MPC unlikely to drop rate or up QE, say analysts July 30, 2012 ANALYSTS expect the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to hold fire on Thursday, when it decides whether to increase quantitative easing (QE) or reduce the bank rate, or both. “In terms of immediate policy changes, August’s meeting of the MPC appears to be a non-event despite much sharper than expected GDP contraction of 0.7 per cent [...]
Fund sales double during 2012 July 30, 2012 RETAIL fund sales figures ballooned to over £8bn for the six months ending in June – almost double the levels recorded for the second half of last year, statistics from the Investment Management Association show. Data released on Friday shows net retail sales were £8.1bn between January and June this year, up from £4.4bn between [...]
Asset managers say new euro rules are a threat to business July 30, 2012 RULES governing alternative investment firms will shut the door on overseas fund managers operating in London and make Europe less competitive, a major study of UK asset managers finds today. The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) will be implemented by European policymakers next July to regulate private equity, hedge fund and real estate managers. [...]
Grant Thornton and Cenkos top small-cap table July 30, 2012 CITY broker FinnCap has moved to within a whisker of catching Cenkos Securities to top a table of brokers with the most number of Aim-listed clients, a study released today reveals. FinnCap, chaired by private equity stalwart Jon Moulton, boosted its roster of small and medium sized clients from 74 to 79 over the quarter [...]
Private equity slips in stakes July 30, 2012 PRIVATE equity funds have started to slip behind their private company rivals in the bidding war to snap up firms for the first time since 2007, research published today shows. Average price to earnings multiples paid by trade buyers in this quarter have surpassed private equity prices by 130 basis points. BDO partner Andrew Ware, [...]
Savers to lose in new opt-out pension plan, lobbyists argue July 30, 2012 THE MANAGEMENT of opt-out pensions schemes could be their Achilles’ heel, as no one involved will have the expertise or the incentive to cater to savers’ best interests, says a report released today by FairPensions. Millions of people will be automatically enrolled into defined contribution (DC) pensions schemes over the next few years, as new [...]
Financial sectors jobs to rise in compliance as regulation hits July 30, 2012 FIRMS are piling into compliance hiring as tighter and more complex regulations bite, and companies worry about future scandal, according to research released today by financial services recruitment firm BrightPool. Compliance will be the most popular area for financial services recruitment this year, making up 34 per cent of new jobs, well ahead of finance [...]
Businesses see only woe over coming months July 30, 2012 BUSINESSES harbour anxiety about coming months, based on worries about a shrinking UK economy and worldwide economic distress, according to surveys out today. Corporate business sentiment on the economy was roundly negative in July, at minus eight per cent, though four points higher than June’s minus twelve reading, according to the Lloyds Bank business barometer. [...]
Relief for squeezed households as inflation drops at long last July 30, 2012 WAGE growth will soon start outstripping inflation, at last giving a boost to confidence and the economy, according to a Deloitte report out today. But the impact will be muted for now as households remain cautious because of the weak state of the economy. Just 13 per cent of consumers expect to spend more on [...]
Retailers shut up shop on the lengthy slump July 30, 2012 INSOLVENCIES fell across the UK in the second quarter, a PwC report shows today, with even the hard-pressed construction sector seeing an improvement compared with the same period of last year. But retailers are still under pressure, defying the positive overall trend as shoppers stayed away from the high street. The three-month period saw 3,927 [...]
