A new approach to the traditional legal model September 9, 2012 THINK of a sector ripe for an entrepreneur, and law is probably not top of your list. It’s highly competitive – there were 10,202 private practice firms operating in 2011, according to the Law Society – and a complex set of regulations makes applying new business models highly technical. How also to combine the character [...]
Maybe it’s because you’re a Londoner: The capital is optimistic about prices September 9, 2012 Take a step back before deciding if your glass is half full or empty IT IS often hard to move for the number of property analysts discussing price movements in the housing market. But what do UK households think? The Knight Frank/Markit House Price Sentiment index sets out to answer that question. Every month, we [...]
Obituary: Sir Andrew Crockett September 4, 2012 Sir Andrew Crockett, the distinguished central banker and former general manager of the Bank for International Settlements, died yesterday at his home in California. He was 69. Crockett led the BIS between 1994 and 2003, at a time when closer monetary union between European states and the creation of the European Monetary Institute, the European [...]
A week to save Glenstrata deal September 2, 2012 GLENCORE’S merger with Xstrata looks set to collapse this week after seven months of wrangling – unless the firms can reach a compromise with Qatar and other large shareholders over the terms of the deal. Xstrata investors are expected to vote against the £45bn tie-in at a meeting in the Swiss town of Zug on Friday [...]
Foreign buyers drive boom for London houses September 2, 2012 THE LONDON housing market is in a booming recovery, defying global downturn and an unconvincing overall climate for UK housing, according to a report released by Knight Frank today. Prime central London prices are 49 per cent up since March 2009, when the market bottomed out following the financial crisis, and already 14 per cent [...]
JJB shares dive as it looks for a white knight August 30, 2012 SEVERAL bidders have expressed interest in taking control of crisis-hit retailer JJB Sports, which was forced to put itself up for sale yesterday after failing to secure fresh funding from investors. The company, which has 180 stores and employs 4,000 people, has been locked in discussions with suppliers and investors in recents months in a [...]
Knight Capital supports Nasdaq offer to boost compensation pot August 30, 2012 US broker Knight Capital has backed an improved compensation pot of $62m (£39.2m) from the Nasdaq stock exchange over losses incurred after the botched Facebook float in May, it was revealed yesterday. The broker was threatening to sue Nasdaq over the errors, which caused market makers like Knight to lose millions after a glitch meant [...]
Focus on: Wimbledon August 30, 2012 Wimbledon has become one the most popular places to live in London, with Wimbledon Village being near the top of the tree. Easy transport links make it ideal for those who want quick access to the city, whilst reaping the benefits of a quieter suburban life. On the fast train, you can expect to be [...]
Analyst Views | What do you think of BHP billiton’s annual results? August 22, 2012 JONATHAN JACKSON KILLIK & CO Although risks to global GDP growth remain, the current rating of the stock remains attractive and we therefore reiterate our positive recommendation on the stock, which provides exposure to the themes of urbanisation and industrialisation across the developing world. RICHARD KNIGHTS LIBERUM CAPITAL In the medium term we expect supportive [...]
City Moves | Who’s switching Jobs August 21, 2012 Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors David Lyscom has been appointed policy director of the professional membership body. He is a former UK ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and was also previously UK ambassador to Slovakia and the International Energy Agency (IEA). He will report to Dr Ian Peters, the institute’s [...]