London Sports Festival moves from 3×3 basketball success to pickleball at the City of London Corporation’s Guildhall Yard
London’s north south divide is so out of tune January 22, 2015 LONDON’S cultural zeitgeist has long focused on the capital’s famed north-south rivalry – with both sides championing their geographic cause. But the culture wars between north and south could be set to heat up after a new poll from YouGov revealed the music tastes of both sides’ commuters. Commissioned by the city’s Philharmonia Orchestra, the [...]
2015 World Economic Forum: Davos wraps up with star billing for ex-footy striker Gary Lineker January 22, 2015 With Davos drawing to a close tomorrow there may have been a tinge of sadness for delegates bidding farewell to the snowy Swiss climbs and saying hello to London’s grey skies. But the mood was lifted by the appearance of football legend and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker – pictured above with Aberdeen [...]
Borrowing hit by EU payment but January could prove vital January 22, 2015 A £2.9bn payment to the EU pushed the Treasury’s December borrowing higher than last year, official figures show. However, the sum has yet to be paid as the government’s accountants record payments when they are incurred as opposed to when they are actually paid. The total amount borrowed in December was £13.1bn. This was £2.9bn [...]
London FinTech heads for NYC with Boris Johnson trade mission January 22, 2015 A delegation of London’s financial technology startups are joining Mayor Boris Johnson on a trade mission to New York next month. Digital Shadows, a cybersecurity firm whose clients include the Bank of England, and Azimo, a money transfer business which raised $10m (£6.6m) in funding last March, will go on the trip to showcase London’s [...]
Mortgage loans sliding further January 22, 2015 MORTGAGE lending slipped again in December, industry data showed yesterday, in a further sign the boom in the UK housing market is moderating. Gross mortgage lending came in at £16.5bn in December, falling one per cent on the year, the Council of Mortgage Lending said. Meanwhile the Bank of England said monthly net mortgage lending slowed [...]
UK car output accelerates January 22, 2015 BRITISH car manufacturers defied weak demand from abroad to increase production again in 2014, industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said yesterday. Over the 12 months a total of 1.53m cars were manufactured, up 1.2 per cent on the year and the highest figure since 2007. Of those, 332,952 were for the [...]
Lack of housing hits first-time buyers January 22, 2015 Younger people are finding it difficult to get on the first rung of the housing market ladder due to a shortage of homes. A report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published yesterday shows how the total number of houses built per year has fallen from around 250,000 in 1980 to between 150,000 to [...]
CRH’s concrete bid for Holcim Lafarge assets January 22, 2015 IRISH building materials firm CRH has confirmed that it is in talks to buy the assets that Holcim and Lafarge are selling off in advance of their mega-merger. The Dublin-based company said that while there can be no certainty that the discussions will result in a transaction, if an acquisition goes ahead it will most [...]
Royal Bank of Canada snaps up LA’s City National for $5.4bn January 22, 2015 Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) yesterday expanded its operations south of the border, buying City National Corporation in a $5.4bn (£3.6bn) deal. The Canadian lender already has a large investment banking and wealth management presence in the US, and wants to expand its reach. “This combination creates a powerful expansion platform for focused long-term growth in [...]
St James’s Place fund hits asset record January 22, 2015 WEALTH manager St James’s Place took assets under management to a record £52bn at the end of last year, aided by a shift in saving allowances and broader pension changes. The FTSE 100 firm attracted £1.4bn more from customers in the three months ending December, slightly ahead of analyst estimates. Changes to ISA allowances – [...]
