The Crown Prince’s UK trip shows Saudi means business March 5, 2018 The arrival of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week presents a unique opportunity for our two countries to usher in a new era of trade and investment. Relations between these nations have considerable history. Saudi Arabia and Britain have enjoyed a close friendship dating back 100 years. What makes the timing of Prince [...]
Provident Financial share surge makes it “a proper short again” as hedge funds sense a fresh opportunity March 4, 2018 Hedge funds have upped bets against Provident Financial, hoping to capitalise on any negative reaction to the sub-prime lender’s recent share price surge. Provident’s market value leapt over 70 per cent on Tuesday. While soaring to around 1,000p a share, its stock market value remains less than a third of what it was a year [...]
Last Week in the City: Trump threatens trade war March 2, 2018 This week US President Donald Trump threatened a trade war, a number of famous high street names, including Toys R Us and Maplin, got into serious trading trouble and upbeat assessments of the US economy from central bankers helped the US dollar to rally, reversing its recent trend. The FTSE 100 fell 0.2 per cent [...]
Property gloom is not really justified February 28, 2018 The amount of construction going on in the City of London makes the British capital look like a boomtown. Yet, following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, the market has been distinctly downbeat on the value of London office space and the share prices of London-listed real estate investment trusts (REITs) has collapsed. [...]
Pious attacks on the finance sector are socially destructive February 28, 2018 Attacks on the financial sector are commonplace. The Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Jeremy Corbyn have all been critical of modern finance while demanding a financial sector that serves the “real economy”. Of course, religion and finance have always been uncomfortable bedfellows, and the extreme left now has a clear preference for a centrally [...]
Disruption is everywhere – but so are the investment opportunities February 27, 2018 I’m not usually a subscriber to “this time it’s different”, but when it comes to the emerging disruption in so many industries, “this time it’s more than average” doesn’t really seem to cut it. This time I have a feeling it really may be different, because today’s disruptions are everywhere, and that means that there [...]
Aston Martin, the manufacturer of James Bond’s cars, could list in London after reporting record results February 26, 2018 Aston Martin, the iconic luxury car manufacturer which was made famous by fictional spy James Bond, has said it is considering a float on the public markets. Any final decision on a float would be down to Aston Martin’s Italian private equity owner Investindustrial, which could choose to sell the company to a private buyer [...]
The ‘big tech’ backlash: How sustainable is the success of Google, Facebook and Amazon? February 22, 2018 In recent months it has felt like the tide is turning against big tech. Google has been fined for market abuse in the EU. Silicon Valley heads have been hauled in front of the US Senate and the UK Parliament to answer for the abuse of their platforms by extremists and Russian saboteurs. The repeal of [...]
Fidessa trades above Temenos offer price in £1.4bn acquisition after Elliott Capital discloses stake February 21, 2018 Banking technology firm Temenos today agreed a £1.4bn acquisition with London-headquarterd software firm Fidessa, with shares trading above the offered price after Elliott Capital Advisors disclosed an increased stake. The firms today announced the deal had been agreed after the two firms announced the takeover was at an advanced stage yesterday following big share price [...]
On trend: Invest in the new era of British fashion brands February 21, 2018 The past few days have been some of the most important in London’s fashion calendar. As Fashion Week graced us with its presence once more, City A.M.’s Alys Keys reported on the shift towards a more democratic industry, propped up by the power of digital influencers. The internet will continue to redefine how we shop, [...]