Know your stuff: Five things everyone needs to hear about pensions October 2, 2015 Charges and not taking enough risk can massively dent your long-term savings. Seismic shifts have taken place in the pensions world in recent years – and there may be more to come. Generous employer pension schemes have all but disappeared, and new freedoms brought in by the government this year aim to offer savers [...]
Should you invest in India? Inside the last major emerging market left standing October 1, 2015 Shifting fortunes in emerging markets mean India is now standing out as more investable than the rest. The last two years have seemed like a new dawn for investors in India. The country elected reformist candidate Narendra Modi as its new Prime Minister in May last year and experts around the world cheered his [...]
Glencore earnings beat estimates as it shoulders commodities rout September 28, 2015 The figures Switzerland-based Glencore said attributable net income fell seven per cent to $4.3bn (£2.7bn), down from $4.6bn a year earlier. This beat expectations as analysts had forecast $4.1bn. Meanwhile, net debt rose to $30.5bn. It set aside $1.1 billion of impairment charges for crumbling commodity prices. The company has also recommended a final cash [...]
Who will pay Edward Bramson’s tab for TGI Fridays bid? September 23, 2015 Perhaps Edward Bramson just likes caravan holidays. There are few other obvious reasons why the prominent activist investor is returning for a second bout of City-style pugilism with Electra Private Equity. Electra, the owner of Park Resorts and TGI Fridays, has barely recovered from its bruising (but victorious) encounter with Bramson’s investment vehicle, [...]
London and the South East push up UK house prices in July, but property gets cheaper in Scotland and the North East September 15, 2015 House prices climbed 0.8 per cent July, the Office for National Statistics said this morning, keeping annual house price growth above five per cent. Year-on-year price growth was 5.2 per cent, down from 5.7 per cent in June. The East, South East and London led UK’s annual price growth, while houses actually got cheaper in Scotland [...]
London Fashion Week kicks off as China slowdown is becoming an increasing headache for luxury brands September 15, 2015 Friday marks the start of London fashion week, when luxury brands flaunt their Spring/Summer collections on the catwalk and throw champagne-fuelled parties to celebrate the arrival of the next fashion season. But behind the scenes, the party mood is more subdued as luxury companies nervously assess how great an impact the ongoing economic slowdown [...]
Firms to Osborne: Don’t leave the capital behind September 8, 2015 BUSINESSES in the capital have urged the government to remember London when pushing for greater devolution of decision-making powers to local authorities. In an official submission to the Treasury ahead of November’s comprehensive spending review, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said that London should not be “overlooked”. LCCI chief executive Colin Stanbridge [...]
UK income tax haul from non-doms has risen 7 per cent and hit £6.6bn last year August 31, 2015 The amount of income tax paid by so-called “non-doms” based in the UK has risen by seven per cent, according to a new report out today from Pinsent Masons, the global law firm. According to the report, non-doms – individuals claiming certain tax benefits because their permanent home is outside of the UK – [...]
CBI wants new tax break for mid-size investment August 26, 2015 A LEADING business group is calling for new tax incentives for investing in medium-sized businesses. In a new report out today, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the accountancy and business advisory firm BDO propose so-called “Long Term Lending Trusts”, funding vehicles offering income tax relief to savers who put their money into long-term medium-sized [...]
North Sea oil company EnQuest hindered by global oil price drop August 19, 2015 NORTH Sea oil firm EnQuest yesterday reported a 13 per cent fall in first-half revenue to $444m (£283m), compared with the same period last year, reflecting the sharp decline in the price of crude. Pre-tax profits at the Aberdeen-based firm were also down, from $120m to $11m. Production rose by 17 per cent in the [...]