Three New Year’s resolutions for the wealth management industry January 8, 2020 The year ahead has the potential to be a defining one for the wealth management industry, following a difficult 12 months that have seen client confidence rocked by a number of high-profile issues. Whether it’s the suitability of investment products, exorbitant and opaque fees, or the need to build a better and more inclusive dialogue [...]
Amazon’s Deliveroo investment could cause higher prices, says CMA December 27, 2019 Amazon and Deliveroo are the subject of an in-depth probe by competition authorities into the e-commerce giant’s investment in the food delivery firm. Neither company offered undertakings in response to concerns aired by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Read more: CMA puts brakes on Amazon’s Deliveroo investment The CMA said earlier this month that [...]
Activism: an escape hatch for active fund managers? December 19, 2019 Active fund managers are like deer caught in the headlights of oncoming traffic. The exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry is expanding its product range to all investment strategies and grabbing market share from the mutual fund sector. In an important milestone, in August 2019, passive US equity funds surpassed their active counterparts in assets under management [...]
Rivals ‘can’t compete’ with Google and Facebook on digital advertising, watchdog warns December 18, 2019 Tech giants Google and Facebook dominate Britain’s digital advertising market to such a great extent that rivals can no longer compete with them on “equal terms”, the competition watchdog has warned. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also raised concerns over the pair’s dominance undermining the ability of newspapers and other providers to produce “valuable [...]
Brydon review finds UK audit industry in need of ‘urgent reform’ December 18, 2019 The UK’s audit industry is in need of “urgent reform”, according to the findings of a year-long review into the sector. The review, which was led by Sir Donald Brydon, a former chair of the London Stock Exchange Group, calls for the creation of “a standalone and transparent audit profession” split off from the accounting [...]
FCA overdraft rules: What they mean and which banks have hiked fees December 18, 2019 Millions of people may see changes to their available bank balances today as new overdraft rules from the financial watchdog covering how overdrafts are displayed come into effect. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has ordered UK banks to stop including overdrafts in funds marked as “available” to customers, in a move designed to make it [...]
Ocado set to be crowned the FTSE’s most valuable tech giant December 17, 2019 Analysts have said Ocado has the vision to become the “Microsoft of Retail tomorrow” and transition into the FTSE’s most valuable tech giant. Once finalised, the decision by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to de-designate Ocado as a retailer in August will make it the largest listed tech company in the UK by valuation. [...]
Ofwat orders water companies to cut bills by £50 December 16, 2019 Water firms must slash the average bill by £50 by 2025, regulator Ofwat insisted today as it set out plans to improve the utility providers’ performance. The demand forms part of a massive £51bn investment strategy for water companies under Ofwat, including a goal to cut the amount of water lost to leaks by 16 [...]
Yü Group shares skyrocket on energy supply deal with Smartest December 16, 2019 Yü Group, the supplier of energy and utilities services to UK businesses, saw its share price rise by nearly 50 per cent today after it announced an energy supply arrangement with Smartest Energy. The hedging facility with Smartest will provide Yü with a credit line up to £13m, which will grow in line with the [...]
The best and worst ads of 2019 December 16, 2019 It has been a year of highs and lows for adland. PRs, creative agencies, and brands will be examining their advertising efforts this month, and while some will be pleased with their work, others will be looking to improve next year. To help with this process, I asked members of the marketing industry and other [...]