The Iron Brady April 14, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks to sporting executive-turned TV star Karren Brady – the Conservative Party’s ambassador for UK small businesses SHE IS known as the First Lady of Football, but Karren Brady’s list of accolades extends far beyond the beautiful game. Wikipedia describes Brady as a sporting executive, novelist, author, TV broadcaster and columnist. And as [...]
Bottom Line: Insurers and premiums both driven down April 9, 2014 WHO’D be a car insurer? With regulators lining up to tell the sector what to do and technology busily disrupting established business models, firms like Direct Line, Admiral and Esure are enjoying a rough ride. The latest news on plunging UK car insurance premiums promptly sent share prices for all three screeching downhill. Rightly so. [...]
Car insurers see shares dip after premiums fall April 9, 2014 THREE of the biggest motor insurers in the UK saw their share prices fall yesterday after Confused.com and Towers Watson reported a significant drop in premiums, greater than had previously been expected. Direct Line, Esure and Admiral all saw a dip in shares of 2.26 per cent, 8.85 per cent and 0.57 per cent respectively, after [...]
Quindell and RAC launch £100m scheme for black boxes in cars April 7, 2014 BLACK boxes could soon be used to revolutionise the vehicle insurance industry in the UK according to a new joint venture by Quindell and the RAC which analysts say could be worth up to £1bn. RAC said it plans to sell the socalled telematic tracking devices, similar to the black boxes used in aircraft, to [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 04 April 2014 April 3, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Channel 5 bidders question valuation A war of words has broken out over the valuation of Channel 5, ahead of this month’s deadline for second-round bids for the broadcaster owned by entrepreneur Richard Desmond. In January, people close to the bidding process said Mr Desmond was seeking a price of more than £700m [...]
Which surprise stocks will see the biggest wins from an Internet of Things? April 3, 2014 Hot on the heels of a 75-page paper from analysts at Barclays dubbed the ‘Hyperconnected World: The digital invasion” comes another mammoth paper from banking analysts on the invasion of the internet. Morgan Stanley have published a 96-page tome detailing in great precision on the Internet of Things, or IoT in short, and its impact [...]
Watchdog under pressure after insurance firm fiasco March 31, 2014 THE CITY watchdog will come under renewed pressure from insurers today demanding urgent action from George Osborne to prevent a repeat of the regulator’s mis-step that led insurance shares to plunge on Friday. The industry will write to the chancellor to raise “serious concerns” about the disclosure of information by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) [...]
The UK is not as dependent on Russian money as you think March 24, 2014 IT IS obvious that Russia is a significant source of jobs, trade and investment for the UK. But it is also important not to exaggerate these links: while they matter a lot for a few industries, they are less important overall than some commentators assume. It is entirely untrue that London would collapse without Russian [...]
Top ten budgeting apps: balance your books with tech downloads March 19, 2014 Now you’ve finished reading about The Budget, have you thought about your own finances? Look no further because technology has the solution. Melissa York introduces the apps that will get you back in the black METER READINGS 99p, Apple App Store Never have an unexpected or inaccurate utility bill land on your doorstep again by keeping [...]
Admiral results solid not flashy says top boss March 5, 2014 CAR insurer Admiral has announced good results for 2013 with overall profits up 7 per cent despite an 8 per cent fall in group turnover. Profit before tax in 2013 was £370m compared to £345m the year before, while earnings per share were up at 104.6 pence, a 10 per cent increase. Group chief executive [...]