Frost Brooks in first deal since its 2012 launch September 28, 2014 Private equity house Frost Brooks, co-founded by Sir David Frost’s son Miles, has made its first investment since launching in 2012, completing a “significant deal” to raise capital for e-commerce service provider Parcel Monkey Group. Frost declined to disclose the size of the investment, but said: “We invest between £1m and £10m. This was closer [...]
Votorantim sets its aim on tarmac September 28, 2014 TARMAC, Britain’s largest cement firm which is currently owned by Lafarge, may be bought by Latin American conglomerate Votorantim. The mooted deal comes as giant cement firms Lafarge of France and Holcim of Switzerland spin off assets as they pursue a merger announced in April that would form the biggest cement producer in the world.
Personalities making a mark doing it their way September 28, 2014 PERSONALITY of the year Mark Carney has been the most talked about central banker for many years, and he’s only been at the Bank for just over a year. For some, that might just be enough time to get the feel of the job. But he has made huge decisions at the Bank of England. [...]
Best of the Brokers for 29 September 2014 September 28, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BALFOUR BEATTY Deutsche Bank has upgraded to “Buy” from “Hold”, and raised the target price to 270p from 245p. The broker thinks overly negative market sentiment towards Balfour provides a buying opportunity, and Balfour’s sale of Parsons Brinckerhoff will help address balance sheet [...]
London Report: Housing market stalls and GDP is re-evaluated September 28, 2014 HOUSING data showing fewer mortgage approvals and only modest price increases looks set to show that the UK’s booming property market is finally slowing. Bank of England figures out today are forecast to show that mortgage approvals fell to 66,000 in August from 66,569 in July and 67,085 in June. The numbers are well below [...]
New York Report: US jobs figures will give clues on bond buying September 28, 2014 US JOBS numbers on Friday are likely to confirm that the fast-recovering American economy has reached the point where the Federal Reserve can finally halt its massive bond-buying stimulus. The US economy looks to be on course for growth of about two or 2.5 per cent this year, and the Fed intends to halt its [...]
Bend it like an Apple iPhone 6 Plus… September 25, 2014 Apple has leapt to the defence of its iPhone 6 Plus as social media was abuzz with allegations that it bends easily. The company said that only nine people had complained about a bent smartphone. It said that the iPhone 6 Plus passed stress tests. “With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare [...]
Michael O’Leary proves he’s still good for laughs September 25, 2014 RYANAIR has the best shareholder meetings. Despite Michael O’Leary’s decision to “step out of the public spotlight”, he’s still good for quips when he gets in front of a crowd. Yesterday’s meeting in Dublin was no different. Tesco was first to get it in the goolies. When speaking about chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs, O’Leary [...]
Farage swings …video shows he really does love Europe after all September 25, 2014 IT LOOKS like Nigel Farage has changed tack. He’s done an impressive reverse ferret and backed Europe. “I love Europe, no, really, I do,” he says in his latest party political broadcast. But before you drop your Union Jack mug and spill all your tea, it’s not a real broadcast; it’s for Paddy Power. And [...]
Business hub London creates property boom September 25, 2014 PROPERTY FIRM of the year As London prices continue to rise, defying fears that the bubble is about to burst, property companies have seen a period of huge growth. Our shortlist, which was very tough to choose, includes companies such as the Berkeley Group and Workspace, which have seen their profits soar in the past [...]
