Focus On Hackney: How the London Overground caused a price surge in E8 March 23, 2018 Though the area around Hackney Central is better known as hipster central, the property prices certainly don’t reflect the salaries of young, freelance creatives. The E8 postcode has seen some of the most dramatic house price rises in the whole of London, a trend that has survived the plateau-ing – and declines – of recent [...]
The personal data wake-up call business needs to hear March 23, 2018 TO BORROW a phrase, with great power comes great responsibility. The scandal that has erupted around Facebook and Cambridge Analytica this week has shocked the markets, with billions wiped off the value of Facebook and social media stocks hitting the skids as investors fear a regulatory backlash. The situation appears to be a dereliction of [...]
Private individuals are being welcomed into the exclusive world of private equity as fintech firms help investors access funds March 22, 2018 A growing number of private equity firms, which have typically only accepted cheques from large institutions, are choosing to tap the private investor market to help them raise money. Fintech firm Coinvestor, which helps investors pool their cash to commit to funds which usually only accept hefty sums, was signed by south of England-focused Altitude [...]
Maplin job losses continue as administrators fail to find a buyer March 22, 2018 Maplin's administrators have announced further job losses this morning after failing to find a buyer for the business. The retail chain, which employs more than 2,000 people, was put into administration at the end of February. PwC has been handling the process, and today said a further 66 redundancies had been made at Maplin's head [...]
Network Rail’s rollout of free drinking water across London train stations has just started with Charing Cross March 22, 2018 The first of Network Rail’s free water fountains has been set up at a London station as part of its efforts to slash the impact of plastic waste. Today, Charing Cross was the first to get a water fountain, with plans for Victoria, London Bridge and Cannon Street to follow within a year. Charing Cross [...]
Shadow MPC: The Bank of England should hold interest rates amid hesitantly positive economic data March 22, 2018 Interest rates are widely expected to be kept at their current 0.5 per cent level today, as the Bank of England (BoE)’s monetary policy committee (MPC) meets to deliver its verdict. In the second MPC rate review of this year, due to be announced at midday, the BoE’s policy makers are likely to credit only [...]
Made.com backer Eight Roads Ventures has just raised a new $375m growth fund March 20, 2018 Eight Roads Ventures, the venture capital firm which has backed furniture store Made.com and beauty bookings app Treatwell, has just closed a new $375m (£269) fund. Having built on the previous £150m European fund total, Eight Roads – the venture capital branch of Fidelity International – has said the third fund “reflects the increasing number [...]
Why UK-focused stocks look their cheapest in a decade March 19, 2018 Uncertainty about the country’s long-term relationship with the European Union, its biggest trading partner, has left many international investors nervous about investing in UK companies. One recent poll showed that UK stocks were the least popular asset class among global fund managers. I disagree. I can see bright spots in the UK stock market that [...]
Philippe Chainieux-led Made.com reveals £40m of equity funding to expand business across Europe | City A.M. March 18, 2018 High-end design brand Made.com has raised £40m of equity funding which it says will be used to fuel expansion into new European markets and boost its online presence. The funding round includes commitments from existing investors Partech Ventures, Level Equity and Eight Roads Ventures as well as a new, unnamed, “tier one global institutional investor”. [...]
Hiscox chiefs miss out on bonuses for 2017 after year of hurricanes and natural disasters March 18, 2018 Senior executives at insurer Hiscox have missed out on bonuses this year after a gruelling 2017 hurricane season. The insurers’ top executives will not receive a bonus for the 2017 financial year after return on equity fell to 1.5 per cent, below the required threshold for a bonus payment. Chief executive Bronek Masojada received £2.3m [...]