Trade war fears take the shine off Standard Chartered’s rising profits October 31, 2018 Standard Chartered’s better-than-expected results were dampened by bleak warnings of trade war risks this morning, as fears mount that the firm’s emerging markets could be hit by escalating tensions between China and the US. The bank reported profits of $1.06bn (£830m) in the three months to the end of September, trumping forecasts of $978m and [...]
Daimler and Volvo-owner Geely to build a luxury Uber rival in China October 24, 2018 Chinese carmaking group Geely has partnered with German manufacturer Daimler to form a joint venture that will see the two firms launch a premium ride-hailing service in China. The deal will create a new rival to local firm Didi Chuxing, which dominates the market with 217m users last year after merging with Uber China in 2016. [...]
In the smartphone market, where there’s a will, there’s Huawei October 24, 2018 Chinese phonemaker Huawei has made strong inroads into Europe in the last couple of years, which we can see in steadily rising brand awareness and opinion data. The company is firmly established in China but has worked hard to gain a foothold in Europe. YouGov BrandIndex data shows that far more people are familiar with [...]
Merian Global Investors targets Asia expansion with Ping An partnership October 23, 2018 Merian Global Investors has signed an agreement with Hong Kong asset management firm Ping An as the firm targets expansion into Asia. The London-based asset management business agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ping An this morning, which will allow the firms to work together on fund distribution, marketing and investment advisory services. Read more: FTSE [...]
Travel group Intosol floats in London amid efforts to raise funds for South African expansion October 22, 2018 German-based luxury holiday travel company Intosol is floating on the London Stock Exchange today, as it looks for capital to expand its South African boutique hotel business. Intosol, a high-end travel firm headquartered in Hannover, is listing on London’s main market to fund the acquisition of several hotel sites in South Africa, including a commercial [...]
Electric bike startup Lime to scoot into the UK market with a soft launch in Milton Keynes October 21, 2018 Dockless electric bicycle and scooter startup Lime is set to fire up its first expansion into the UK market with a soft launch in Milton Keynes. The San Francisco firm, which is valued at $3bn (£2.3bn), is exploring an office in the UK with plans to hire a country manager and up to 20 staff [...]
Investment platform AJ Bell boosts customers ahead of float October 19, 2018 Investment platform and stockbroker AJ Bell said today it had increased customer numbers by 20 per cent in the last financial year ahead of a planned main market listing. In the year to 30 September customer numbers increased 20 per cent to 197,912 and assets under administration grew 16 per cent to £46.1bn. Read more: [...]
HSBC confirms it is exploring a Chinese listing via new London-Shanghai link October 18, 2018 HSBC confirmed today it is exploring a plan to sell its shares in China via a new London-Shanghai trading link. A spokesperson for the bank said: “We are studying the proposed framework for the listing of Chinese depositary receipts under the Shanghai-London Stock Connect but cannot comment further at this time.” Read more: HSBC, Credit [...]
Economist Hernando de Soto: ‘Our systems of representation are broken’ October 17, 2018 Hernando de Soto has dedicated much of his life to trying to help the world's poorest countries develop to the level of advanced economies, but now he is wondering if Western nations need to re-examine how we think about government. De Soto is one of the world’s most prominent development economists, thanks to the central [...]
Toy maker Hamleys blames Brexit, terrorism and rising retail costs for £9m loss October 12, 2018 The UK's oldest toy store Hamleys revealed a record loss today with profits dropping a staggering 500 per cent over the past 12 months. The iconic toy-maker blamed Brexit, macroeconomic factors and the threat of terrorism for the downturn in its fortunes. The retailer announced a £9.2m loss for the year to 31 December 2017, having made a £1.7m profit [...]