Will Budget 2017 affect UK house prices? Here’s what Philip Hammond’s Budget will mean for property sales November 20, 2017 As with most Budgets, this Wednesday’s fiscal extravaganza has been heavily trailed by the government – so it should come as a surprise to few that one of the main focuses is expected to be solving the UK’s housing crisis. In advance of the speech, Theresa May has hinted at policies to “build more houses, [...]
Forget the Night Tube: Night Overground services start in east London on 15 December between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction November 20, 2017 We heard back in July that Night Tube services were coming to the Overground, and now we have an official date. Night Overground services kick off in east London on Friday 15 December, with 24-hour services operating on Friday and Saturday nights on the London Overground between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction, extending to [...]
Let’s make London the green finance capital of the world November 15, 2017 The prospect of Brexit threatens to cause serious damage to the UK’s financial services industry. Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin and even Luxembourg are circling like hungry jackals waiting to pick off the weakest members of the herd. London will need to develop a distinctive and competitive offer to investors. I believe we can find it, in [...]
Global M&A activity to hit cycle high of $3.2 trillion next year November 13, 2017 Worldwide mergers and acquisition activity will hit $3.2 trillion (£2.4 trillion) in 2018, as dealmaking is lifted on a rising global economic tide, according to forecasts to be published today. Investors are feeling “increasingly confident” because of a pick-up in global trade and GDP growth across most of the world, according to analysis by law [...]
British firms set for M&A buying spree despite uncertain outlook November 6, 2017 British businesses are poised to launch a buying spree on a scale not seen for almost a decade, buoyed by forecasts of rising profits – despite political and economic uncertainty. Some 60 per cent of British companies surveyed by accountants EY are planning acquisitions in the course of 2018, a nine percentage point rise since [...]
Rivals PwC Deloitte and EY circle KPMG’s position as Bank of England auditor November 4, 2017 The Bank of England is reportedly seeking a new auditor, in a move which could see it part company with KPMG. Rivals are gearing up to take the role from KPMG according to Sky News. The firm has been the auditor for the central bank for a decade, having been brought in just before the [...]
Fintech startup CommuterClub raises £2.3m to grow online season ticket financing from WGC and early-stage investors including tennis star Andy Murray October 30, 2017 A startup which provides financing for commuters to buy rail travel cards has landed a fresh injection of cash, City A.M. can exclusively reveal. The £2.3m for CommuterClub was led by Indian financial services firm Wadhawan Global Capital (WGC), an investor in Zopa and Goldman Sachs-backed fintech startup Neyber, with previous investors also participating. Read [...]
British manufacturing order growth wobbles despite continued export strength October 23, 2017 Orders for the British manufacturing sector softened in the three months to October, with growing signs of nerves for the coming quarter, according to a survey published today. A negative balance of two per cent of firms reported order books were above normal, representing a sharp drop from the 10 per cent balance found in [...]
Pendragon profit warning: Share price in reverse after the car dealership warns on profits October 23, 2017 Shares in the UK’s largest car dealership Pendragon dropped as much as 23 per cent this morning after it became the latest UK firm to warn on profits. Pendragon said it expects pre-tax profit to be around £60m in 2017 compared with expectations of £75.2m, according to Reuters data. The firm blamed the downturn on [...]
UK GDP growth to edge higher as economists forecast a lacklustre end to 2017 as Brexit jitters curb investment October 23, 2017 GDP growth is set to come in at 0.3 per cent for the third quarter when figures are published on Wednesday. That would mark the third consecutive quarter at that rate, after the first and second quarters marked the weakest six-month performance since the first half of 2012. And economists are forecasting a lacklustre end [...]