Finovate Europe: Global FinTech stars meet up at London’s Old Billingsgate February 10, 2015 London played host to a financial technology (FinTech) showcase yesterday as over 70 startups from around the world met at Old Billingsgate market for a showcase of their latest wares. Each presenting company at Finovate Europe was given seven minutes on stage to wow an audience of over 1,000 executives, venture capitalists, journalists, analysts, and [...]
What Boots’ brand score says about CEOs speaking out – Brand Index February 10, 2015 With the general election approaching and dominating the news agenda, one major issue that is currently being discussed is how the result will impact on business. Several high-profile business leaders have already made clear where their allegiances lie. Most prominent among those who have spoken out is Boots’ Italian-born chairman Stefano Pessina. He said of [...]
McDonald’s promotes UK finance chief February 10, 2015 MCDONALD’S announced another change to its senior management team yesterday after promoting its UK finance chief Paul Pomroy to managing director for the region with immediate effect. Pomroy, who joined the fast-food giant almost 20 years ago as a real estate analyst, will take over from Mark Hawthorne who has left the business for family [...]
Cable and Wireless Communications’ shares up on strong Caribbean growth February 10, 2015 TELECOMMUNICATIONS company Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) saw a 3.3 per cent rise in its share price yesterday after their third quarter trading update. CWC, which focuses on telecommunications in the Caribbean and Latin America regions, presented a five per cent group revenue increase to $444m (£291.8m) and a two per cent rise on like-for-like [...]
Black Friday spurs Brits to spend £1.5bn more in November 2014 February 10, 2015 Britons spent £1.5bn more in November than the previous year after a surge in the popularity of Black Friday discount deals, research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) released today shows. The consultancy company said around £28.7bn in sales took place in November, with 66 per cent of consumers either delaying or bringing forward their Christmas [...]
Best of the Brokers for 11 February 2015 February 10, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com HALMA Numis reiterated its “add” rating on the technology firm, after a trading update which highlighted continued organic growth. The broker said it remains positive on the firm’s business model as it is “exposed to less cyclical markets”, and “geared to non-discretionary spend [...]
Commodities and banks drag FTSE 100 lower – London Report February 10, 2015 BRITAIN’S top equity index drifted lower yesterday, hit by a drop in banks and commodity stocks, although improved sales for battered supermarkets lent support to the market. Fresh signs of economic weakness in China, the world’s biggest consumer of metals, hit mining companies, with the FTSE 350 Mining Index down 2.8 per cent. It closed [...]
Euro’s political news lifts Wall Street stocks – New York Report February 10, 2015 US STOCKS rose yesterday on hopes that Greek debt negotiations could result in a deal that stabilises Europe although a drop in oil prices limited the advance. S&P 500 utilities and healthcare stocks led the market increase as those sectors bounced back after they declined the day before, while the energy sector was hurt the [...]
Investing around the election: What should you think about? February 10, 2015 Be wary of specific sector bets, but look to policy changes around smaller firms for opportunities. With less than three months to go until the General Election, we’re no closer to a clear outcome. The two largest political parties have almost identical support in the opinion polls – both are hovering at around 32-33 per [...]
How UK growth firms are getting the financial leg up they need to thrive February 10, 2015 The UK is experiencing a “golden age” for smaller businesses. That was the message of Lord Young’s small business report, out yesterday, which heralded a record 5.2m small firms now operating in the UK. Britain is now officially ranked as the most entrepreneurial in Europe. In recent years, we have witnessed a rising tide of [...]
