Sydney, Australia: the global cultural capital of the future April 27, 2014 Forget the stereotype, Australians can do hipster as well WHAT’S the difference between Australia and a petri dish? If you leave a petri dish for long enough it will eventually develop a culture… Or so the joke used to go. But anyone who’s visited Sydney recently would struggle to justify that view. Australia’s economy has [...]
Inside Track: Three reasons why the new issues market is struggling April 24, 2014 AS ADVISERS to Saga put the final touches to the largest flotation so far this year in the London new issues market, it is an opportune time to look at where we stand. Few could deny that the London new issues market, so dormant a couple of years ago, has come back to life. Since [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 24 April 2014 April 23, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Deutsche Bank under pressure Deutsche Bank is facing pressure from investors to raise capital amid fears the bank is still not robust enough to cope with a tougher regulatory environment and a slump in global debt markets. Insiders at Germany’s largest lender are understood to accept as a real threat that the European [...]
Hungryhouse serves up £50m fundraising April 23, 2014 THE OWNER of online food delivery company Hungryhouse has raised $85m (£50.5m) of new funding to help it compete with recently floated rival Just Eat. Delivery Hero said yesterday it will use the funds to strengthen Hungryhouse’s position in the UK and invest in Lieferheld, its sister site in Germany. The funds came from a [...]
Why Deutsche Bank is going to war with NGOs on wheat April 23, 2014 Gamblers might think they're due a win after a string of losses, but most of us figure that taking a bet on an event doesn't affect its outcome. But some NGOs say the opposite, if your bet is a futures contract, and you're an investor gambling on the value of commodities, like food. The NGO [...]
Top stockbroker hits out at “deplorable” lack of retail floats April 22, 2014 One of the biggest names in the retail stockbroking sector has today described the situation facing retail investors wanting to invest in newly-floated companies as "deplorable". Yet another company, The Card Factory, has announced it is coming to market via an issue of shares only initially available to institutional investors. Keith Loudon, the senior partner [...]
10-week fitness challenge | The get-fit diary of an out-of-shape office worker April 21, 2014 Steve is undertaking a 10 week “total body transformation” programme with No.1 Fitness, which involves four sessions at the gym a week, a strictly-controlled diet and absolutely no alcohol under any circumstances whatsoever (not even a little bit, just to take the edge off…). Here’s how it’s going: I’VE never been a fit man. I [...]
Where to put your money to see real returns on cash April 15, 2014 Current accounts offer eye-catching rates, but remember the tax advantages of Isas WITH inflation dipping to 1.6 per cent on the consumer price index in March, and competition starting to hot up among retail banks, many current accounts are now offering the chance to earn decent real returns on cash. As many as 10 new [...]
Institutions get a stronger hand in new issues April 14, 2014 THE PENDULUM of power in the new issues market could swing back to institutional investors this summer after a spate of companies floated so far this year sank underwater. Big name issues in London including Brit Group, Just Eat, AO World and Pets at Home have all fallen below the price they floated at in [...]
Is the UK still open for business? Not if politicians keep meddling in markets April 14, 2014 AFTER seven years at the top, last month London lost its place as the number one city in the Global Financial Centres Index. Is this a temporary slippage, or should we be concerned? I have always thought of the City, and the UK, as one of the best places to invest and do business. We [...]