Best of the Brokers for 27 November 2015 November 27, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com MARSTON’S The latest financial results for the big British brewer and pub operator showed profit before tax had risen ten per cent to £91.5m, above the expectations of analysts at Numis. However, the analysts maintained their “add” recommendation and their 180p target price. [...]
The curse of corporate spin: Firms need a radical rethink November 27, 2015 Volkwagen's car emissions scandal sent out shockwaves earlier this year. Thousands of individuals who work for VW, their families and their community were angered and dismayed. Millions of customers felt cheated. How Volkswagen decided to handle this drama – in particular, which information, and how much of it, to share – has been, and will [...]
City Moves for 27 November 2015 | Who’s switching jobs November 27, 2015 ICENI PROJECTS The planning consultancy has appointed Alana O’Neill as sustainable development director to head up its integrated sustainability team. She was previously a sustainability and energy consultant at New Energy Trust. O’Neill has over 25 years’ experience and has also held roles at SSE and EON. MACQUARIE Agnes Mazurek has been appointed managing director [...]
Euro falls on talk of central bank stimulus – Global Report November 26, 2015 GROWING talk of aggressive stimulus from the European Central Bank (ECB) sent the euro towards seven-month lows yesterday, while European shares rallied. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index settled 0.9 per cent higher, adding to Wednesday’s 1.4 per cent gain, while the Euro STOXX 50 index added 1.1 per cent. Canada’s main stock index rose 0.25 [...]
We’ve failed to go beyond lofty rhetoric on cutting off Isis funding November 26, 2015 Ever since the self-styled Islamic State burst into the public consciousness in the summer of 2014, the group’s financing has attracted comment and scrutiny. Former US secretary of defense Chuck Hagel declared that Isil “is as sophisticated and well-funded as any group that we have seen… They are tremendously well-funded.” It is therefore striking [...]
In praise of Simon Danczuk MP: A Great British contrarian who can’t be silenced November 26, 2015 Disruption is in vogue. Airbnb, Uber and BlaBlaCar are all cases in point. Their tech-savvy founders are turning conventional wisdom on its head to deliver services to customers in new ways. This is laudable and exciting. It is also about more than making money. Take Elon Musk, arguably the most daring entrepreneur of our time. [...]
Why the Paris attacks have redefined the US presidential race – and not in a good way November 26, 2015 The 2016 US presidential race has been dramatically altered by the Paris attacks. An election that just weeks ago was dominated by whether the Obama administration’s policies should be advanced or repealed is now defined by an ever-changing, and increasingly dangerous, international climate. President Obama never wanted to be a foreign policy President. In both [...]
As UK net migration hits a record high, is the government’s inability to hit its targets really a failure? November 26, 2015 Steven Woolfe, Ukip’s migration spokesman, says Yes Yes – and the serious and far-reaching consequences for Britain belie John McDonnell’s pathetic antics with Mao’s Little Red Book at the Spending Review. According to the UK Treasury’s very important official Budget 2015 Red Book, which supports the assumptions and details the underlying numbers of the government’s [...]
P2P securitisation is coming: how the industry is approaching the financial practice November 26, 2015 Securitisation is still a naughty word. For many, it’s a throwback to the 1980s, while others will think immediately of 2008, when funding locked up. But recently, it’s been heard far more frequently within the P2P and debt-based crowdfunding industry, as platforms grow, take more institutional money and look for further ways to diversify funding [...]
Innovative ways to reduce absenteeism: Some French companies pay a bonus to staff with excellent records November 26, 2015 It's now the coughs and sniffles season in London, with many businesses bracing themselves for a depleted workforce over the winter months. Britain’s economy is one of the worst affected when it comes to employees taking time off due to ill health – whether genuine or “sickies”. Statistics from PwC have estimated that sick days [...]
