Lower inflation and more jobs ease pressure on UK incomes January 26, 2014 INCOMES are less squeezed than at any time since the recession, as households feel inflation is falling and job security is firming up. This month, Markit’s household finance index hit the highest level since it began in 2009. The survey takes into account conditions like job security, workplace activity and inflation perceptions. Overall, the index [...]
Investor access to UK boosted by wealth visas January 26, 2014 THE NUMBER of UK visas issued for foreign investors swelled by a quarter in 2012-13, with high-net worth Chinese visitors making up the largest share of applications. International law firm Pinsent Masons reveals today that 530 investor visas were issued in 2012-13, up from 423 in 2011-12. The number of visas issues has nearly doubled [...]
Supermarkets look to generate own electricity January 26, 2014 SUPERMARKET chains are increasingly looking to generate their own energy, as a means of securing supply, cutting costs and reducing their carbon emissions. FTSE 100-listed Sainsbury’s “will continue to invest in low-carbon technologies including solar panels for stores and depots in 2014,” a spokesperson told City A.M. The retailer opened two carbon-neutral stores late last [...]
Industry expects slow exit from Centrica boss Laidlaw January 26, 2014 LONGSTANDING Centrica chief Sam Laidlaw’s widely anticipated departure from the energy firm will not be until at least next year, say analysts. Speculation has been rife that Laidlaw – who has been at the helm of the FTSE 100-quoted firm for eight years – will move on after his lengthy time at the top. But [...]
Exchange traded funds could top hedge fund value by end of year January 26, 2014 THE MOUNTAIN of cash invested in exchange traded funds (ETF) could surpass the size of the hedge fund industry as early as next year, a study released today predicts. ETFs, which are baskets of assets which trade like stocks, currently have about $2.4 trillion (£1.46 trillion) of assets under management, close to the $2.6 trillion [...]
City Moves for 27 January 2014 | Who’s switching jobs January 26, 2014 SSE The energy supplier has announced the appointment of Jane Bednall as managing director for domestic energy. She previously held senior positions at the Intercontinental Hotel Group. Lombard Odier Group The private bank has named Hugo Banziger as a managing partner. He is currently chairman of the board of directors at Eurex. He previously worked [...]
Best of the Brokers for 27 January 2014 January 26, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BRITVIC Panmure Gordon has kept its “buy” rating and target price of 810p ahead of Britvic’s trading update on Wednesday. The broker said that strong underlying earnings per share growth and the increasing scale of its overseas business should underpin its recommendation. DIAGEO [...]
London Report: Growth figures set to show UK’s strong recovery January 26, 2014 GROWTH figures for the fourth quarter are expected to give further proof of Britain’s booming recovery. Economists predict expansion of 0.8 per cent in the final three months – giving the UK its strongest yearly growth since 2007. Jonathan Loynes, of Capital economics, said: “We think that the preliminary estimate of GDP in the fourth [...]
Wall St The Week Ahead: Apple, Google and Facebook earnings due January 26, 2014 US stocks could be set for another selloff this week as the Federal Reserve is expected to announce it will keep withdrawing its economic stimulus, further pressuring equities already roiled by a flight from emerging markets. Investor sentiment turned strongly bearish last week as emerging markets were hit by both country-specific problems and the realisation [...]
The Mints are falling apart: It’s time to reassess our view of emerging markets January 26, 2014 TO PARAPHRASE Antony in Julius Caesar, I come to bury the Mints idea, not to praise it. True, as with its Brics ancestor, former Goldman Sachs Asset Management head Jim O’Neill has hit upon something vitally important by identifying Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey as future economic giants. With the Brics, it was that the [...]
