Speedy Hire striding forward as profit and revenue grow November 13, 2019 Speedy Hire, the UK’s leading tools and equipment rental company, posted strong interim results this morning, with profit and revenue up 20 and six per cent respectively. Read more: Speedy Hire profits jacked up as small business strategy pays off The figures Profit before tax reached £16.4m, up from £13.5m for the same period in [...]
What Thomas Cook’s collapse tells us about the power of disruption November 4, 2019 Whilst the failure of UK holiday firm Thomas Cook was sudden and a considerable shock to many, the writing has been on the wall for some time now. Driven by technology and specifically by the advent of online booking and reservation systems, the travel industry has long been undergoing a radical transformation across each of [...]
HSBC profit sinks as bank says performance is ‘not acceptable’ October 28, 2019 HSBC has called parts of its performance “not acceptable” as it revealed an 18 per cent drop in third quarter profit today, fuelled by weak results in its European and US divisions. The figures Profit before tax dropped 18 per cent to $4.8bn (£3.8bn) in the three months to the end of September to fall [...]
Chuka Umunna: Why Labour’s former star politician wants a City seat for the Lib Dems October 14, 2019 Not so long ago, Chuka Umunna looked like a Labour leader in waiting. The Lambeth-born smooth-talking solicitor-turned-politician, who counts rapper Tinie Tempah as one of his friends, was the cool one in Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet. After the shock election result in 2015 prompted a Labour leadership campaign, the Streatham MP surprised no one by throwing his [...]
Rising Risk (Part I): Accounting shenanigans and alternative investments October 2, 2019 In this first instalment of a two-part piece, Sebastien Canderle says PE fund managers are getting creative with their accounting – and EBITDA seems particularly malleable. Seasoned auditors know that the risk of fraud increases when a client experiences brisk organic growth or M&A activity. During the 1990s, the most spirited dealmakers included telecoms operators [...]
Sajid Javid confirms budget will take place later this year October 1, 2019 Sajid Javid has confirmed that a budget will take place later this year. The chancellor said there would be a budget in “due course” later in the year following on from last month’s one-year spending round, in which he announced an increase in funding for the NHS, education and the police. Read more: Sajid Javid [...]
Sainsbury’s plans local supermarket expansion as it quits mortgage market September 25, 2019 Around 110 new Sainsbury’s Local stores will open up across the country, the supermarket announced today as it closed a swathe of stores and pulled out of the mortgage market. Weeks after reports emerged of a major shake up at Sainsbury’s Bank, the store confirmed that it would immediately stop new mortgage sales. It is [...]
Analysis: Could HKEX’s shock £32bn grab for London Stock Exchange actually succeed? September 11, 2019 Talk about a blockbuster day in the City. Investors expecting a quiet morning were caught off guard when the London Stock Exchange received a shock £32bn offer from Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX). Read more: Hong Kong bourse makes audacious £32bn offer for London Stock Exchange The bid, which puts the LSE’s own £20bn acquisition [...]
Litigation Capital Management bosses say Burford woes will not dampen sector September 10, 2019 The management of litigation funder Litigation Capital Management (LCM) said today that the negativity around fellow funder Burford Capital would not dampen the sector, as they announced their debut London results to the stock market. Last month Aim-listed Burford was savaged in an attack by shortseller Muddy Waters which criticised its governance and its use [...]
How will global disruption affect small cap stocks? September 9, 2019 Small capitalisation stocks, or small caps, can offer the potential for higher returns compared with investing in larger companies, although they are not without risks. As with all equities, investors may not get back the amount they originally invested. As well as the potential for higher returns, investors are also being drawn to the sector [...]