Crowdfunding platforms beware: The banks – and others – are eating your lunch May 5, 2016 European crowdfunding platforms could be left fighting for their piece of the pie. Incumbent financial players, including asset managers and banks, not-for-profit organisations, and non-financial firms are entering the crowdfunding business in increasing numbers. Recent research that I conducted with Politecnico di Milano’s Massimiliano Guerini, Evila Piva and Cristina Rossi-Lamastrais analysed the proliferation of crowdfunding across [...]
Market economy status for China could kill Britain’s steel industry May 4, 2016 The government has been accused of supporting a policy that would deal a final blow to the British steel industry, already thought to be in its death throes. Axel Eggert, director general of European steel association Eurofer, told City A.M. at the World Manufacturing Forum: "Market economy status for China would most likely be the [...]
Glencore could net $2bn from sale of Vasilkovskoye gold mine in Kazakhstan May 3, 2016 Embattled mining and commodities firm Glencore was yesterday reported to be considering the sale of its Vasilkovskoye gold mine in Kazakhstan. A source told Reuters that “a sale is one of the options,” confirming an earlier report in the Financial Times. Two other sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said $2bn (£1.45bn) worth of assets [...]
Forget Brexit: The real drivers of corporate decision-making lie way beyond Britain’s borders May 3, 2016 There has, understandably, been a great deal of attention paid to the EU referendum debate, both in the UK and in many other economies with an interest in sterling. But while the referendum is certainly a highly significant constitutional event, and one which warrants the attention it has been receiving, it is just one of [...]
Businesses rattled as latest survey points to an economic slowdown May 3, 2016 Business confidence has plummeted during the last few months due to severe volatility on the financial markets, the approaching EU referendum and the introduction of the national living wage, according to a new survey out today. The latest confidence monitor from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Grant Thornton, fell [...]
Do stock markets care about GDP? Maybe, but not in the way you might expect April 29, 2016 Looking across the western world, from the United Kingdom to the United States to the Eurozone, it is clear that domestic growth data has minimal immediate impact on stock markets. This morning, Eurozone GDP quite impressively beat expectations, but 10 minutes later, the Euro Stoxx 50 was lower. Within half an hour of the slowdown [...]
Baidu’s share price jumps in after hours trading after the company reports revenue to have soared April 28, 2016 Chinese search engine Baidu's share price jumped almost five per cent in after hours trading after the company reported strong financial results. Sometimes dubbed China's Google, Baidu reported first quarter total revenue had climbed 24.3 per cent year-on-year to 15.82bn yuan (£1.68bn). The company also said that online marketing revenue had risen to 14.93bn yuan in the three months [...]
Heron Tower owners secure £400m refinancing deal April 28, 2016 The owners of the Heron Tower in the City have agreed a £400m refinancing deal with ING and German bank Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW). The two banks have jointly underwritten the five-year senior term loan in a deal believed to value the tower at around £720m. Law firm Baker & McKenzie advised the banks on the deal while Olswang acted for the [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Clinton vs Trump – whose economic policy is better for markets? April 27, 2016 It is a momentous time in terms of geopolitics. A plethora of major events with potentially significant investment consequences will take place this year. They range from the Brexit hurricane in the UK, to tectonic shifts in the oil economy abroad. Even ostensibly local conflagrations, such as political deadlock in Brazil, may impact wider markets. But [...]
Standard Chartered’s share price leaps as troubled bank begins to show signs of turnaround April 26, 2016 Standard Chartered's share price leaped more than 10 per cent today, as the beleaguered bank revealed green shoots in its turnaround plan. The figures This time three months ago, StanChart was revealing an $876m (£601bn) underlying pre-tax loss, today it has reported a profit of $539m. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2015, operating pre-tax profit was up 264 per [...]