UK housing crash, Draghi quitting the ECB or “A-choco-lypse”? Here are Saxo Bank’s bonkers predictions for 2015 December 10, 2014 Could there be a UK housing market meltdown? Could Nigel Farage become deputy prime minister? Or worst of all, will there be an "a-choco-lypse"? These could be some of the most outrageous predictions you'll hear this year – or the best warning you ever had. Saxo Bank has just released its 10 scenarios for 2015 [...]
The Quindell share price fiasco should not dent faith in the robust Aim market December 9, 2014 The AIM market, the London Stock Exchange’s junior market, has been subjected to an unprecedented level of criticism over recent weeks. The fiasco at Quindell, which saw another twist this week, as the company called in PwC to review its accounting practices, has seen blame apportioned to Aim itself, and those who regulate it. In [...]
Snapchat hires Credit Suisse banker Imran Khan to lead strategy after billion dollar valuation December 9, 2014 Snapchat has made its money-making intentions clear with the hire of a major investment banker from Credit Suisse. Evan Spiegel, the 24-year-old founder of the hugely popular messaging app, has brought in heavy hitter Imran Khan, formerly the head of investment at Credit Suisse who led the bank’s work on the Alibaba IPO earlier this [...]
UKTI inks China e-markets deals December 8, 2014 UK TRADE and Investment, the government department that promotes UK business abroad, yesterday signed two new initiatives to allow British companies to expand into China’s ecommerce market. The initiatives will be run by two of China’s leading online platforms, Shangpin and Tmall, and will enable customers in China to buy British fashion and food products. [...]
UK commodities suffer after new drop in oil price – London Report December 8, 2014 Britain’s top equity index retreated yesterday, with commodity stocks hurt by a new drop in the oil price and concerns about the pace of global economic growth, after disappointing data from China. The shares of energy services group Weir also slumped by 5.3 per cent after US-based brokerage Cowen & Company cut its price target [...]
Chinese media giants rivalling US dominance December 7, 2014 CHINA is gaining ground on America’s dominance of the world’s biggest digital media companies with the Asian powerhouse now accounting for two of the six largest online media firms, by revenues generated. Baidu, the Chinese internet search firm, and Tencent, the Chinese online services giant, both reached the top six with revenues of $3.4bn (£2.2bn) [...]
The rise of the renminbi is a century-defining story – and London is at its heart December 1, 2014 THIS has been a momentous year for UK-China relations and the development of London as a key centre for trading in the Chinese currency, the renminbi (RMB), outside China. This progress is partly inevitable, as London is the world’s most international financial centre, trading more dollars each day than the whole US, and twice as [...]
New Look ties up sale of French business MIM to Hong Kong firm Main Asia November 24, 2014 New Look said yesterday it had completed the sale of its French business Mim to Chinese firm Main Asia without disclosing the terms of the deal. Main Asia is a Hong Kong-based company established earlier this year to acquire Mim. Very little is known about the company except that the main shareholders and management are [...]
FTSE weighed down by poor Chinese data – London Report November 20, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index yesterday fell for a second day, hit by weak economic data from the Eurozone and China and a profit warning from energy supplier Centrica. The blue chip FTSE 100 index closed 0.3 per cent lower at 6,678.90 points, extending its retreat from an eightweek high reached on the previous day. Centrica, [...]
The four horsemen of the chocolate apocalypse: Here’s why there’s a chocolate shortage November 18, 2014 Say it ain't so. Leading confectioners have warned the world could be about to run out of chocolate. In its annual results published earlier this month, Barry Callebaut, the world's largest chocolate manufacturer, said it had sold 1.72m tonnes of the brown stuff in the year to the end of August, an 11.8 per cent [...]