The final countdown: MiFID II is coming, ready or not December 14, 2017 With just three weeks to go before the implementation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II), how close is the industry to being ready for the biggest change in financial markets infrastructure for decades? This article will look at the industry’s state of readiness and influencing factors, as well as what will [...]
Facebook says no more than 200 UK viewers saw Russia’s Brexit ads December 13, 2017 Facebook has found just three adverts posted by Russian accounts in its attempt to investigate potential meddling by the country in last year’s Brexit vote. The Electoral Commission had asked the social media giant to look into any interference with the referendum last year. In a letter to the commission, Facebook said the trio of [...]
Four investment myths on the rise December 7, 2017 The world of investing constantly changes and that means yesterday’s wisdom can soon become today’s myths. Or in some cases, the story moves along and some investors haven’t quite kept up. Your own biases and assumption can pose a danger to wealth generation (you can test this at Schroders Income IQ). So here we [...]
Merger and acquisition values shot to £86bn last quarter in “sizeable” rise December 5, 2017 The value of successful domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) showed a “sizeable” increase in the third quarter of 2017, according to official figures. There were a total of 163 acquisitions and disposals involving UK companies worth £86.4bn in the quarter from July to September, compared with 241 transactions worth £33.2bn in the quarter [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) chops 680 jobs in the run-up to Christmas as 259 RBS and Natwest branches are marked for closure December 1, 2017 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has entered December with an unwelcome gift for its employees, announcing 680 jobs will be cut as it marks 259 branches for closure. Blaming the rise of online banking, RBS said it would get rid of 62 Royal Bank of Scotland branches and 197 Natwest branches. Read more: Royal Bank [...]
City firms on hiring spree as salaries look set to keep rising December 1, 2017 City firms are set to embark on a hiring spree next year as the need to deal with new rules and technology trumps the ongoing political uncertainty over the Brexit process. More than two-thirds of financial services firms plan to recruit staff over the next 12 months, with the majority planning to bring permanent staff [...]
London snow 2017: It’s snowing in the City as temperatures plummet November 30, 2017 Snow has arrived in the City, as temperatures plunged, hitting two degrees according to the Met Office. The first cold snap of the winter has well and truly arrived, and City workers have been greeted with snowfall this morning. Twitter users posted photos and videos of the exciting change in the weather – though you [...]
Government debt to stay above financial crisis levels until 2060 says Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) November 23, 2017 Government debt levels will not return to levels seen before the financial crisis until 2060 owing to the UK’s weak growth prospects, according to an influential think tank’s analysis of chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn Budget. Poor productivity forecasts unveiled yesterday by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forced the independent Budget watchdog to revise down [...]
Activist investor warns London Stock Exchange against “character assassination” of outgoing boss Xavier Rolet November 21, 2017 Activist investor Sir Chris Hohn today lashed out at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) Group, saying that its board appears to be threatening a “character assassination” of its outgoing chief executive Xavier Rolet. In the latest twist in the LSE soap opera over the alleged forced retirement of Rolet, Hohn called for the Bank of [...]
Focus On Forest Hill: Meet the up-and-coming part of south east London that’s been dubbed the “new nappy valley” November 16, 2017 Like a lot of south east London, Forest Hill likes to keep a low profile – lest anyone find out just how good it is. But as the affordability crisis forces more and more Londoners to search the nooks and crannies of the capital for decent housing, many of them have alighted upon this useful [...]