City Moves for 27 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 26, 2015 Nexus Underwriting Management Group Stuart Rouse has been appointed chief operating officer and chief financial officer (CFO) at the underwriting firm. He has previously served as CFO of Fusion Insurance, CFO of Towergate Underwriting, chief operating officer of Towergate Financial, CFO of Aspen’s managing agency and its insurance division, and latterly group chief operating officer [...]
Best of the Brokers for 27 April 2015 April 26, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com TATE & LYLE Canaccord Genuity reiterated its “buy” rating for the UK multinational food producer. The broker said simplification and greater balance towards higher quality speciality food ingredients should be reflected in improved earnings, and also makes the firm a more attractive potential [...]
CBI factory figures to show rebound during strong April – London Report April 26, 2015 THE CONFEDERATION of British Industry (CBI) is expected to release relatively healthy factory activity data today. The CBI’s total orders balance is predicted to have rebounded in April, after dipping to a five-month low of zero per cent in March, as a result of a substantial drop in export orders. Separate manufacturing data from purchasing [...]
Fed to decide on rates policy – New York Report April 26, 2015 THE US Federal Reserve is to meet for two days this week in order to discuss possible changes to its monetary policy. The outcome of the meeting is due on Wednesday. It seems likely that the Fed will be forced to wait until later this year before raising rates from record lows. Wages and inflation [...]
Neverendum revisited: The break-up of the Union is more likely than ever April 26, 2015 Like some George Romero zombie film sequel, the Scottish question simply refuses to die. As I posited in September last year, the supposedly definitive referendum vote was likely to be anything but that. Rather, Scotland’s status in the Union was more likely to morph into a “Neverendum” – a huge, unsolved, existential distraction that would [...]
It’s crunch time for the UK’s skills shortage: Our politicians must wake up April 26, 2015 Following the launch of the election manifestos, voters will be looking to understand exactly where each party is positioned on key issues from immigration and foreign policy to the NHS. Yet there is one area which still needs particular attention: addressing the UK’s skills shortages. This means making sure that British businesses have the right [...]
Employee wellbeing is as important to the City as the health of its businesses April 26, 2015 In the City, we spend a great deal of time discussing the financial health of our companies and industries, focusing on how it could be improved to ensure their long-term success. Rarely, however, do we pay the same attention to the workers on whose performance that success depends. The City has a unique set of [...]
As HSBC says it could move its HQ, is London’s position as a global financial centre at risk? April 26, 2015 Jason Hollands, managing director at Tilney BestInvest, says Yes. The news that HSBC is to consider moving its head office is a warning shot to voters and policy-makers that London’s pre-eminent position as perhaps the leading global financial centre simply cannot be taken for granted. Yes, it has “natural” advantages, being in a time zone [...]
Intelligent design: Made.com co-founder Chloe Macintosh talks knitting and the importance of opportunities April 26, 2015 When Chloe Macintosh sat down with a friend of a friend, she didn’t expect to get a job out of it – or to go on to become the co-founder of e-commerce furniture company Made.com. But Brent Hoberman, co-founder of Lastminute.com and mydeco.com, isn’t any old coffee meet-up – and there’s nothing ordinary or unremarkable [...]
Investec Comment: Asset finance: Everything you need to know April 26, 2015 TOO many small businesses see their expansion plans quashed by a lack of finance. Their bank doesn’t have the confidence to lend them the money they need, so business owners end up trying to fund their companies’ growth on overdrafts and credit cards, storing up trouble for when the next downturn comes or not proceeding [...]