Hawk dressed as dove helps index rise up – New York Report December 16, 2015 Investors took advantage of the Federal Reserve’s “Santa Clause” hike in interest rates yesterday to pull Wall Street higher. The 25 basis points rise was seen as a vote of confidence in the US economy. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 224.18 points, or 1.28 per cent, to 17,749.09, the S&P 500 gained [...]
Trump’s a chump: Why Americans won’t let him anywhere near the presidency December 16, 2015 After the events of the past week, everybody seems to be working himself or herself into a right lather over Donald Trump, fearing he could be the next US President. According to the bookies, Trump is at 9/4 to win the Republican nomination and 6/1 to go on and win the presidency. President Trump and [...]
Confidence restored: Bank audit has turned a corner post crisis December 16, 2015 In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the question on many people’s minds was: where were the auditors? There were clearly lessons to be learned. Banks were not giving enough information about the risks they faced. Investors were unclear about the work the auditors were doing. Dialogue between bank supervisors and auditors was lacking. So [...]
Q: As Mark Carney expresses concern over lending to landlords, should we be worried about the buy-to-let boom? December 16, 2015 Simon French is chief economist at Panmure Gordon, says Yes The growth of the buy-to-let sector has increased the amount of flighty investment capital in the UK property market, posing a direct risk to financial stability. Any downturn in sentiment towards property as an asset has the potential to be amplified by buy-to-let investors withdrawing [...]
Tunes of toil: Why your firm needs a music strategy December 16, 2015 Large organisations are constantly seeking new ways to engage with their employees, and to use technology to build a better culture and a stronger sense of community. One solution to the perennial problem of engaging employees both in the office and out, however, is often overlooked: music. So why does music, delivered through a [...]
UK pensions: Annuity holders can sell from 2017 – giving freedom to millions of savers who bought the guaranteed income products but got a raw deal December 16, 2015 Pensioners who have bought annuities will be given the option to sell them on from April 2017, the government has said. Under new plans still being worked out, people who used their pension savings to buy an annuity and guarantee an income for life will be able to sell it through a broker. They [...]
Fed rate hike decision: What’s expected to change, what it means, and how it will impact your investments December 16, 2015 The world is watching the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, as experts think it will finally raise interest rates from their record lows today.. The Federal Reserve’s main interest rate was cut to 0.25 per cent in December 2008, the depths of the financial crisis. It has stayed there since. It was an [...]
FTSE posts biggest one-day gain in over two months – London Report December 16, 2015 The top FTSE index rose yesterday after eight straight sessions of falls, with supermarkets, commodity stocks and firms with South African exposure among the companies rebounding from previous falls. The FTSE 100 was up 2.5 per cent at 6,017.79 points at its close, its biggest one-day gain in over two months, having fallen 8.5 per [...]
Supergroup and Serco: Best of the Brokers for 16 December 2015 December 16, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com SUPERGROUP Fashion retailer Supergroup saw shares plummet after a note from Liberum downgrading its rating from “buy” to “hold” with a target price of 1,500p. The broker cited concerns over competition and excess inventory for the company’s label Superdry, which had led to [...]
City Moves for 16 December 2015 | Who’s switching jobs December 15, 2015 DOLLAR UK Steve Dukes has been appointed by consumer finance company Dollar UK as its new chief product development officer, reporting directly to chief executive Stuart Howard. Steve joins from Wonga where he was vice president of customer proposition. GFT UK GFT, a provider of business, design and technology consulting to the investment banking community, [...]
