Bang for your buckwheat – here’s where Londoners say they pay over the odds for dinner November 24, 2016 While there are plenty of budget-friendly food options in England's capital, dining in some restaurants – and in some neighbourhoods – can come with a staggeringly steep price tag. Harden's London Restaurants Guide for 2017, released Wednesday, revealed the results of its 26th annual survey of 7,500 regular restaurant-goers to determine not only which restaurants [...]
Mothercare’s boss isn’t prepared to throw the baby out with the bathwater despite stalling sales November 24, 2016 Shares in high-street darling Mothercare fell over one per cent after its chief exec said both sales and profit margins had "stalled" over the last six months. The figures Half-year UK like-for-like sales fell by 0.7 per cent from £237m to £231m. International like-for-like sales fell by 2.9 per cent but increased in actual currency terms, [...]
Asian investors have poured over £1.5bn into London property since the Brexit vote November 21, 2016 Asian investors have been pouring their money into London commercial property following the Brexit vote. Figures from Cushman & Wakefield seen by City A.M. show that Asian buyers have spent over £1.5bn in the capital since June 2016, snapping up properties in the City and the West End. Read more: Apple's move to Battersea Power Station boosts [...]
Bonmarche blames BHS and the weather for sales hit November 21, 2016 Womenswear retailer Bonmarche has blamed the weather and BHS for its declining sales. The company said this morning that like-for-like sales were down 8.6 per cent, which could be in part attributed to the clearance of BHS' stock ahead of the store closing down. Bonmarche also said the weather "was a major variable" in its poor performance [...]
Have investors jumped the gun in thinking that the era of low inflation is now over? November 21, 2016 Jason Hollands, managing director at Tilney Bestinvest, says Yes. Deep tax cuts, looser banking regulation, massive spending on infrastructure and the military, alongside higher tariffs on imports and tighter immigration restrictions – Donald Trump’s economic policies are inherently inflationary for the US economy, especially against a background of low unemployment. Global bond markets have reacted [...]
“Co-storytelling”: How US business magazine and media company Forbes plans to upset the journalism establishment… again November 20, 2016 City workers may be surprised to learn that it is rare, and even frowned upon in some areas, for journalists to familiarise themselves with the business-end of their trade. But, with revenues, profits and headcounts at publishing companies falling each year, editorial staff may increasingly find themselves having to familiarise themselves with how their companies [...]
How far will Trump’s war on climate change go? November 17, 2016 In a world of post-truth democracy, it is fitting that President-elect Donald Trump's new director of the Centre for Energy and Environment “is not a climate scientist. I'm just… the informed layman.” It would be truly fascinating and terrifying to take a peek at what Myron Ebell is reading. On the one hand, he believes [...]
Global fintech venture capital soars to $15.2bn as UK market swings back into action post-Brexit vote November 16, 2016 Global fintech venture capital soared in the first three quarters of the year, as the UK market perks up again post-Brexit vote. Worldwide VC investment in the first three quarters of the year was up by 27 per cent year-on-year, with 839 deals completed in the first nine months of the year, with a combined [...]
Donald Trump and emerging markets: Why you should buy the Mexican peso, government and corporate bonds November 16, 2016 If the performance of the dollar and US equities has defied forecasts since Donald Trump’s election, the impact on other assets, like US Treasuries and emerging market (EM) securities, has been grimly predictable. EM corporate debt had been one of 2016’s best performing asset classes, and funds which invest in these countries attracted $47bn from [...]
Dollar pressure continues to beat down Asian currencies in wake of Trump election November 15, 2016 China’s yuan today fell to its weakest point since December 2008 against the dollar as concerns over US President-elect Donald Trump’s policies led investors to pile more pressure on Asian stocks. The yuan fell to 0.146 against the dollar, continuing a steady decline from a peak of 0.165 in 2014 and a 52-week peak of [...]