Revealed: London’s unexploded bomb hotspots January 20, 2017 A suspected unexploded second world war bomb found in the River Thames caused mayhem in parts of London yesterday as authorities shut off Waterloo and Westminster bridges for several hours. The riverfront was closed until the early hours of this morning, while the bomb itself was dragged to shore near the Victoria Embankment. Finding and [...]
Close Brothers shares muted despite revealing strong first five months January 20, 2017 Close Brothers' share price was slightly up this morning after revealing a strong first five months of trading. The figures The FTSE 250 firm's loan grew by 2.3 per cent between July 2016 and the end of the year. Standing at £6.6bn, it was 9.3 per cent higher than the end of 2015. Managed assets by [...]
Ellen MacArthur reveals importance of “circular economy” investment hot spots January 20, 2017 Dame Ellen MacArthur revealed her sailing exploits pale into insignificance compared with the importance of promoting her €900bn (£776bn) “circular economy”. MacArthur, who became the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe in 2005, will today unveil the latest report from her foundation, identifying 10 investment “hot spots” which she hopes will turn the global [...]
Can you remember all the details? Millions of older pension pots are being lost, research suggests January 19, 2017 Millions more Britons may now be saving into pension pots, but over a fifth are losing track of retirement savings as result of holding multiple schemes. Research by Aegon revealed 62 per cent of people now have more than one pension scheme, usually as a result of changing jobs or employers changing providers. Read more: It's [...]
Aviva chief exec: Turnaround is complete, so let’s get on with post-Brexit business January 19, 2017 Aviva today announced a large organisational shake-up that will enable the insurance giant to capitalise on the significant opportunities present by the Brexit vote. The group's UK operations, previously separated into life, general and health insurance divisions will be brought together under the leadership of current Aviva life chief exec Andy Briggs. Read more: Aviva shares jump 4.5 [...]
Halfords share price jumps as investors are rewarded following its spending spree January 19, 2017 Halfords pumped-up its share price by over nine per cent this morning after delivering a podium performance from its retail division and rewarding investors with a special dividend. The figures In the firm's third quarter trading update, group like-for-like revenue for the 15 weeks to December was up 11.4 per cent. Retail performed well, growing by seven [...]
Headlam shares leap after rolling out market-beating results January 19, 2017 Floormaker Headlam's share price rocketed up seven per cent this morning after revealing its full-year results beat market expectations. The figures In its 12-month trading statement, Europe's largest floor covering firm said total revenue would be six per cent higher than 2015. The firm added it would also beat market consensus expectations of profit before [...]
It isn’t just pensions: Four reasons why Royal Mail shares have failed to deliver January 19, 2017 Royal Mail's shares fell over five per cent this morning despite delivering in-line trading for the first nine months of the year. The group's problem is that its core operation – delivering letters in the UK – is shrinking. Add to this pension problems and the potential for industrial action and as Rob Byde, an analyst at [...]
Tata Steel: Infrastructure investment is the key to solving the pension problem, says City heavy-hitter January 18, 2017 Hopes British Steel pension scheme members could be paid in full were raised today after a City heavy-hitter proposed a radical deal to spin-off the mammoth £15bn fund. Tata Steel is currently in talks with German industrials firm Thyssenkrupp to buy its European operations – a deal understood to only go ahead if the pension scheme, which serves 130,000 members, can [...]
Pension freedoms: Lump sum take-up could lead to widespread pension poverty January 18, 2017 Britons are set to take advantage of accessing lump sums from pension pots at record levels in 2017, something that could increase the chances of widespread pensioner poverty, a retirement specialist has warned. FTSE 250 firm Just, previously called Just Retirement, revealed that as more people than ever will reach their 55th birthday in 2017, [...]
