Focus On Victoria: A £4bn investment has completely changed the area from dowdy offices to shiny penthouses and hip restaurants March 5, 2018 If the Queen’s getting a £369m refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, it seems only fair that the neighbourhood surrounding it should get a polish, too. £4bn should just about cover it, and that’s how much has been invested in the area by developer Land Securities over the last five years. Around £700m of that has gone [...]
Officials in London and Rotterdam tussle over future of Unilever HQ February 21, 2018 UK officials are in talks with Unilever to convince the consumer goods giant to keep its headquarters in London. Unilever has been bringing forward changes to the business after Kraft Heinz’s unsuccessful bid for the company this time last year. Unilever’s boss Paul Polman announced a review of the business to deliver shareholder value and [...]
Davos: Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK is back on after successful “clear the air” meeting with Theresa May January 25, 2018 Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK is back on the agenda, after a successful bilateral meeting with Theresa May today. The President and Prime Minister had their first one-to-one since their relationship publicly soured last autumn, resulting in the pair asking officials to “work together on finalising the details of a visit by the [...]
Five things you should know about the new US embassy in “off location” Nine Elms January 12, 2018 Donald Trump may not be impressed with London's new US embassy building in Nine Elms – but the new £800m site has been in the works for a decade, and is one of the world's safest buildings. Trump was due to cut the ribbon at the embassy at the beginning of next month, but he [...]
London on Saudi Aramco listing shortlist along with Hong Kong and New York say reports January 11, 2018 London has made it onto the shortlist for potential listing venues for Saudi Aramco, as the state-backed oil giant looks to list in late 2018, according to reports. New York and Hong Kong are also on the shortlist, with a dual- or even triple-listing on the cards, according to Reuters. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul exchange will [...]
Investment trust winners of 2017 January 11, 2018 Investment trusts enjoyed healthy investment returns last year, with funds focused on Japan delivering some of the best returns in 2017, according to data for trust sectors. Investment trusts are an alternative to more commonly held open-ended funds or unit trusts, offering some advantages. This is explained here: investment trusts vs open-ended funds. Here we [...]
Too big to list? Why the international scramble for the Aramco IPO might prove a wild goose chase January 4, 2018 Last week, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a delay to its proposed introduction of a new listing category for the London Stock Exchange. The proposal – which has already endured a six-month consultation – is widely seen as an attempt by the regulator to bend its own rules on stock market flotations… in ways [...]
UK Prime Minister Theresa May heads to Wokingham to promote stamp duty holiday for first-time buyers January 3, 2018 The Prime Minister will today head to Wokingham to promote her government’s decision to cut stamp duty for first-time buyers. In the Autumn Budget, Philip Hammond scrapped stamp duty for first-time buyers purchasing homes worth up to £300,000. In London, first-time buyers also receive a stamp duty holiday for the first £300,000 on purchases worth [...]
Minor Hotels takes £58m stake in The Wolseley and The Delaunay operator Corbin and King December 18, 2017 The owner of some of London’s most iconic eateries has sold a £58m stake to a Thai hospitality group. Corbin and King, named after its founding partnership Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, is behind restaurants including The Wolseley, The Delaunay, and Brasserie Zedel. The majority stake in the company has now been snapped up by [...]
14 years of investment returns: history’s lesson for investors November 30, 2017 The stockmarket has provided the best returns among the major asset classes over the last 14 years. But the total profits belie wild fluctuations year by year. Such volatility can cause problems for those who need to draw down money from their investments at certain points of their lives. A sudden drop in the stock [...]