How might a trade war play out? July 19, 2018 The Trump team appears to see trade wars as a central policy rather than a bargaining strategy. With the possible advent of further tariffs on European and Chinese exports, we look at the potential consequences such as higher inflation and lower growth. The impact on interest rates and currencies While the US has begun to [...]
Consumers rail against ‘criminal’ switching fees as watchdog floats ban July 16, 2018 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said today that it would seek to reform the £500bn investment platform sector to improve competition and better protect consumers. The City watchdog published interim findings from its study of investment platforms today and proposed a “package of measures” to protect consumers which could include the banning of exit fees [...]
Chinese bid for Northern Aerospace fails amid security fears July 9, 2018 Chinese takeover attempts to buy a British defence company have fallen through, according to UK private equity firm Better Capital. Approval has not been given for aircraft parts maker Northern Aerospace to be purchased by Derby-based Gardner Aerospace, a subsidiary of Chinese aerospace and mining firm Shaanxi Ligeance Mineral Resources. Read more: Aerospace sector revises [...]
Chinese bid for Northern Aerospace falls through as regulator denies approval July 9, 2018 Chinese takeover attempts to buy a British defence company have fallen through, according to UK private equity firm Better Capital. Approval has not been given for aircraft parts maker Northern Aerospace to be purchased by Derby-based Gardner Aerospace, a subsidiary of Chinese aerospace and mining firm Shaanxi Ligeance Mineral Resources. Read more: Aerospace sector revises [...]
Culture secretary Matt Hancock expected to make decision on Rupert Murdoch’s Sky takeover this week July 8, 2018 Culture secretary Matt Hancock is this week expected to reveal whether Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox will be given clearance to take over Sky and bat off a rival bid from Comcast. If Hancock gives Murdoch the go-ahead, the media mogul will buy the 61 per cent stake in Sky he does not already own. [...]
Last Week in the City: Trade wars begin July 6, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (2 to 6 July 2018). The World Cup is “distracting” for participants in global markets, according to Citigroup. "We find that football is indeed distracting, subtly impacting market depth, traded volumes and execution cost,” the US [...]
Experian to acquire London fintech startup Clearscore in £275m deal July 6, 2018 Experian, the world’s biggest credit data company, has bought London-based fintech company Clearscore in a £275m deal. The credit checking firm's CEO Brian Cassin said the deal was “another important step in our strategy to extend the services we provide to UK consumers”. Clearscore launched in July 2015 and now offers over 6m UK customers [...]
Ocean economy offers UK a trillion pound opportunity in undiscovered gold and precious metals June 29, 2018 As much as 95 per cent of the world’s oceans and 99 per cent of the ocean floor remain unexplored. We have yet to identify around two-thirds of all marine life. We know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our ocean floor. While we look to the stars and imagine what [...]
Is the high street really doomed? June 26, 2018 UK high street retailers have endured a torrid time over the last few years. A slew of store closures, job losses and administrations don’t make for pretty headlines, and illustrate just how difficult it is for those looking to invest in the retail sector. Discount retailer Poundworld followed electronics firm Maplin and toy retailer Toys [...]
Last Week in the City: Markets Trumped by trade fears June 22, 2018 The week was dominated by trade war fears as Donald Trump said he would slap further tariffs on Chinese goods should there be any retaliatory measures. Despite this, Nasdaq hit a record high, although the Dow Jones Industrial Average erased all its gains in 2018 so far. The FTSE 100 fell 0.5% over the week [...]