Why Barclays thinks European investors are missing out to US peers March 24, 2014 At the moment, European equities are, as a whole, pretty cheap. And what’s more, those with higher leverage are even cheaper. That’s according to Barclays, whose note today, “Learning to live with leverage”, details why it thinks European equity investors are still underestimating the impact of improved fixed income markets. The bank thinks there’s a [...]
Why this pawnbroker’s shares are now worth nothing March 24, 2014 Troubled pawnbroker Albemarle & Bond requested its shares be suspended from trading on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The company made the announcement after its lenders said they would not be able to support the management turnaround plan for the business. However, Albemarle & Bond insisted that the company's options remained open, including the sale [...]
Best of the Brokers for 24 March 2014 March 24, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASOS UBS has kept its “neutral” rating on the online retailer but lowered its target price to 6,200p from 6,660p after a disappointing update on sales and margins last week. The broker expects the sales slowdown to be reversed in the second half, [...]
London Report: Petrol prices to help inflation to a four-year low March 24, 2014 INFLATION is expected to hit a four-year low, with data this week likely to show petrol prices and the pound’s strength controlling prices. Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures due out tomorrow are forecast to show inflation at 1.7 per cent in February, down from 1.9 per cent in January. and the lowest since October 2009. [...]
Annuity market to collapse by £8bn because of rule switch March 20, 2014 SAVERS fleeing the pension annuity market will cause it to collapse by two-thirds over the next 18 months, analysts predict, as the fallout from the Budget continued to hit markets. Barclays analysts said the annuity market could shrink from £12bn a year to just £4bn by September 2015, due to changes announced in the Budget, [...]
Inside Track: In Barclays we trust: Retail investors rely on bank for new issues March 20, 2014 @hellierd There’s a page on the Barclays website that directs customers to the joys of investing in new issues and flotations. It is headlined: “Access investments before they become available on the market.” The trouble is that unless Barclays itself is working on one of the current crop of share issues, it is highly likely [...]
Bottom Line: This will be the end for some – but for others it’s a chance to innovate March 20, 2014 GEORGE Osborne’s bombshell Budget announcement means the law that introduced annuities is not even going to make it to its 60th birthday. Since the Finance Act of 1956, Britons have been forced to buy an annuity at some point between the age of 60 and 75. But from April next year, that requirement will be [...]
Witty proves a big hitty with GSK employees March 20, 2014 WHEN you start a new job, it can be quite difficult to know whether you’re walking into the garden of worklife Eden or the gates of Hades. Unless you’ve got someone on the inside. Lucky you. Well thanks to the people at Glassdoor (it’s all about transparency – see what they did there) we have [...]
Testing firm Exova plans £110m float on London Stock Exchange March 20, 2014 EXOVA yesterday became the latest company to unveil its plans to float on the London Stock Exchange. The Edinburgh-based firm, which tests components for customers in a wide range of sectors including aerospace, oil and gas and pharmaceuticals, is looking to raise £110m from a premium listing on the main market next month. Around 30 [...]
London Report: Failed vaccine test for Glaxo pricks the FTSE March 20, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index fell yesterday, hit by a drop in drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline and a hint from the Federal Reserve that US interest rates may rise sooner than previously expected. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index, which rose 14.4 per cent in 2013 and came close to a 13-year high in January, closed down 30.69 [...]