands of job losses. Ministers, along with steel companies, unions and trade bodies, are meeting in Rotherham to discuss how the industry can counter overcapacity, cheap imports from China and the [...]
